Green day for Tankian

A few days before the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War, rock musician Serj Tankian is sitting in an Austin hotel room and ruminating on the costs of the endless battle. But Tankian isn’t talking about dead soldiers or civilians; he’s talking about the cost to the Middle East’s environment, an issue that few people have raised.

“The topsoil there has been destroyed,” he says, “and who knows what kind of damage all those bombs have caused to the ecosystems in the Middle East?”

Many bands these days are claiming the “green” label, but their concern often starts at the merchandise table and ends at the recycling bin. Not so for the System of a Down frontman-turned-solo artist, who sees beyond silos and realizes that issues like electoral reform, recognition of the Armenian genocide, poverty and the environment are all related.