One independent  musician's mission to change the world with innovative global virtual  tour-making a difference, one micro-transaction at a time.

Los Angeles, California -  Craig Lyons was  very recently elevated to Global Green's Eco Circle Member status for  USD$100, entirely funded by donating 10% of his tips from his  performances in virtual worlds.
In fact, he is well past  that mark, and by next month's deposit to the fund, they will reach the  Green Circle Member status of USD$250.

This  in itself is no great feat as thousands of people are members of such  status- but Craig's contribution was entirely funded by  micro-transactions in virtual currencies.  What's more, it was only a  little over a month ago that he officially began the initiative of  collecting charitable donations at his shows.  To put this in  perspective, the average donation in the virtual communities is around  $200 - $250 virtual dollars, which is roughly equal to $1USD.  So for  Craig to reach what seems a relatively minor level of donation status  with the percentage of his tips that he gives, realize it represents  1000+ fans donating real money in just over a month.

Craig   has set a personal goal to reach Global Green's top member status of  "Global Circle" (USD $500) by the beginning of summer, with these  micro-transaction donations alone. He is dedicated to keeping the  donations flowing and growing as his fan base continues to grow as well.

When asked "Why Global Green?" Craig's  immediate response is "They're a local group working globally on the  issues that strongly resonate with me and my music, the environment and  helping people in need. They understand and utilize the real impact  artists can have on the world. I'm a musician, I have a voice, and it's  important to me. It just made sense."
As an L.A. local,  Craig is excited to be able to contribute to a group that does in his  words,  "such important and legitimate work" and hopes to extend his  relationship with the organization to collaborate on an educational  element to his virtual and real world presence.

Craig made an intentional entrance into the virtual music  scene as the first step to his personal and professional commitment to  "green his scene", so to speak. He has fully embraced the opportunity  for he and his band to reach a global audience with live performances  from his home studio and   continue to sell his music online without the sizable waste and  consumption left by a typical music tour.  Just this past week, Craig was invited by an  Austin-based internet communication company to perform virtually at the  South by Southwest Music Festival as an example of the uses for a  virtual platform. So rather than creating the waste involved in getting  his band & equipment to Austin, Craig was able to perform and speak  about his green efforts, live, via video webcast and virtual world  technology.

Building on this momentum and  seeing his fans "vote with their dollars" for Craig's environmental  initiatives, he and his team have been actively planning a 2-month  international virtual tour to promote environmental awareness and  educate about sustainability, which they're calling The ECOnection  Tour.  To ensure maximum impact, they are reaching out to Global Green  USA to formalize a partnership to combine Craig's music and Global  Green's messaging for the educational elements.

The  virtual ECOnection Tour will be followed by a physical tour, using his  success in the virtual world to make contacts and broaden his fan base  nationally and globally.
The physical tour will employ the  use of green touring practices, including hybrid/electric transportation  and lodging facilities using sustainable practices, if not fully LEED  certified. Additionally, the entire process will be documented and  edited together at the tour's conclusion as an entertaining and  educational documentary to further the goals of his mission.

In the next month, Craig will be releasing his  latest music video for a licensed version of the legendary hit "Across  the Universe". It features an international cast & crew of  professionals and fans in a highly collaborative effort, working  simultaneously from all corners of the globe via the world's largest  free-content virtual platform. This revolutionary music video  illuminates the importance of environmental consciousness while the  medium demonstrates a low-impact alternative method of filming.

So what does all this add up to?  It's long been  known that music is a powerful tool to reach people with a message,  especially one of positive change.  Craig Lyons is discovering that by  using virtual worlds, he can add up his fans' spare change through  thousands of virtual micro-transactions to make a real difference in the  real world.