Musical artists like Jack Johnson and K.T. Tunstall take pride in their eco-awareness and show it by employing measures such as recording in environmentally-friendly studios and trying to reduce the impact to the earth caused by touring. However, when it comes to their chosen musical instruments - usually a guitar - the choice isn't always that easy.

The wood used in many of the guitars preferred by musicians often comes from trees that take hundreds of years to reach their full acoustic potential.

"The paradox is that musicians as a group tend to be pretty progressive and ecologically savvy and concerned -- until it comes down to their guitar," C.F. Martin & Co. head of artist and public relations Dick Boak says. "They don't want to take the chance that they won't have the absolute best tone. It requires a little bit of education and it requires them to see the product."

Now several top manufacturers of instruments - Gibson, Fender and Yamaha to name a few - are teaming up with Greenpeace for the Music Wood project in hopes that they can create products that combine the high quality musicians expect with eco-friendly materials. The project will initially examine the use of Sitka spruce, with Sealasks, a primary supplier of the wood, agreeing to an audit of their logging practices to take place later this summer. The company agreed to undergo the audit - to take place this summer - after meeting with Greenpeace and the companies involved with Music Wood last year. Spruce is one of the old growth woods, along with mahogany and ebony, that are becoming increasingly rare. An environmental expert estimates that less than five per cent of old-growth forest in the U.S. is still standing.

Some of the alternative options being explored are a high-pressure laminate made from eucalyptus and domestic woods that grow quickly, as well as bamboo.

» Reuters Environment