Adam Metzger

Adam Metzger (born August 27, 1990), also known as Adam Met, is an American musician, activist, writer, and holds a PhD in Human Rights Law. He is a member of the indie pop trio AJR (band). He is the founder and executive director of Sustainable Partners, Inc., a non-profit focused on global engagement with sustainable initiatives. 
== Sustainability ==
Metzger is the founder and executive director of the non-profit Sustainable Partners, Inc. (SPI) which “creates engagement around sustainability through media, research, and incentive based initiatives.” SPI's New Futures Fellowship Program brings together researchers and advocates from around the world to bridge the gap between complex academic thought, and concrete action. 
Adam hosts the environmental podcast “Planet Reimagined” , in which he plants a tree for each new subscriber. The podcast has hosted guest such as former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Michael S. Regan, economist and Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, Costa Rican Diplomat Christiana Figueres, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, professor Naomi Oreskes, environmental lawyer Steven Donziger, Acumen (organization) CEO Jacqueline Novogratz, and more. 
Adam developed Time For Change, an ad initiative that works with brands and has planted more than 100k trees and raised more than $150k for charitable endeavors. 
Adam has produced many sustainability initiatives, including an iHeartRadio PSA series that reached over 88 million listeners in the United States and a United Nations film festival, Eyes on the Goal, which hosted delegates, guest speakers and celebrity performers to raise money and awareness for the Sustainable Development Goals. 
He is also a Sustainable Development Programme Advocate for the United Nations and has written on the topic of sustainability for Rolling Stone, Billboard , Fortune (magazine)|Fortune , Mashable , Quartz (publication)|Quartz and Pollstar and spoken on the topic on behalf of MTV.
Adam has spoken at Columbia University and New York University http://gallatin.nyu.edu/utilities/events/2016/12/rawforum.html on human rights and sustainability. In 2021, he led viewers of NowThis News around New York City to show how the city is investing in climate resiliency and sustainability. He has presented and hosted at various summits including Concordia , Techonomy , Beyond Sport and the Social Good Summit. 
In spring of 2021, Adam presented his TED (conference)|TED Talk ‘Making Climate Cool Again: Re-Exciting the Movement,’ which presented a unique perspective that intersected music, marketing, technology, academics, policy and government and provided tools for fans to get involved in the music industry to engage action against climate change. 
He has met with United States Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to discuss clean energy and taking action to combat climate change and New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand|Kristen Gillbrand to discuss the importance of indigenous representation and carbon taxes.
== Academics ==
He has a bachelor's degree from Columbia University where he studied business and philosophy as well as a Master's degree in Constitutional Religious Law from New York University, where he earned the Graduate Interdisciplinary Academic Excellence Award. 
In 2021, Adam earned his Doctor of Philosophy|PhD , ‘Stakeholder Approaches to Human Rights and Development in the Commercial Context’ , from the University of Birmingham in the United kingdom|United Kingdom. He was a Human Rights Fellow at Columbia University. 
== Music and activism ==
Metzger, along with his brothers Jack and Ryan, began their music careers while sharing an apartment in Chelsea, Manhattan|Chelsea before they began to perform live in 2006 by busking in Central Park and Washington Square Park in New York City. The debut single of AJR, I'm Ready (AJR song)|“I’m Ready,” was released commercially in 2013.
The band released their charity single “It’s On Us” in March 2017 in support of the It's On Us|It's On Us social movement and campaign created by Barack Obama and White House Council on Women and Girls to raise awareness and fight against sexual assault on college campuses for both men and women. All proceeds from the song were donated back to the campaign. AJR released Burn the House Down|Burn The House Down in 2018 in response to current political and social movements. The song was picked up as an activist anthem for March for Our Lives|March For Our Lives, the gun control legislation movement that was formed after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland Florida. 
In 2020, AJR released the single “Bang! (AJR song)|Bang!” in February , followed by the song “Bummerland” in August. Due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the group was forced to cancel their tour. In late July, they announced their drive-in shows which took place mid-August. 
“Bang!” reached the top 10 of Billboard's Billboard Hot 100|Hot 100 chart at Number 9 in January 2021, making it the band's first entry in the top 10 of the chart. https://www.billboard.com/music/AJR/chart-history/HSI “Bang!” won Top Rock Song at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards and is currently RIAA certification|certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. 
The band performed at the Biden/Harris pre-inauguration We The People virtual concert alongside Fall Out Boy on January 17, 2021. 
The band has been vocal about their plans to make touring eco-friendly and sustainable. 
Category:1990 births
Category:American musicians
Category:American activists