Pearl Jam, the iconic band that emerged from the unfortunately named ‘grunge’ era, embarks on a new U.S. tour this May. Apparently playing the rock and roll music is a big fat middle finger to Mother Earth, and Pearl Jam looks to make amends.

The band has announced that it will voluntarily mitigate carbon emissions from the band’s 2009 world tour by partnering with the Cascade Land Conservancy (CLC), a national leader in urban forest restoration, to plant approximately 33 acres of native trees and plants in communities around the Puget Sound. Pearl Jam’s donation of $210,000 will fund the urban forestry project and mitigate more than 7,000 metric tons of carbon.

According to guitarist Stone Gossard in an interview with Reuters:

“Pearl Jam is a band but we are also a business,” guitarist and co-founder Gossard told Reuters in a telephone interview. “We’re seeing ourselves as a Washington business, a regional business that is acknowledging its carbon footprint and hoping to inspire other businesses.”

As a staunch fan of the band and supporter of any legitimate efforts to keep it green, I applaud the effort. However, all I’m concerned about at the moment is what Pearl Jam will open with at Madison Square Garden on the 20th. Rock and Roll!!!

[thank you Fast Company & PearlJam.com]