Linkin Park Urges Fans to Join Music For Relief and Give Back on #GivingTuesday

Just in time for #GivingTuesday (November 27), Linkin Park, together with Music for Relief and the United Nations Foundation to support the work of the United Nations, are announcing a way for fans to give a unique holiday gift to friends and family this season to provide clean energy solutions for people who have no access to electricity.

Here's how it works. You can give a solar light, solar power for hospitals in health clinics, or Power the World's latest clean energy tool, the Soccket, which is a soccer ball that is also a portable generator at powertheworld.org. You make a donation on behalf of a loved one, they get an e-card, and someone without electricity gets the safe, clean energy they need to improve their quality of life.

Linkin Park established Power the World in support of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. Building on previous Power the World efforts to bring solar lights to homes in Haiti and solar power to health clinics in Uganda, the Grammy-Award winning band has launched a new campaign to combat energy poverty by bringing the first eco-friendly portable generator housed in a soccer ball to Latin America.

Energy poverty is the lack of access to modern energy services such as electricity and cooking facilities that do not cause air pollution. One in five people globally lacks access to electricity and three billion rely on highly polluting solid fuels such as wood, coal or charcoal for cooking. At 2012 World Economic Forum energy poverty was named one of the worst forms of poverty because it undermines all aspects of development. This holiday season, Power the World is offering several ways to give gifts that help alleviate energy poverty.

To bring clean energy to areas suffering from energy poverty in Latin America, Linkin Park, through their non-profit organization Music for Relief, is working with Uncharted Play, a social enterprise that designs and manufactures the Soccket. Designed to amplify existing play behavior. The Soccket provides a healthy energy alternative by improving access to lighting and electricity. With just thirty minutes of play a household has access to three hours of light.

You can also make a donation to benefit families affected by Hurricane Sandy this holiday at Musicforrelief.org. Music for Relief is encouraging supporters to kick off the giving season on November 27th for #GivingTuesday, a movement to celebrate giving, and establish a day of giving right after the Thanksgiving holiday and nationally recognized shopping days that follow. This first-of-its-kind effort, launching on November 27, 2012, will harness the collective power of a blend of partners, including charities, families, businesses and individuals, to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.

Linkin Park's official fan club, Linkin Park Underground, launches it's 12th year on November 15, 2012. Linkin Park Underground has always been more of a community, rather than just a fan club. Membership to LPU allows fans into the Linkin Park world with access to the completely redesigned LPUnderground.com, meet and greets, exclusive pre-sales, special events and early entry into Linkin Park shows.

"I don't think of the LPU as a fan club. I think of it of as a community," says Linkin Park bassist Dave 'Phoenix' Farrell. "Over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet thousands of members of the LPU all over the world, and one thing continues to impress me. It's not how open, friendly, and giving you are with us, but rather, with each other."

This year's membership package includes a t-shirt, water bottle, carabiner key chain, guitar pick, laminate and lanyard plus a $5 credit to the LPU store (http://lpunderground.com/store). Each year, Linkin Park Underground also releases a new CD to members only, filled with never before released demos chosen by the band members. For a limited time only, fans can purchase the CD for only $1 when they join Linkin Park Underground. As an added bonus, all fans who join LPU between November 15 and December 1 will be entered into a contest for a chance to win 2 tickets and a meet and greet to a future Linkin Park show of their choice. For more information on, go to www.LPUnderground.com