Leaving No Trace
Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no
physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after
ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better
state than when we found them.
This is includes cigarette butts, beer cans, loose glitter, feathers, etc as well as the big stuff like your bike, tent, trash/garbage bags etc. Communal Effort and Civic Responsibility. When you're at an event, a hosts home, anywhere, it's your responsibility to clean up after yourself. You don't want to pick up after someone else, so don't make someone else pick up after you.

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Think ahead!: 1.*Everything you bring with you, you must take back home*. This might sound like a no-brainer, but think about it beforehand. Bring a bucket with a tight-fitting lid for stinky garbage. Bring a small container with a lid for ashes and cigarette butts.

2. *Everything you bring will* *expand* once it's been unpacked and hurriedly packed back into your vehicle at the end of the week.

3. If you run a camp, *you will end up with other people's trash*. And once they've left it at your camp, it's your responsibility to bring it back to civilization! -Corollary: The bigger your camp, the more of other people's trash you'll end up with.

4. *If you create a fire*, you will need to stick around to *clean it up.

***Prepare a LNT Plan, not a Clean-up Plan* : If you plan and ahead and
prepare to LNT, you'll have less to haul up to the playa, have a happier
playa life and have less to clean-up at the end of the week. To learn more
about developing a LNT plan for your camp, check out our sample LNT plan.
[from the earth guardians]**
<http://earthguardians.burningman.comburning_lnt_samplelntplan.htm>
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*Camp Structures and Shelters.* Stake your tents and structures so they will
stay secure in the heavy wind, rain, and dust storms that are sudden and
usual on the playa. Consider using materials that can be reused or
repurposed at home or at next year's event. You'll have less cost and less
disposal headaches at the end of the event. You'll also save money when
preparing for next year.*

*Plan simple, low-dishwashing meals .
* Avoid bringing tons of food, and don't bring food that spoils. Experience says you won't want to do a lot of cooking; you probably will never get around to it. Eat finger foods (wraps, sandwiches) that do not need individual plates.
*Bring reusable cups, mugs, utensils, and dinnerware

* Disposable cups tend to blow all over. Ask visitors to your camp to BYOM (bring your own mug). If you use paper plates, save yourself a headache by scraping off the food, then stack 'em, let them dry and take 'em home. BYOM!

* Repackage and prepare food in advance

* Stock up on sturdy plastic containers and dispose of the cellophane, plastic wrap, excess cardboard and other cruddy packaging. Bring water in big reusable plastic containers and have a personal canteen. If you bring dozens of small plastic bottles, you must take every one of them home with you! Avoid bringing glass bottles. There are many good beers in cans! Decant your beverage of choice into a flask. Remember that every little shard of accidentally broken glass must be picked up by hand, by you. Nasty!

* Plan to separate and sort trash in your kitchen.

* Bring containers and sturdy signs for separating food waste, recyclables, burnables (paper and wood), and nonburnable trash. Using mesh bags to dry food waste will reduce the smell and amount of trash you generate. Take aluminum cans to Recycle Camp. Use tubs or sinks to wash dishes and collect grey water. Seal the small amount of trash you have left in big plastic bags or in five-gallon buckets with tight lids. Bring tethers, anchors, containers, and covers, to keep light stuff from blowing away.

1.*Never Let it Hit the Ground!*
Throw things away immediately, and you
won't have to worry about coming back to clean it up later. Nor will you
have to worry about it blowing away into someone else's camp!
2.*Never Leave Loose Stuff Around!*
The wind can wreak havoc on the city,
and anything that can blow away in your camp, will. Two good examples of
things you never thought would blow away, but did:
1.6' diameter mirrors, lying flat on the playa. They flew for hundreds
of feet and could easily have decapitated someone.
2.Porta-potties (okay, they were only blown over. Still, you get the
point - *big wind*.)
3.*Create a Daily Cleanup Ritual*. Cleanup can be fun! Make a game every day out of cleaning up your camp. Dress up in those French maid outfits. Bring out the bullwhip and whip your slaves into action. Or compete to see who can clean up the most. Not only does this make cleanup easier, but you'll be happier with your camp during the week.
4. *Take Pride in your Neighborhood*. Get to know your neighbors. Make cleanup a shared priority. Invite them over for your fun and games. Keep in mind that whatever mess you leave behind, your neighbors may get stuck with. And who'd want to do that to other cool burningman folk?

The last day arrives. It's time to go home. So we'll throw all our stuff
in the truck and head out as early as possible, right? Wrong. While you
were out here partying, you made a mess. Be prepared to clean it up!

1. *Sweep your camp for every last piece of litter*.
Every feather, sequin, staple, and watermelon must be removed. A good way to do this with a group is to lay out an imaginary grid, then sweep from one end of each section to the other with a line of people spaced every 6 feet or so.

2.*Remove all tent stakes and rebar*. Yes, some of these may be driven deep into the playa, making removal a chore. So be sure to have your vice grip handy to yank 'em out. If you don't, they become a potential source of injury, and a sure cleanup problem for someone else.

3. *Combine efforts with your neighbors!* This will give you more people and will make the whole cleanup process more fun.

4. *Check your neighborhood*. What's in the streets? What sort of mess did the camp next door leave? Clean it up for them. Take pride in contributing
to the beauty of our city.

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LNT is YOUR responsibility....Radical Self-Reliance and all that.... You
must take care of yourself, and if you see someone MOOPing, you can and
should remind them of the Leaving No Trace principle in a friendly and
helpful way....Communal Effort and Civic Responsibility....damn those
principles are poppin' up everywhere. Every scrap of litter that hits the
ground must be picked up by someone, and every little piece of MOOP could
bring the event closer to it's end. Burning Man is held on BLM (Bureau of
Land Management) land. This is federal land. They have certain guidelines
we must follow and benchmarks we must make, and the LNT principle is another
way for us to make sure that this event isn't endangered by trash. Don't
put the event at risk, pick up after yourself, secure your belongings, and
never let it hit the ground.
Pack it in, pack it out. If you bring it to the event (whether Burning Man,
YonderMan, InterFuse, Resonate, or a local gathering/party) you need to take
it back out with you.
If it didn't come from your body, don't put it in the potty. No trash in
the porta-potties. Not in the hole or just anywhere around the porta-potty
in or out. This is nasty, rude, and causes the porta-potty vendors to not
work with us in the future, thereby jepordizing the future of the event.
No MOOP. Matter out of place is easily remedied, pick it up, put it in the
trash, and take it away with you when you leave. Best to never let it hit
the ground....sometimes things happen....pick it up, even if it's not
'yours'.

Sorry for the lecture darlin's. After seeing the mess that can be left
after a party/event/gathering I just had to make sure that you all knew
what's expected of you at burner community events and beyond. We're all
smart, responsible adults so taking care of ourselves and our messes or
potential messes should pose no problems, it's simply an extension of what
we (should) do everyday. Starting now, in the comfort of your own home, is
a great way to be prepared for Burning Man in matters of LNT.

As always, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to send me a
message.
Cheers!
April / Poosie Kat