'tone history

Once upon a time late 2009, the question was asked, “What is the most efficient approach to singing one’s way into a more ecologically and environmentally sound future?” This was not, perhaps, the most logical question, but you know how it is...you’re a bunch of Ecology graduate students at a party, you play a few too many rounds of charades, you sing a few catchy songs, break a chair, and the next thing you know, you’ve created an eco-friendly a cappella group, the Ecotones! We’ve all been there.

Since its completely run-of-the-mill conception at that point, the group has grown and evolved, but has never forgotten its roots in the Ecology Department of UGA nor its dedication to helping the environment. The Ecotones have performed at such events as the Annual Member Meeting of the Upper Oconee Watershed Network and the UGA Green Cup competition, not to mention entertaining the Environmental Educational Alliance and the Pancakes for Parkinson’s fundraisers. We’ve opened for hip-hop star B.o.B. at “The Culmination,” a celebration of fifty years of desegregation at UGA, and we host a Fall and Spring Concert every year.

While we are an acapella group, we also give back to our environment. Twenty percent of our profits are donated straight to the Upper Oconee Watershed Network, and each member of the Ecotones is required to volunteer at UOWN’s events.