One of the complaints I often hear about burning man is that, although it's participants claim to espouse radical self-reliance and minimal impact (leave no trace), they use HUGE amounts of energy and resources to get there. So I thought we could start a thread about ways to truly reduce your impact when preparing for the burn.
My initial suggestions:
- don't buy what you don't need - those plastic toys you buy in bulk to give as 'gifts' are junk before they even get to the playa.
- don't buy evil (i.e. producers or stores who pay their workers shit, pollute indiscriminately, or finance republican campaigns... I'm looking at you, Wal-Mart, Target, China, etc)
- don't buy new what you can get used - there is soooo much useful shit floating around on craigslist, in thrift stores, even your neighbors garage!
- buy things that can be reused year to year (sturdy tents vs walmart cheapies, rechargeable batteries vs mercury one timers, EL-wire vs glow sticks)
what else can you guys think of?
My initial suggestions:
- don't buy what you don't need - those plastic toys you buy in bulk to give as 'gifts' are junk before they even get to the playa.
- don't buy evil (i.e. producers or stores who pay their workers shit, pollute indiscriminately, or finance republican campaigns... I'm looking at you, Wal-Mart, Target, China, etc)
- don't buy new what you can get used - there is soooo much useful shit floating around on craigslist, in thrift stores, even your neighbors garage!
- buy things that can be reused year to year (sturdy tents vs walmart cheapies, rechargeable batteries vs mercury one timers, EL-wire vs glow sticks)
what else can you guys think of?
posted by:
|
SF Bay Area
|
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Mon, June 18, 2007 - 10:57 PMOne thing that I have been struggling with and has taken me a few years to figure out is ...
Don't make art for burning man, make art for yourself -- then bring it to burning man.
My $0.02.
- Jm -
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Mon, June 18, 2007 - 11:15 PMrefillable 5 gallon tanks of water rather than an endless sea of disposable gallon jugs
(might require a hand pump, though- www.amazon.com/Gallon-Bot...B000FX88IS)
buying in bulk usually has less packaging
dumpster diving at trader joes is good for keeping clean food from going to the trash pile
and please please do wear less clothes
-
-
Re: Water
Wed, June 20, 2007 - 12:55 PMWhile I'm still weighing whether I can actually make it this year, I would be honored to camp with you divine knuckleheads if I do. :)
I have a 55g PE drum for water that will either come with me (full), or will be available to anyone who can haul it.
I usually fill it for free at Boomtown or Fernley, or buy filtered water at the water store in Sparks. ($20 - 25) That and a 5g dispenser bottle for the kitchen has stood us in good stead for years, I give water away freely and have never run out even when staying late.
-
-
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Tue, June 19, 2007 - 12:13 PMappropriate packing. How often have you seen piles of food and what not at the end of the week going bad.
While I am not advocating complete minimalism.. (except to second Will-Yums less clothing is better for what is easier to pack and store than sunscreen?)
Perhaps shopping closer to the source, say Reno rather than SF especially for the heavier items.?
If 5 gallon containers are good would something larger be better? or is storage a problem at that point?
Lastly I think working more communally as opposed to individually will lessen the impact and provide for greater sustainability.
:-)
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Wed, June 20, 2007 - 12:45 PMI just want to clarify that, although I hope we'll all help each other be more conscious of the resources we use in creating our burning man experience, I don't want anyone to think they'll be kicked out of camp if they bring something that's not all-natural-non-synthetic-carbon-neutral-organic-homemade-by-free-trade-union-workers-paid-a-living-wage-on-a-solar-powered-commune.
(btw, if you find something that fits that description, call me!)
The goal is _sustainable_ living... there's still room for resources to be used to create art and bring happiness! -
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Wed, June 20, 2007 - 1:58 PMsustainable buzz, my goal ;o)
-
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Wed, July 4, 2007 - 11:21 PMA few things I was reminded about this weekend:
-minimize your graywater and come prepared with a graywater container or evaporation system (I brush my teeth without water and spit into a baby wipe)... no graywater on the playa!
-don't bring excess packaging
-don't plan to burn your trash... if you wouldn't do it at home, why do it on the playa? (many burnables can be composted, anyway)
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Sun, August 12, 2007 - 12:53 PMWanted to bump this one, now that we're getting closer. More ideas, please!
Our friend Rachel is organizing a _huge_ compost collection site on the playa, so plan to keep a small separate trash bin for your food scraps, food-stained and wax paper, paper napkins, and other compostables. Maybe we can organize a group run to drop of cans at Camp Recycle and compost at the compost bin.
Here's a good general rule of thumb for last minute shopping:
- first, reduce (don't buy it unless you need it)
- then, reuse (buy things that will have a long useful life)
- finally, recycle (buy things that can be composted or recycled)
Know what makes an awesome playa trash can/recycle bin (I saw this at Juplaya)? One of those collapsable mesh laundry baskets - put a trash bag inside then zip tie it to a pole/table, making sure that the trash bag stays closed when it's not in use (otherwise the trash'll just blow out during high winds)
check out the BM enviroblog for more ideas:
www.burningman.com/environment/blog/ -
-
Re: Sustainable burning man???
Sun, August 12, 2007 - 1:47 PMWe have an extra collapsible laundry baskets -- now I know what we can use it for!
-
