Student-led SAP Drive benefit concert is bringing sustainability to Nashville’s live music

As live music begins to come back on the scene, some Belmont students are getting a head start reinvigorating the events industry in Nashville.

Founded by four women from Belmont, Green Trunk Productions is a concert promotion company aiming to bring sustainability to local shows. This effort will begin with Saturday’s SAP Drive, a net-zero drive-in concert aiming to raise funds for Urban Green Lab and Cool Effect.

“A big priority for us to try to make this event as sustainable as possible,” said Katherine Brophy, a founding member of Green Trunk. “I want my children to live in a beautiful world, and I don’t want to mess it up before they get here.”

Brophy, a senior music business major, said Urban Green Lab and Cool Effect were no-brainer choices for the event. Urban Green Lab is a Nashville non-profit focused on sustainability education, and Cool Effect is a crowdfunding platform that supports carbon-reducing projects around the world.

“They’re just so transparent, and really lay out everything that they’re doing with their projects and how it actually helps fight climate change,” Brophy explained.

But SAP Drive — the namesake of which being sustainability, arts and people — is more than a way to pool donations. It’s a concert starring staple Nashville up-and-comers Love You Later, Pacific, Lindsey Lomis, Sun Seeker and Crumbsnatchers.

“I’m so excited with our lineup,” said Green Trunk co-founder and music business major Lauren Lucas. “They’re all local Nashville bands … I just think that they’re going to represent the community pretty well and put on a great show.”

Brophy echoed those sentiments, saying the artists were a joy to work with.

“It’s really just warmed my heart so much … I just can’t believe our whole lineup is made up of just the nicest people.”

The mix of attainable sustainability, acclaimed art and good people has been a moving influence for fellow co-founder Claire Savoie, she said.

Green Trunk and the SAP Drive are more than monetary opportunities for the group, she said, as a lot of live music’s value is in its ability to connect people.

“Through my time at Belmont, I have fallen in love with live music, and have had some of the most spiritual moments of my life at concerts,” Savoie explained.

And for the final co-founder, Lily Pickering, live music and environmental activism are two lifelong passions coming to life through the event.

“I feel like we’re trying to bring those two together, it’s just like a dream come true for me,” Pickering said.

SAP Drive will take place April 17 at 7 p.m. at Further Farms in North Nashville. Tickets are $50.50 and cover four people in a single car, and additional passengers will be charged $15 at the door.

Ticketing and information can be found at thesapfest.com.

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This article was written by Justin Wagner. Photo courtesy of Green Trunk Productions, LLC.