PLAN TO LEAVE NO TRACE
History and Background: Bubbles and Bass hosts parties from Tuesday through Sunday during the week We illuminate our camp with energy efficient light bulbs and LEDs. We illuminate our camp with energy efficient light bulbs and LEDs. We illuminate our camp with energy efficient light bulbs and LEDs. We illuminate our camp with energy efficient light bulbs and LEDs. of the Burn. The parties start before sunrise and end at mid-day. A rotation of talented DJs play music and campers travel the dance floor and lounge area to pour gifts of champagne to attendees. We also offer several camper-led workshops throughout the week, and we offer a 24/7 lounge open to all burners. We are an amazing place to start a day or end a night on the Playa! Bubbles and Bass has made a similar gift each year since the 2011 Burn, and we are typically placed on Esplanade around 9AM where the view of sunrise is spectacular.
Estimated Population: 75
Nature and Scale of Activities: Concurrent attendance at the morning parties typically peaks around 250 participants. We host a variety of small-scale events at other points in the day (e.g. 20-person yoga classes). For campers, we have a kitchen in which we produce communal breakfasts and dinners each day, as well as a camper lounge area and shower.
As a camp we will:
How we will organize for Leave No Trace
Our LNT Leadership and Team Structure: Following a successful practice from prior years, we will encourage campers to volunteer for LNT lead during our membership selection process in the spring of 2023. We will select an experienced volunteer to take the role, as well as 1-2 deputies and a team of on-playa volunteers.
Crucially, we will ensure all campers understand LNT responsibilities and act as members of the LNT team throughout the Burn. Before arrival on playa, we facilitate direct conversations and assign camper pen pals to mentor new burners and educate them on the principles, including LNT. Our membership team communicates frequently about efforts and expectations for LNT of all campers (such as reducing MOOP before arrival on the playa, camp recycling, camp composting, participation in strike).
The LNT lead selected during our membership process will be designated as our Ambassador to the Black Rock Desert and leader of our Leave No Trace & Green Team; they will also be our lead Green Guru, who will ensure that our camp and campers understand the 6 Rs. They will also take part in planning our purchases and encourage us to reuse materials, recycle materials and reduce what we bring and reduce electrical power needs. Until the selection of the 2023 LNT lead, a prior LNT lead, Vivian Merker, will serve as the interim lead.
The LNT lead will think about how we and all of our stuff will get there and make it home again. The LNT lead, LNT deputies, and campers will keep our camp clean and fun before, during and after the event and delegate and enlist help when it is needed.
The LNT lead and deputies will be responsible for daily LNT tasks and cleanup, including management of compost, trash, and recycling in our camp. They will work with other camp leads to make sure that our gray water and fuel does not impact the playa. They will see that all camp members understand and agree with the policies and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man. In addition, each daily party has a party producer that will oversee LNT activities including a MOOP sweep at the end of the party.
The LNT lead and deputies will have a plan in place when we get ready to leave, working in conjunction with the Strike lead (also selected during our spring membership process). When it's time to break down and sweep our camp for every last trace, the LNT lead or a designee will make sure EVERYTHING left goes with us and keep us green on the MOOP map.
The LNT lead will encourage our participation in community line sweeps and restoration with our neighbors and DPW.
Our commitment to Leave No Trace
To minimize our impact on the Playa, we will follow these rules:
Before the event
During the event
After the event
Here’s how we will do it
Design our camp in a way that is easy to clean: We have many years of learning to build on here. Key elements of our design include:
Select materials and decorations for our camp that lessen waste: We reuse our camp decorations each year, and every year, we cull our supply for anything that is generating MOOP.
Have a plan for proper reduction, evaporation or disposal of our gray water, including containers to haul out what’s left: We contract for greywater storage and pickup from an authorized vendor. Both our sink and shower drain into high-capacity greywater bins. We have a 50-gallon drum for any excess greywater which we transport off playa in our main truck.
Plan for extra cleanup and trash generated by activities and parties at our camp: We have clear signage providing LNT instructions to party-goers, and we require guests to bring their own cups for our champagne gift. The party producer leads their crew in a MOOP sweep after each party. Each day, the LNT lead or deputies take aluminum and compost to host camps and bring lost-and-found items to Playa Info.
Our Commitment to Greening Black Rock City
To ensure that Burning Man is sustainable, we will:
Respect - We will make choices regarding our camp respecting the environment and other residents of Black Rock City
Rethink - We will rethink what we need to survive and thrive.
Reduce - We will ask if we need to bring everything that we did lin prior years
Reuse – We will determine what we use year after year.
Recycle – We will recycle!
Restore – We will leave the playa the profoundly special corner of the world that it is.
Here’s how we will do it
Energy
Plan to reduce energy use and incorporate energy efficient practices: We have a power and lighting lead for our camp who plans our energy usage, making it as safe, practical, and efficient as possible. Our main power requirements are kitchen and camper lounge lighting in the evening and our sound system during the parties we host. We own generators and calibrate their usage to our power requirements (i.e. running only the minimum needed at the moment when power is required). We illuminate our camp with energy efficient light bulbs and LEDs.
We’ve begun to transition to solar power where it is practical in our camp, e.g. illuminating our site perimeter, illuminating artwork, and charging the pumps for our camp shower. Our power and lighting lead will continue to investigate where else we can incorporate alternative energy sources. The power and lighting lead and our placement lead will also coordinate with nearby camps to investigate opportunities to combine power needs and share with nearby camps. Finally, we encourage members to use the Burner Bus and carpool.
Materials
Select materials and decorations for our camp that lessen waste and are recyclable or reusable, with a focus on nontoxic, biodegradable and salvageable materials: For years, our camp has reused our infrastructure, including shade structures, kitchen equipment, tools, decorations, and even building materials like wood boards to make bike storage. The infrastructure is stored locally in Nevada in the offseason. When we make purchases, our build lead looks for durable items that we can use year after year. Campers use reusable plates and flatware during meals.
Waste
Plan for salvaging, reusing, and/or recycling everything onsite, including camp construction and
demolition waste: After many years of building and striking Bubbles and Bass, we have an efficient infrastructure that results in very limited waste. Prior to arriving on playa, we stage our camp in Reno, preparing meals and completing any new projects. This minimizes waste by allowing us to work at-scale, and it allows us to immediately and properly dispose of what waste there is. As described in our LNT plan, we compost and recycle aluminum on playa and we take all other recyclable materials to properly dispose in Reno after the Burn. We carry out trash (with each camper responsible for helping, aside from those who take the Burner Bus).
Playa Restoration
Plan for the breakdown/cleanup of our camp, accounting for every board, stake, and scrap, and pack necessary tools and supplies: We appoint a Strike lead that is responsible for ensuring that camp breakdown goes smoothly. The Strike lead works with the LNT lead to ensure all materials are packed, and we conduct a final MOOP sweep of camp. Our last campers leave in the daylight on Monday to ensure we have left the Playa spotless. Since we reuse our infrastructure and have local storage in the Reno area, we have an accurate understanding of the materials we need to move off-playa and plan for sufficient hauling capacity.
Trash storage and transportation: Our Build lead and LNT lead coordinate pre-Burn purchases related to waste management, including colored trash bags to help separate recycling and other waste. We reuse our heavy-duty garbage bins. We rent a large container truck that we drive to and from the playa with our key pieces of infrastructure (aside from those stored in transported containers). We store trash in the truck during the Burn week so there is no risk of it leaking on the playa or blowing away. Each camper (aside from those on the Burner Express), must plan to take 2 bags of trash to carry off playa, and any remaining trash is transported in our container trucks. This system has worked well for us each year.
Camper expectations: We emphasize camper expectations regarding LNT from the start of our membership process, so everyone camping with us knows what to expect. Leading up to the Burn, the LNT plan and camper responsibilities are communicated repeatedly by our Membership lead via email, WhatsApp. We also use a buddy system to ensure all new campers are familiar and have a friendly face to ask questions. We provide campers with directions and hours of landfills and RV water dump stations.
We will bring the following items for camp operations
We will bring the following items for our camp’s breakdown, clean-up and restoration
Packing Out and Restoration of Our Site
Estimated Population: 75
Nature and Scale of Activities: Concurrent attendance at the morning parties typically peaks around 250 participants. We host a variety of small-scale events at other points in the day (e.g. 20-person yoga classes). For campers, we have a kitchen in which we produce communal breakfasts and dinners each day, as well as a camper lounge area and shower.
As a camp we will:
- Plan Ahead
- Practice the 6 R’s: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore, and Respect
- Keep our camp clean before, during and after the event
- Adopt the seven principles and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man
- Do what is necessary to protect and restore the Black Rock Desert
- Identify potential problems and issues that may arise
- Create a strategy or plan for Leaving No Trace
- Educate all camp members about minimizing our impact on the playa
How we will organize for Leave No Trace
Our LNT Leadership and Team Structure: Following a successful practice from prior years, we will encourage campers to volunteer for LNT lead during our membership selection process in the spring of 2023. We will select an experienced volunteer to take the role, as well as 1-2 deputies and a team of on-playa volunteers.
Crucially, we will ensure all campers understand LNT responsibilities and act as members of the LNT team throughout the Burn. Before arrival on playa, we facilitate direct conversations and assign camper pen pals to mentor new burners and educate them on the principles, including LNT. Our membership team communicates frequently about efforts and expectations for LNT of all campers (such as reducing MOOP before arrival on the playa, camp recycling, camp composting, participation in strike).
The LNT lead selected during our membership process will be designated as our Ambassador to the Black Rock Desert and leader of our Leave No Trace & Green Team; they will also be our lead Green Guru, who will ensure that our camp and campers understand the 6 Rs. They will also take part in planning our purchases and encourage us to reuse materials, recycle materials and reduce what we bring and reduce electrical power needs. Until the selection of the 2023 LNT lead, a prior LNT lead, Vivian Merker, will serve as the interim lead.
The LNT lead will think about how we and all of our stuff will get there and make it home again. The LNT lead, LNT deputies, and campers will keep our camp clean and fun before, during and after the event and delegate and enlist help when it is needed.
The LNT lead and deputies will be responsible for daily LNT tasks and cleanup, including management of compost, trash, and recycling in our camp. They will work with other camp leads to make sure that our gray water and fuel does not impact the playa. They will see that all camp members understand and agree with the policies and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man. In addition, each daily party has a party producer that will oversee LNT activities including a MOOP sweep at the end of the party.
The LNT lead and deputies will have a plan in place when we get ready to leave, working in conjunction with the Strike lead (also selected during our spring membership process). When it's time to break down and sweep our camp for every last trace, the LNT lead or a designee will make sure EVERYTHING left goes with us and keep us green on the MOOP map.
The LNT lead will encourage our participation in community line sweeps and restoration with our neighbors and DPW.
Our commitment to Leave No Trace
To minimize our impact on the Playa, we will follow these rules:
Before the event
- We pledge to Leave No Trace in and around our campsite, including our own and others’ waste.
- We will read the survival guide and LNT tips.
- We will complete this camp’s Leave No Trace Plan and share it with the entire camp.
- We will plan the assembly and takedown of our structures and decorations and nail down the edges of our tarps.
- We will inventory vehicle space so we can pack out everything.
- We will take the packaging off of just about everything and stock up on reusable plates, products and containers.
- We will shop for simple finger foods and prepare meals in advance to reduce waste.
- We will bring no breakable items, cheap trinkets, small feathers, and anything that might get left on the playa.
During the event
- We will check our camp daily.
- We will clean as we go, realizing that any trash or MOOP (matter out of place) can blow away or be buried at any moment.
- We will keep our recyclables, compost, burnables, and non-burnables clearly separated for easy disposal.
- We will recycle our aluminum, either on-site or back home.
- We will have special cleanup crews for any high traffic activities we host and take care of any trash left by guests, invited or otherwise.
- We won’t leave trash in or around the port-o-potties.
- We won’t light fires on bare ground or dig pits, leaving scars. If we must burn, we’ll use a public burn barrel or burn platform.
- We will burn only clean untreated wood or paper (nothing synthetic) and follow the safety guidelines for fires and burn scar prevention.
- We won’t dig large holes or trenches.
- We will keep all items tied or weighted down, and leave papers at home.
- We will not dump any gray or black water on the playa.
- We will encourage members of our camp to carry a personal trash (MOOP) container and a cigarette butt container when they are outside camp.
After the event
- We will put aside time and have designated volunteers for the final cleanup.
- We will take all trash in sealed containers to a landfill and recyclables to a recycle center on the way home.
- We will encourage everyone in our camp to devote at least two hours to the general city cleanup (e.g. trash fence, local port-o-potties, café, etc).
- We will leave extra space in every vehicle on the way to the desert, knowing that repacking will inevitably take up more space and ensure that no items can detach during the ride home.
- We will pack out everything, including any unevaporated gray water and scum.
- We won’t put trash in or around the port-o-potties.
- We will help out our neighbors and fellow citizens.
- We will be good neighbors.
- We will require our guests to bring their own beverage containers.
- We will adopt the space around our camp, making sure that it stays traceless.
- We will help careless or forgetful campers.
Here’s how we will do it
Design our camp in a way that is easy to clean: We have many years of learning to build on here. Key elements of our design include:
- Tarping the ground in high-traffic areas for easy MOOP removal
- Placing numerous, well-labeled receptacles around camp for trash/recycling/compost
- Providing reusable plates and flatware plus a dishwashing station for campers that drains into a greywater bin
- Building a shower that drains into a greywater bin
- Constructing a trash storage area in our main truck to keep garbage off the playa during the Burn
- Arranging greywater services from a designated service provider
Select materials and decorations for our camp that lessen waste: We reuse our camp decorations each year, and every year, we cull our supply for anything that is generating MOOP.
Have a plan for proper reduction, evaporation or disposal of our gray water, including containers to haul out what’s left: We contract for greywater storage and pickup from an authorized vendor. Both our sink and shower drain into high-capacity greywater bins. We have a 50-gallon drum for any excess greywater which we transport off playa in our main truck.
Plan for extra cleanup and trash generated by activities and parties at our camp: We have clear signage providing LNT instructions to party-goers, and we require guests to bring their own cups for our champagne gift. The party producer leads their crew in a MOOP sweep after each party. Each day, the LNT lead or deputies take aluminum and compost to host camps and bring lost-and-found items to Playa Info.
Our Commitment to Greening Black Rock City
To ensure that Burning Man is sustainable, we will:
Respect - We will make choices regarding our camp respecting the environment and other residents of Black Rock City
- We will carpool to Burning Man as much as possible.
- We will respect others and give them our hearts, our hands and our help.
- We will take home only what we brought, our memories, new friends and photos.
Rethink - We will rethink what we need to survive and thrive.
- We will consider what items we really enjoyed having last year.
- We will not bring items that we didn't use last year.
Reduce - We will ask if we need to bring everything that we did lin prior years
- We will reconsider bringing that extra thing; we can probably survive and even thrive without it.
- We will reduce our energy use and consider alternative sources of energy like solar, wind and biofuels.
- We will consider living lighter on the Playa.
Reuse – We will determine what we use year after year.
- We will bring reusable water containers and dishes and require all campers to have their own reusable cups.
- We will repurpose, reconfigure, and redecorate our basic camp structure, as we’ve successfully done for many years.
Recycle – We will recycle!
- We will bring aluminum cans to Center Camp.
- We will carry other recyclables to designated collection sites in Reno.
Restore – We will leave the playa the profoundly special corner of the world that it is.
- We will leave positive traces on the environment and remember what it is like to live LNT practices when we return to the default world.
- We will investigate using carbon offsets.
Here’s how we will do it
Energy
Plan to reduce energy use and incorporate energy efficient practices: We have a power and lighting lead for our camp who plans our energy usage, making it as safe, practical, and efficient as possible. Our main power requirements are kitchen and camper lounge lighting in the evening and our sound system during the parties we host. We own generators and calibrate their usage to our power requirements (i.e. running only the minimum needed at the moment when power is required). We illuminate our camp with energy efficient light bulbs and LEDs.
We’ve begun to transition to solar power where it is practical in our camp, e.g. illuminating our site perimeter, illuminating artwork, and charging the pumps for our camp shower. Our power and lighting lead will continue to investigate where else we can incorporate alternative energy sources. The power and lighting lead and our placement lead will also coordinate with nearby camps to investigate opportunities to combine power needs and share with nearby camps. Finally, we encourage members to use the Burner Bus and carpool.
Materials
Select materials and decorations for our camp that lessen waste and are recyclable or reusable, with a focus on nontoxic, biodegradable and salvageable materials: For years, our camp has reused our infrastructure, including shade structures, kitchen equipment, tools, decorations, and even building materials like wood boards to make bike storage. The infrastructure is stored locally in Nevada in the offseason. When we make purchases, our build lead looks for durable items that we can use year after year. Campers use reusable plates and flatware during meals.
Waste
Plan for salvaging, reusing, and/or recycling everything onsite, including camp construction and
demolition waste: After many years of building and striking Bubbles and Bass, we have an efficient infrastructure that results in very limited waste. Prior to arriving on playa, we stage our camp in Reno, preparing meals and completing any new projects. This minimizes waste by allowing us to work at-scale, and it allows us to immediately and properly dispose of what waste there is. As described in our LNT plan, we compost and recycle aluminum on playa and we take all other recyclable materials to properly dispose in Reno after the Burn. We carry out trash (with each camper responsible for helping, aside from those who take the Burner Bus).
Playa Restoration
Plan for the breakdown/cleanup of our camp, accounting for every board, stake, and scrap, and pack necessary tools and supplies: We appoint a Strike lead that is responsible for ensuring that camp breakdown goes smoothly. The Strike lead works with the LNT lead to ensure all materials are packed, and we conduct a final MOOP sweep of camp. Our last campers leave in the daylight on Monday to ensure we have left the Playa spotless. Since we reuse our infrastructure and have local storage in the Reno area, we have an accurate understanding of the materials we need to move off-playa and plan for sufficient hauling capacity.
Trash storage and transportation: Our Build lead and LNT lead coordinate pre-Burn purchases related to waste management, including colored trash bags to help separate recycling and other waste. We reuse our heavy-duty garbage bins. We rent a large container truck that we drive to and from the playa with our key pieces of infrastructure (aside from those stored in transported containers). We store trash in the truck during the Burn week so there is no risk of it leaking on the playa or blowing away. Each camper (aside from those on the Burner Express), must plan to take 2 bags of trash to carry off playa, and any remaining trash is transported in our container trucks. This system has worked well for us each year.
Camper expectations: We emphasize camper expectations regarding LNT from the start of our membership process, so everyone camping with us knows what to expect. Leading up to the Burn, the LNT plan and camper responsibilities are communicated repeatedly by our Membership lead via email, WhatsApp. We also use a buddy system to ensure all new campers are familiar and have a friendly face to ask questions. We provide campers with directions and hours of landfills and RV water dump stations.
We will bring the following items for camp operations
- Separate containers for recyclables, burnables, compost, a lost-and-found bin, plus signage for their proper use. (We use different color bags to denote trash and recycling)
- Reusable dinnerware and utensils
- Water infrastructure including fresh water containers, gray water containers. (We work with approved vendors to support these needs as well)
- Tarps to ‘catch’ any items that drop in high traffic areas
We will bring the following items for our camp’s breakdown, clean-up and restoration
- Big push brooms
- Flat blade shovel for burn scars or dune MOOP
- Large landscape rake and smaller rakes for sweeping through dust piles
- Rope and string for tying loose items down
- Small bags for collecting trash as we wander
- Contractor strength trash bags (more than we think we'll need)
- Work gloves for everybody
- Long-handled sledgehammers for compacting 5-gallon buckets and driving stakes
- Vise grips for removing stakes and rebar
- Magnets / magnetic sweepers to remove every last nails, staples, scrap of metal
- Vehicles and/or trailers to haul everything out
Packing Out and Restoration of Our Site
- We will take away everything we brought with us plus a few things we didn’t know we’d have
- Our restoration team will use flags on the outside of our camp’s border to define our boundaries, break up any dunes that formed around vehicles or structures, then divide up our area and begin line sweeps
- We will pick up all wood chips, broken glass, plastic debris, metal debris, fireworks, plant material.
- We complete restoration of any hotspots (micro-MOOP collections) and burn scars
- We will try to give a helping hand to our neighbors
- We will encourage our campers to volunteer for and support ecological protection and restoration of the Black Rock Desert
