REVERB, a nonprofit that works to create a more environmentally friendly music industry, has a new study out examining the impact of traveling to music events. It finds a lot of interest among music lovers in more sustainable transportation options.

REVERB’s co-founder and co-executive director is Adam Gardner. You might also know him as the guitarist and singer for the band Guster. Gardner joined “Marketplace Morning Report” host David Brancaccio to discuss the REVERB study. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

David Brancaccio: I think about the impact of going to a concert, and you see piles of trash at the ones that are not managed correctly. You can see mountains of single-use water bottles. But really it's the travel when you're looking for carbon footprint, and you think that's a place where carbon could be saved?

Adam Gardner: Yeah, it has to be. It's just by far the largest part of any concert's footprint, which, if you think about it, makes sense. But it's really a symptom of a larger infrastructural and transportation issue in our country. But music is a high-profile industry, and if there's a way for it to be a catalyst for change on a municipal level when we're talking about public transit and cultural level — I'm talking about people actually using it — this is what we're excited about.

Brancaccio: And I was looking at the study, it was also striking: a key part of this is letting people know that there are alternatives for getting there than necessarily driving alone in a car.

Gardner: Not everywhere. And I don't want to place this responsibility all on fans, because it isn't. I mean, again, what's interesting is fans want this, but they're not given the information or there isn't the infrastructure there, so it's a responsibility that's shared from the venues to the promoters of the concerts, the artists can be playing a huge role in communicating those options. And there's local business opportunities with party buses and shuttles, and we've seen some solutions already starting to happen. This thing, for me, is it came out of a natural place — and I think a lot of people who go to concerts can relate — when's the last time you've gone to a show and at the end of the night, you haven't had to make that decision between seeing the encore or leaving early so you didn't have to sit in traffic to get out of there?

Brancaccio: Is there a kind of underwriter’s seal of approval for shows that are making an effort with regard to the environment?

Gardner: The artists are playing a big role in being the cheerleader, for lack of a better term. The good news is also coming out of the COVID shutdown, a lot more energy in the music industry is focused on sustainability in a real way. Before, it was "Eh, maybe when we get to it," but now people are starting to understand that there's a real demand, not only from the artists that are playing these venues, but the fans that are attending. So we're very excited about that. I think it really comes down to we call the three I's: information, infrastructure and incentive. That's what's going to move the needle with concert travel.