Web exclusive posted August 13, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. CST

The Green Train, a biodiesel-powered locomotive with 20 or more train cars, is scheduled to depart Portland, Ore., for Washington, D.C., in April 2009 to educate Americans about renewable energy.

The train will include two flatbed concert stage cards. During the six-week tour the train will stop in seven major cities where country music performer and songwriter Merle Haggard, along with other musicians, will perform. They will also hold dozens of small-town whistle stop acoustic performances. Other artists and celebrities who have pledged their support for the Green Train include Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Cher, The Dave Matthews Band, Collective Soul, Jewel, John Mayer, and The Indigo Girls.

Chugging through 28 states, the train's concerts and acoustic performances will be powered using biodiesel-fed generators as well as other renewable energy sources. Concerts will be held in Portland, Ore.; Denver; Chicago; New Orleans; Charlotte, N.C.; New York; and Washington, D.C. As well, to date acoustic performances are scheduled in Sacramento, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; Atlanta; and Boston.

According to the organization's Web site, GreenTrainGlobal.org, the train will carry exhibits and display "simple solutions to living green in a modern world." The Green Train is a Tennessee-based nonprofit educational organization. The Green Train is planning a trek through Europe in 2010 and on several continents in 2011.