Artists like John Mayer, the Dave Matthews Band and Snoop Dogg will be performing at the Rothbury Music Festival this July, which aims to be a carbon neutral event. The festival is working with Black Rock Solar to offset its carbon emissions through the donation of a solar energy system to a local school.

The festival will also have an on-site climate change think tank featuring folks like Dr. Steven Schneider and L. Hunter Lovins, who will be participating in various brainstorming events with concert-goers on ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. Also, attendees will be able to enjoy the natural world along with some great music, as the event will take place amidst a variety of lakes, beach fronts, and natural trails.

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What do Brigitte Bardot, beach litter, and American rappers on skid row have in common? They’re all on the TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup!  The Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie:

Pras On Skid Row (Literally)

Top 10 Reasons to Go to the Havana Film Festival in New York

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Nicole:

6 Million Pounds of Trash Found On World’s Beaches In One Day

“Take A Bite” Out of Climate Change

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Giulia:

Once Upon A Time Mommy Wasn’t This Pretty

We Can Solve It

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Gina:

The Fresh Air of the Flight of the Red Balloon and Hou Hsiao Hsien

Brigitte Bardot on Trial for Her Contempt Towards Muslims

In his latest project, hip hop artist, actor, and filmmaker Pras Michel (The Fugees) goes undercover for 9 days and nights as a homeless person in downtown LA’s notorious Skid Row. I met up with Pras in a hotel lobby in Manhattan to discuss Skid Row, the documentary based on his time on the street living with 90,000 people in a 50 square block area. Pras talked to me about Muhammed Ali, why he likes Obama and doesn’t go for Bill Cosby, how Oprah and Snoop could help the “lost African-American generation” by meeting face to face, and why we’re in a “transitional moment.”

Check out www.skidrowthemovie.com to find where it’s showing near you.

Why did you make this movie?

To make people aware. The majority of Americans just want to be able to work and provide. People on Skid Row … they just want to be able to work, they don’t care what it is. A lot of people think if something’s going on over here and not where they are, then it doesn’t affect them. We have to get away from that mindset.

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