If they could.
Three years later, Johnson is no longer asking due to his stratospheric rise to the top of the charts. He has a No. 1 album, "Sleep Through the Static," and when he visits the West Valley City venue Aug. 18 in his biodiesel tourbus, he will demand a green commitment from Usana in the midst of his, and perhaps the world's, largest green concert tour ever.
Usana, coincidentally, is undertaking an effort to be the greenest venue in Utah.
"The person who got us thinking about it was Jack Johnson," said Teresa Mooney, marketing head of United Concerts, which handles concerts at the venue. Johnson had a "green" rider, the list of requests artists deliver to a venue. Usually riders call for fresh flowers, wheatgrass shots or vegetarian deli trays in dressing rooms, but Johnson was different.
"He sparked our interest in [becoming green]," said Rob Pierce, United Concerts' production coordinator.
The greening of Usana began in earnest last year, when 100 trees were planted around the amphitheatre. (Two hundred more are being planted this summer.) Pat Dunn, of Dunn Recycling in Orem, was called in to give advice on reducing the venue's carbon footprint.
"When Jack Johnson makes a statement, the venues listen," Dunn said. "Usana is stepping it up, even though it's costing them money."
Teams of volunteers, called the Green Team, worked at the venue last summer, educating and directing concertgoers to recycling bins. Some dedicated volunteers even picked out recyclables from trash bins, Pierce said. This summer, there will be more volunteers and more recycling bins. Just last week, Pierce ordered 50 "Please Recycle" signs.
With the summer season about to begin, United officials have worked with vendors like Coors to offer recyclable cups for the first time.
All incandescent light bulbs in dressing rooms, restroom signs, floodlights and walkway lights have been replaced with compact fluorescent bulbs that save electricity and reduce greenhouse gases.
And while the arrangements haven't been finalized for Saturday's Cinco de Mayo concert - the first concert of the season - the Charlie Daniels "Volunteer Jam" concert on May 30 will see special parking lots for carpoolers.
The efforts have been noticed by Johnson's team.
Usana officials have been proactive, said Adam Gardner of Reverb, a nonprofit organization he heads with his wife, environmentalist Lauren Sullivan. Johnson brought Reverb on board to "work with venues to make sure the eco-rider is followed," Gardner, a musician, said. (Reverb is also helping the Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer tours, which stop at Usana this summer, become greener.)
"I want to commend [United Concerts]," said Michael Martin, president of Music Matters, who wrote one of the first environmental riders in the 1990s for the Steve Miller Band, a group also coming to Usana this summer. "They really embraced it."
Martin is working with Johnson to launch "All at Once," an interactive exhibit that will travel with Johnson to all of his tour stops. It will include a "Village Green," which educates fans on how they can help the environment through contributions that will be matched by the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation.
Other concert venues in Utah are making their own "green" efforts. Thanksgiving Point, in Lehi, turns food concessions waste into compost, all outdoor lighting is energy-efficient, and officials worked to support a TRAX stop in Lehi. At Red Butte Garden at the University of Utah, officials are installing photovoltaic solar panels and the 60,000 square feet of turf for the amphitheatre and its surroundings is tall fescue, which requires less water and fertilizer and grows more slowly than bluegrass, so mowing is less frequent.
"I can't think of a better reason to put on a concert than to bring people together to create positive change," Johnson said in a news release.
dburger@sltrib.com
Usana's lineup
* May 3: U92 Cinco de Mayo Concert and Custom Car Show with Baby Bash, Pitbull and others; $20 to $40
* May 30: Volunteer Jam with Charlie Daniels Band, .38 Special and Shooter Jennings; $21 to $41
* June 27: Tim McGraw; $33 to $63
* June 30: 311 and Snoop Dogg; $47
* July 4: True Colors Tour with Cyndi Lauper, B-52's and Rosie O'Donnell; $41 to $100
* July 11: Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick; $25 to $125
* July 19: The Police with Elvis Costello; $46 to $206
* July 21: John Mayer with Colbie Caillat; $31 to $59
* July 29: CrüeFest with Mötley Crüe, Buckcherry and Papa Roach; $29.50 to $95
* July 30: Steve Miller Band with Joe Cocker; $27 to $53
* Aug. 4: James Taylor; $29 to $85
* Aug. 7: Regeneration Tour with Belinda Carlisle, Flock of Seagulls and ABC; tickets on sale May 10
* Aug. 18: Jack Johnson with Rogue Wave; $29.50 to $49.50
* Aug. 25: Sheryl Crow with James Blunt; $40 to $61
* Aug. 27: Dave Matthews Band with Robert Earl Keen; $39.50 to $65
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE at all SmithsTix locations. Check www.usana-amp.com for more information.
