Billie Eilish partners with Google Maps to offer sustainable tour bets

Pop star Billie Eilish has announced a partnership with Google Maps to help her fans find sustainable transport and food options during her upcoming ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour.

The nine-time Grammy Award and two-time Oscar winner, who is well known for her environmental activism, has explained that the partnership with Google Maps is done so that her fans can find eco-friendly transportation and fuel-efficient routes (public transport, walking and bike routes) as well as plant-based food options around the cities she will be visiting on the first leg of her upcoming world tour in North America.

“I am so excited to see you all at my shows over the coming months, and for us to work together in reducing our collective footprint when it comes to transportation and what we eat,” Eilish said in a statement.

“Every action matters, no matter how big or small, and together we can truly begin to heal our beautiful planet. Thanks to Google Maps, everyone will have easy access to resources that will help you make great sustainable choices when you come to my shows. Thank you for caring. See you soon!”

Earlier this year, Eilish criticised artists who release multiple vinyl formats to boost album sales, emphasizing the waste this practice represents. With this in mind, she announced details of her eco-friendly vinyl for her most recent album ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’.

Eilish is not the only artist to be vocal in addressing the carbon footprint linked to touring and trying to make it more environmentally friendly.

World tours have always been an environmental nightmare, due to the transportation of crew, and equipment. Studies have shown that the majority of touring emissions – often over 90 per cent – come from the travelling involved.

Coldplay have pledged to minimise air travel and use “sustainable aviation fuel” where flying is unavoidable, while Massive Attack have been working with climate scientists to explore ways to put on “super low carbon” events by handing over years’ worth of touring data to Manchester University’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to assess how the industry can do better. Also at the heart of Massive Attack’s aims is tackling carbon emissions that come from audience travel – which account for up to 80% of event emissions.

Massive Attack, whose sustainability efforts recently culminated in their 25 August ACT 1.5 festival in Bristol, have recently announced they will play during a series of concerts in November at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena in November, to honour the English city being announced as the world’s first ‘UN Accelerator City’ for climate change. 

This accolade recognises the city’s commitment to technical innovation and smart regulation to rapidly decarbonise the live music and TV / Film production sectors. 

Joining them for the upcoming concerts, which will be entirely powered by 100% renewable energy, will be IDLES and Nile Rodgers.

Once Billie Eilish wraps up the North American leg of her tour, she’ll continue to tour in Australia, Europe and the UK. Her European dates take place in April, May and June 2025 and take Eilish to Sweden, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Italy, France and Spain.

Additional sources • Billboard