PLAYA DEL REY, California (CNN) -- The black sedan pulled up to the parking lot at Dockweiler State Beach in California, and the five members of The Lost Trailers stepped out -- no chauffeur, no publicist, no manager, no entourage.



From left to right, Jeff Potter, Stokes Nielson, Ryder Lee, Manny Medina and Andrew Nielson of The Lost Trailers.



But that's the way this rising country band rolls these days.



When they embarked on their current "Lean, Clean and Local" tour, they streamlined their operation in the greenest way possible.



Since September, they've reduced their carbon footprint by 132 tons.



That meant giving up their tour buses, as well as their road crew and traveling with their own equipment.



Their new buzz phrase is "hiring local" -- local roadies, local T-shirt vendors, local suppliers for amps and equipment. If they can't stuff it in a suitcase, they don't bring it.



The Lost Trailers have also partnered with Keep America Beautiful, a national organization dedicated to litter reduction and recycling.



On a recent day off in Los Angeles, singer Ryder Lee, guitarist Stokes Nielson, bassist Manny Medina, keyboardist Andrew Nielson and drummer Jeff Potter met up with a group of young adults from the L.A. Conservation Corps for a little coastal cleanup -- country style.  Watch the band at work on the beach »



Three of the band members sported cowboy boots as they sifted through the sand. The kids were from South Central Los Angeles, an inner-city area not generally known for its love of country music.



After the cleanup, we pulled the CNN van up to the beach, popped in The Lost Trailers' CD, and hit "play" on their hit single, "Holler Back." As the fiddle and banjo strains of the high-octane hillbilly tune blared through the speakers, there were blank stares all the way around from the students.



But after joining in the chorus of "heys" and "hos," one young man named Virgil LaFlora started rapping over the verses. It was the most unexpected country/hip-hop mash-up since Tim McGraw and Nelly joined forces for "Over and Over" in 2004.



All of a sudden, the two camps had discovered some common ground, and the song ended in cheers and hugs. One girl asked if she could have the CD.



CNN talked to the Trailers' members about their activism and their tour. The following is an edited version of the interview.



CNN: "Lean, Clean and Local" isn't just about recycling. You guys are actually going into the community and hiring local people.



Stokes Nielson: We did a show with Tim McGraw in New York at the end of last year. It was a fly date for us, so we hired local, and this guy came up to us and said, "Thank you so much for hiring local, 'cause I haven't had a check in three weeks." And we realized as the recession was heading into place, that one of the things we could do to benefit these communities is hire local, and not just bring in our own crews and just extract money form the locals and then leave, but we could also leave a small stimulus of our own.



CNN: As rising artists, you work hard to earn the right to have a tour bus. Now you're giving it up.



Stokes Nielson: Since we won't have a crew, we thought, "OK, we're not going to have the bus anymore, and we're just going to fly to dates," and that cut down our diesel consumption.



Andrew Nielson: We travel really light so that we can roll into town, hire the crew, and also hire local equipment. Potter's a drummer, and everywhere we go, we rent drums.



Jeff Potter: We were trying to figure out a way that was practical to get a drum set on a plane, but it didn't really work out. I like it
what will Band partners do What is the purpose of the band traveling  light? What did the guitarist say they wanted to do?
partnered with Keep America Beautiful, reduced their carbon footprint by 132 tons. hire local,
question: what will Band partners do, answer: partnered with Keep America Beautiful, | question: What is the purpose of the band traveling  light?, answer: reduced their carbon footprint by 132 tons. | question: What did the guitarist say they wanted to do?, answer: hire local,