Neil Young Won't Tour Again Unless It's Environmentally Sustainable

Neil Young may not tour again unless he and his crew can make it completely environmentally sustainable.

In a new interview with The New Yorker, Young insists that going renewable is the only way he will tour again.

"I have a plan. I've been working on it with a couple of my friends for about seven or eight months. We're trying to figure out how to do a self-sustaining, renewable tour," he starts. "Everything that moves our vehicles around, the stage, the lights, the sound, everything that powers it is clean. 

"Nothing dirty with us. We set it up; we do this everywhere we go. This is something that's very important to me; if I'm ever going to go out again. . . . and I'm not sure I want to, I'm still feeling that out."

He continued, "If I’m ever going to do it, I want to make sure that everything is clean. What was the last thing you remember eating at a show, and how good was it? Was it from a farm-made, homegrown village? I don’t think so. It was from a factory farm that’s killing us. 

"I’ve been working on this idea of bringing the food and the drink and the merch into the realm where it’s all clean. I will make sure that the food comes from real farmers. 

"Once it’s up and going, and I’m finished with my part of the tour, there’s no reason why the tour has to stop. The tour can keep on going with another headliner. It’s about sustainability and renewability in the future, loving Earth for what it is. We want to do the right thing. That’s kind of the idea." Read the full interview here.

He has always been an artist to stand up for his beliefs. Earlier this year, he pleaded with fellow artists to sever ties with Spotify. With a slew of artists following Young's lead and pulling their music from Spotify, he issued a statement via his website.

"To the musicians and creators in the world, I say this: You must be able to find a better place than SPOTIFY to be the home of your art," Young said.

He also issued a message to the company's workers, claiming that CEO Daniel Ek is their "biggest problem – not Joe Rogan".

"Ek pulls the strings. Get out of that place before it eats up your soul. The only goals stated by Ek are about numbers – not art, not creativity," he said.

"Notice that Ek never mentions the medical professionals who started this conversation. Look, one last time at the statements Ek has made. Then be free and take the good path."