I N T R O D U C I N G T H E 0 0 L E A R T H G U I TA R BY KRISTI BRONICO On March 15, 2019, artist Robert Goetzl watched the news in awe as a million students, across 125 countries, gathered as part of the School Strike for Climate, an international movement of students who skip Friday classes in protest to demand action from political leaders against climate change. The movement started in 2018, when Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old activist from Sweden, staged a lone protest outside the Swedish Parliament holding a sign that read “school strike for climate," inspiring students across the globe to stand together to fight for the future of the planet. The movement fanned a flame in Goetzl that had been slowly burning for many years. He wanted to use his talent to become part of the solution, so he immediately dropped what he was doing and began a sketch for a watercolor of the earth. His hope was that it would one day adorn the top of a Martin guitar that could be used to bring awareness to the urgent need for climate action. Upon completing the sketch, Goetzl wasted no time driving to Nazareth to share his idea with Martin Chairman and CEO Chris Martin. The sixth-generation leader shares with Goetzl a deep passion for fighting climate change and preserving the earth for future generations. This shared passion, reignited by the energy and perseverance of this new generation of activists, put into motion the plans to develop what is now being introduced as the Martin 00L Earth guitar—the first acoustic guitar that is both 100% FSC ® certified AND 100% plastic-free. "When I first heard this eloquent young woman, Greta Thunberg, speak so passionately about climate change, I was immediately inspired and thought, why not design a guitar with a visual element as a tool to promote the message ‘Save the Earth,’” said Goetzl. “Perhaps this is a way to help raise awareness of resource sustainability and our society’s failure to take action against the global crisis that this troubled planet is facing."
34 | EVERY DAY IS EARTH DAY