thanks a lot! i think ill make a trip back to that store tonight!

The life of a glowstick is a very long time in an environmental sense. Although the contents of them are non-toxic, I don't think they are recycleable. They may give you some hours of being seen - but they do fade and as they get dimmer you are hard to see.

If you drop a glowstick and it doesn't get picked up by someone else... it usually stays there until the grid by grid clean up after the event. Glowstick bones are the same color as the playa.

So... what are some other options?

EL Wire and a battery pack - will run as long as you have battery power. This wire can be sewn onto clothing... or you can use The Buttoneer... as seen on television. It's a little punch tool that pushes a plastic barb through the cloth. Instead of holding a button - it holds your EL wire. Search the web for EL Wire. I found my Buttoneer at a fabric store and I'm told that Walgreens sometimes has them.

Battery powered christmas lights - I found some at IKEA recently. They come in many colors and were only $1 each. Yep.. only a buck.
Friends have found them at Walgreens for a coulple of bucks. Michael's has them in the bridal decoration section - although more than a few bucks. Again - attach your lights with the buttoneer.

Then there is the issue of batteries - which you can buy rechargeables, but actually re-juicing them out on the playa mean an investment in additional hardware to do so. Buy your batteries in bulk and bring them home with you - they can be recycled!

I know this is getting long, but hang in there.... I'm almost done.

What do you attach the EL wire / Xmas lights to? How do you know what you are going to wear on any particular night?

Hat - Attach it to a hat you like to wear and will wear at night - like maybe a fedora? Stylish and lit up.

Vest - use an old vest (or make one out of mesh fabric) and attach the lights to it. Make sure it is a big vest - big enough to go over your stylin evening clothes. Make a pocket for the battery pack.

Belt - attach lights to one of those stylin' wide belts that are in fashion right now. If it has large openings, you may be able to just weave the lights in between the belt pieces. Add a small pouch to hold your battery pack.

Fur coat - that you are SURE you are gong to wear everynight, cuz' it's so stylin.. you don't care if it's warm...... raining... or whatever! Weave the EL wire into the fur in a pattern.. or put it along the edges... and once again.. use your handy-dandy buttoneer to attach the EL wire. Make sure your battery pocket ends up near a pocket!

Sorry for the long post... hope I'm not sounding preachy here.. but consider some other options other than glowsticks.
k bunny

i was just reading in Jack rabgit speaks (burning man new letter) a reminder that:

Batteries can be recycled and glowsticks cannot.

this is all good with the battery glow toys but i spin glowsticks like poi 1. there for i do not drop then and make trash cus they are on long strings and 2. i re-use them in art later and there for they are not trash but art! i find that the battery powered glowsticks that change colors break so much faster, it's harder to find the tiny bits of plastic in the dirt! and a good thing is put your glow sticks in the cooler if you only used them half and the sun is comming up again! or you could give them to some one in need for light if you go to bed early ( yah right... bed early at the burn what ever! ) pippi monster