Who doesn’t know the iconic song, ‘Money’, by Pink Floyd? I bet you’re singing it in your head right now!

“Money, it’s a hit, don’t give me that do goody good bullsh…!”

Luckily for our planet, it seems as though the band’s singer/songwriter and guitarist, David Gilmour, doesn’t always live by the lyrics. In fact, he really seems to care about doing ‘goody good’ for our environment.

Our Environment Matters
Inspired by 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg’s speech (1), Gilmour spoke out.

“The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming becoming irreversible”

This is why he hosted a charity event last month, selling his world-renowned guitar collection for a whopping $21.5 million dollars. The event garnered a lot of attention, and for good reason: it broke world records as being the largest and most expensive guitar collection ever sold at a charity auction. (3)

Gilmour donated all of the proceeds to ClientEarth, a non-profit organization which he’s very passionate about. Their mission is to combat climate change, provide habitat/wildlife protection, and advocate for changes to environmental law. (4)

“I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their actions to use the law to bring about real change. We need a civilized world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond, in which theseguitars can be played, and songs can be sung.” Gilmour shares. (2)

About The Auction
The auction was held on July 20, 2019, at Christie’s Auction house in New York. Around 2000 die-hard fans and collectors attended, each vying for a piece of Gilmore’s prized collection. Their citizenship spanned across 66 countries, which goes to show that the ’60s band, Pink Floyd, is still a worldwide sensation today. (2)

Items sold included guitars by Rickenbacker, Fender, Gibson, Ovation, C.F. Martin, Gretsch, and of course the infamous black Fender Stratocastor. (Ooohh! Aaahh! The Black Strat!).

I’m sure any rock enthusiast already knows about ‘The Black Strat’. If you aren’t familiar, this guitar was most sought after thanks to its integral role in creating the most iconic sounds of Pink Floyd. It helped inspire albums such as: Wish You Were Here, Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, and The Wall. It was the most expensive guitar ever sold at a charity auction, earning a jaw-dropping $3,975,000 dollars. (2)

Needless to say, ClientEarth was absolutely blown away by Gilmour’s generosity.

“The law is one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the world’s increasing environmental problems. This gift is a phenomenal boost to our work using the law to tackle climate change and protect nature” said ClientEarth CEO, James Thorton. (2)

A Call To Action
Gilmour was able to take inspiration from Greta Thunberg, and he paid it forward in his own way. We should all follow suit – After all, our world depends on it.

“Either we choose to go on as a civilization, or we don’t” Greta Thunberg warns. (1)

We don’t have to be just another brick in the wall.

We can stand up for our environment and make a change, too!