Founded in 1970 by some US Senator, Earth Day has now spread everywhere — to Berlin, Brisbane, & Beijing — which yes, saw the Wonder Girls play this week at the Bird’s Nest Stadium for an Earth-Day-inspired  International Show of Peace Concert.

But in our opinion, Earth Day can be a lot of show-y PR schmaltz and no real action. We thought we’d focus instead on those in the music biz who are best helping our planet: green record labels. While we tend to think of record labels as evil corporations, sucking out the souls of artists, these companies are showing us that labels can help. And it’s not a bad business strategy. If you’ve got a choice about where to buy a CD, wouldn’t you rather buy one from a green label? Or if you’ve got a choice about what band to see, wouldn’t you rather see the one who drove to the show in a bus powered on biodiesel? Us too. So here’s a primer.

SUB POP

In 2006, Wired Magazine called Sub Pop Records the first label in the world to “go green.” The label that discovered Nirvana had reduced its CO2 output to zero — a feat that would be completely impossible (unless they were 100% digital in sales) without the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, which lets companies buy vouchers that subsidize the use of renewable energy — which would otherwise be more expensive than “dirty” sources.

Inspired when Sub Pop musician Kelley Stoltz purchased enough Green Tags from Bonneville to offset the energy used to record his 2006 album, Below the Branches — the company’s vouchers go to wind and solar farms in eastern Washington and northeastern Oregon. That just shows how quickly one artist can change things…

BRUSHFIRE RECORDS

Singer songwriter Jack Johnson started his green record label, Brushfire, back in 2002 “As a way to put out soundtracks for surf movies we were making,” he told CNN.

With Johnson’s fame came a solar-powered studio, biodiesel tour buses, and an “EnviroRider.” Whereas most bands’ “riders” typically specify that on tour, they’ll only accept orange M & Ms, Johnson’s outlines eco-friendly requirements for venues. That includes eco-friendly merch, on-site recycling, and encouraging fans to use public transportation. And at the show, he gives space to a table for the Ohana Charitable Foundation. Any donation up to $2,500 made by fans, the label will match. “Money from the shows goes to these groups and helps bolster their memberships so that after we leave the town, these groups can continue to do good things,” he said. “So more than just lessening our negative [environmental] impact, it’s actually leaving a positive impact [wherever we tour].”

Now MTV Iggy fave Zee Avi is signed to his label. Sweet! But nothing’s cooler than Johnson’s studio — insulated by scraps of blue jeans, it’s lit with energy-efficient bulbs, furnished with only second-hand, and gets its energy from solar power. Spiffy!

EARTHOLOGY RECORDS

Founded by the band Cloud Cult as early as 1997,  Earthology is on a whole other level of green. Based on an organic farm in Minnesota, it’s powered by geothermal and wind energy. All buildings on the premises were built with recycled wood and other materials. And while the band prints its own liner notes with “soy-ink” on recycled paper, the jewel cases are donated by shops around the country.

GREEN OWL RECORDS

Founded in 2008 by musicians who just wanted to have a green tour, Green Owl Records has sprouted up to include MTV Iggy Favorites The Very Best and others who have sought a way to have their music’s message match their actions. Co-founders Ben Brewer (The Exit, The Appletrees) and Ellenike Abreu (The Appletrees) didn’t know anything about running a label — they just wanted to have a bus that ran on biodiesel. Now, they’ve got a whole operation. CD packaging is biodegradable while the CDs themselves can be recycled with Green Disk. Without the funds to hook up their studio with solar power, they off-set their energy use by purchasing credits from Native Energy.

“We have our limitations, but at least we can donate to and support positive causes until we can take that next step,” Stephen Glicken, who co-founded the label, told Vanity Fair. “There is no reason why you shouldn’t be doing things in a sustainable way as a company.”

SMOG VEIL RECORDS

Chicago’s Smog Veil Records, which focuses on underground rock, is based out of a geothermal, solar-powered office in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood. They’ve got the same recycled paper cases as other labels.