Photo | Catriona Spaven-Donn

A closer look at Vic’s first-ever concert for climate change

On February 3rd, the Ecoachella: Concert for Climate Change was hosted in the Cat’s Eye. The event was a collaborative effort put on by VUSAC Arts and Culture Commission, Vic Sustainability Commission, Vic Records, and Goose Fiction.

The Strand spoke with Sustainability Commissioner and MC Jamil Fiorino-Habib about what motivated the concert. He told us he was inspired by the COP21 Pathways to Paris benefit for climate change, which included both musical acts as well as speakers. Fiorino-Habib was inspired by how the event got people involved and celebrated the intersections of different forms of art and social justice.

The event had three bands, a poetry reading, as well as lots of pizza and snacks—including vegan options—as well as reusable water bottles and bracelets made of bicycle inner tubes courtesy of the Sustainability Commission. All donations and proceeds from the products sold went toward Standing Rock.

Goose Fiction presented selected poems from Sanna Wani, Kenza Vandenbroeck, and Julia DaSilva. The poets each tackled themes of environmental consciousness in their own individual way. Their performances kept the tone of the evening both reflective and intimate.

Event coordinator Jacob Peng led the search for musical acts. As a musician himself, he felt it was important to foster community connection in the music scene as well as to showcase UofT talent. He felt there was a lack of opportunities to perform on campus for students who were serious about music. Originally starting out as a fan of the band Good Kid, he discovered the band members were UofT students and graduates, like himself. EricArthurBlair was another UofT band Jacob had seen live and loved. These two bands were a natural choice, in addition to his own band Indigo Violet. All three bands agreed to perform for free. Each band brought a ton of energy and spirit to the stage, rocking out even though the floor wasn’t packed. Those who were there definitely enjoyed the music—there was lot of dancing, head-banging, and even somewhat of a mosh pit near the end of the last set.

Ultimately, the joint effort between different student organizations was a success. Ecoachella shows that students can rally together and use creative outlets to affect positive change.