Greening the Generations: Is it wrong to rock'n'roll?

GREG: I just got back from the Radiohead show in Charlotte and, I don't want to brag but we were in the front row and it was the greatest show I have ever been to. Of course, I did have to drive down to Charlotte and drive back all in one day and looooooong night, but wow was it worth it. I will admit, only one friend and I drove together in a four-door car. In all honesty, I would have hitchhiked to this show, but I feel a little bad about driving so far just for a concert.

BILLY: Well, you didn't drive all that way for just any concert -- it was a Radiohead show with a front row seat waiting just for you. Forget Mother Earth, a lot of people would put their REAL mother in jeopardy for that. Then again, you do ride the corporations pretty hard for their green goofs, so we're gonna have to make this right. Start with a carbon offset. I'm Catholic, so this right up my alley, er, pew. An offset is penance for a wrong. You let your carbon footprint get out of hand, you buy an offset -- and your money goes to companies who plant trees or make solar energy. Click here to get started.

There's no getting rid of your Radiohead-related carbon emissions, but you can pay to make sure that somewhere in the world some entrepreneur is doing something good to make up for your rock'n'roll debauchery. Speaking of which, what's with the lightning bolts raining down on Thom Yorke and his fellow 'Heads?

GREG: Yeah, offsets are probably the best I can do at this point. I need to do something. After all, it isn't fair for me to go to every show I want regardless of where it is. Ol' Tragedy of the Commons rearing its head once again!

Oh, the lights. Yeah, those were gigantic strips of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes), which are far more efficient in producing light than traditional or even Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs. Even Radiohead is joining in the Green revolution!

That wasn't the only sustainable thing I saw at the show. The cups we drank our, er, soda from proudly heralded they were made from 100% corn! While it can be turned into fuel (not very efficient), corn can also be used to create plastics which are completely biodegradable.

BILLY: If you're gonna make cups out of corn, why can't you just make the things edible? Have a soda and a snack, all in one. Somebody get me the patent department! And hey, I've got LEDs, too. I believe they're in one of my cars. My dear mother thinks they cast a cold light, but I prefer to think of their glow as having a sleek sci-fi look.

But here's the big thing: how green can a traveling rock band really be? Maybe I'm too glued to images of Keith Richards and David Lee Roth, but aren't these guys globe trotting in gas guzzlers? Partying up a storm and leaving a sea of trash and outbreak of road trips? I mean, that's glorious rock'n'roll for you. Is demanding that tradition go 'green' like asking a wolf to stop howling at the moon?

NOW WE NEED YOU! Leave a comment with sage advice. How do you go green and still rock'n'roll?