Tag Archives: environment

Feb 17 2014

The Environmental Ethic of Burning Man

Burning-Man-flyer-single-unrThus is the eyebrow-raising title of a session this Thursday at the University of Nevada (Reno), being hosted by Burning Man founder Will Roger. We know that Burning Man has as one of its Ten Principles “Leave No Trace”, which is actually a registered trademark of the Federal Bureau of Land Management – and a requirement the event needs to meet to get its permit from the Feds.

Other than “LNT”, what is the environmental ethic of Burning Man? Even BMOrg themselves admit that the event generates massive pollution and greenhouse gases. If you take the emissions per capita calculated by Cooling Man from 2006 data, and compare it to Wikipedia’s list of biggest CO2 emissions per capita (which has 2005 data), if Burning Man were a country it would be the 4th biggest polluter in the world.

The Playa’s delicate ecosystem and landscape is also being permanently altered by the presence of Burning Man.

green man flyerBurning Man made a token attempt to be more eco-conscious in 2007, when the trendies were going green and Silicon Valley’s venture capital firms were raising gigantic “green funds” (that turned out to be spectacular failures). The 2007 theme was The Green Man and their eco-friendly stance was endorsed personally by former president of vice Vice President Al Gore, who said:

“I think it’s just great that the people of Black Rock City have made the Green Man this year’s theme for Burning Man, and I hope that folks will use TV Free Burning Man as a platform to spread that great message even further”

It’s hard to see what (if any) progress has been made in BMOrg’s environmental ethic in the seven years since then, other than the $40 vehicle tax which the rulers have graciously imposed for environmental reasons (if you believe BMOrg) or to make more money (if you believe almost every Burner who’s commented on the Internet about it). 

The Green Man-related calculations showed that if just 70% of Burners offset one ton of carbon emissions, Black Rock City could be the first carbon neutral city in the world. This seems like a worthy and highly achievable goal, which would just need a modicum of leadership to implement. A ton of carbon offsets costs $13.62 in California. This means that BMOrg could pay the offsets for EVERYONE out of the $1.4 million vehicle tax revenues, pay Pershing County’s increased costs too, and still have hundreds of thousands of dollars of profit left over. Just from the vehicle tax! Of course, they would still have millions of “non-profits” left over from the event too.

Will Roger’s presentation will also cover the “spread of its culture”, which presumably is a more environmentally friendly output of the party. I won’t be attending, but perhaps if anyone reading this does, they might want to raise some of these issues.

Hey, BMOrg, want to use Burner culture to make a difference in the world? Want to use Burning Man to help the environment? Take your new  vehicle tax windfall and buy some god-damned carbon credits.

Feb 7 2014

Here’s a Way You Can Make a Difference from Burning Man [Update]

We’ve been contacted by Loop Cycles, an organization that wants to donate Burner bikes to Africa once they’ve had a full Playa workout. Delivering nobility through mobility:

LOOP_Bike_02-1024x682My name is Lily and myself and some fellow Australian Burner friends have started an organisation this year called LOOP Cycles. We are supplying Custom designed bikes for Burning Man ordered online, that are picked up in Reno, and then returned to us after Burning Man. We then donate them to Namibia, Africa where they are re-cycled and re-purposed as a means of mobility.

Here is our website: www.loopcycles.org

We are very excited about the potential of this project and the positive impact it can make in Namibia. We also feel that it a is very unique way for Burners to extend the Burning Man way of GIFTING beyond the vicinity of Black Rock City…We want people to be able to personally make a difference 1 bike at a time!

  • LOOP CYCLES  

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We’re happy to promote anything Burners can create out of Burning Man that makes a difference in the world, Loop Cycles probably doesn’t have tens of millions of dollars in their budget, but this initiative seems like it could be more impactful to someone’s life than a $150 scarf. Just sayin’…

[Update … Lily from Loop Cycles has visited us and explained further 2/7/14 7:26pm]

Hi guys. just a little more information about the project. Loop Cycles is not just ‘shipping these bikes off to Africa on a whim thinking we are saving the world. We have partnered up with an Organisation called Bicycles For Humanity who are an established grassroots movement and have been supplying bikes to developing countries for 7 years. If you check out their website (http://bicycles-for-humanity.org/) you can see the work that they have provided for the communities throughout Africa, not only providing mobility to healthcare workers, students and empowering females, but turning the containers into bike workshops. With tools, spare parts and comprehensive training material on bicycle maintenance it is designed to empower people and their communities with transportation and the means to maintain it. Nigel who runs the Namibia chapter lives there and works with these people all year round. He has developed an understanding of the needs of the community, and is working with them to improve their health and lives, not just dumping a whole lot of bikes on their door step as a token gesture. Hope this bit of information is helpful in understanding our goals at Loop Cycles and why we think this is a good idea.

…and in regards to the issue around bikes getting trashed, we have specifically designed this bike for its 2 lives. Firstly we have custom designed features of the bike to survive its duration in Black Rock City and endure the playa dust, and secondly we have worked very closely with LEKKER bikes and Bicycles For Humanity to design a bike that will also withstand the conditions of the kalahari desert. Luckily these two lives have similar needs…big thick tyres, limited amount of superfluous parts that can easily break, and no gears, single speed with back pedelling breaks. Also the bike has a steel frame as a key feature, allowing the community bike workshops in Namibia to easily weld extra parts onto the bikes, (eg. a day bed to carry patients) depending on the specific use of that bike. And with the Namibian communities receiving multiple of the same bike allows them to familiarize themselves with the parts, and easily fix anything that might be broken. Most bikes you buy for Burning Man are not designed for the desert, that’s why they are trashed by the end. But we have spent the time to make sure ours is! 

Feb 3 2014

The SPIRIT of Burners.Me

animal communicatorWe like to move forwards. Backwards, in reflection, sometimes helps; usually, not. Looking forwards, then…here is some Monday inspiration for you. Coming from, where it is we’re coming from. The pulsing heart of Infinite Love of Gaia, the earth. The true heart.

The story of Spirit. And “Animal Communicator” Anna Breytenbach.

The story of making the impossible, possible. See it for yourself:

Burners, you don’t need to join our cult, you don’t need to send us money, but we suggest: do this. Permaculture, Nature engineering. Animal communication, hey, why not, human communication? Universal physics. It’s so much better for everyone than “social engineering”, or “profiteering”, or “DJ rules“.

Rockwall DudeThis is how we do it.

There is a spirit here, advancing humanity throughout the Ages. It should be celebrated. These tribes sure knew how to bring it to the desert, for a long, long time. Sustainability is a better goal than any of the Ten Principles of Burning Man.

Oh, was that an #encore I heard? <=> Maybe I just gifted it to myself. Maybe Yothu Yindi gifted it to all of us. Recommend you turn this one up…(Aboriginal people this might contain…you know what I’m saying)