The Sustainable Living Concert Series, now shortened to Living Concert Series was actually inspired by the stated purpose of the Puffin and Puffin West Foundations in the funding of projects that use Art to cultivate a progressive cultural vision.
The Living Concert Series aimed to jump-start a series of community concerts, powered by off-grid electricity. Mad haPPy collaborated with local activist, arts, community groups and politicians in producing half a dozen concerts that included combinations of musicians from ages seven to sixty-nine, representing various neighborhoods and cultures in Pensacola and the Puffin Funds were used towards the Off-Grid Sound System.
At the outset the plan had been simply to use a very small XPower 1,500 Watt Portable Powerpack, charged with a 300watt cycle generator and a portable 80watt solar kit, powering a small AC-powered sound system. But after the Emerald Coast Community of Makers got their hands on the design, it developed into a 600 watt power amp that runs directly on DC power, so that no energy is wasted on inverting and transforming electricity from DC to AC and back. In order to power this system we had to bump up to a 400 amp battery bank of Absorbed Glass Matt Batteries, which were provided at top-level dealer cost in support by Safe-Start Battery company.
The series was funded by the Puffin Foundation, Puffin West Foundation and the McKenzie Family and organizations we worked with included Veterans for Peace, Food Not Bombs, The Long Hollow Neighborhood Association, County Commissioner Lumon May, Sustainable 350, Greater Good Festival, Emerald Coast Community of Makers, First City Arts Center and the Belmont Youth Band. The Series received pre- and reviews in the The Downtown Crowd, The Voyager and the Pensacola News Journal.
