apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I often see this car in the neighborhood. More stone-car photos here:
http://crunch22.blogspot.com/2006/05/like-rock.html

Go Inner Sunset!

I loathe the entire Burning Man ethos. The underlying concept is that the desert is dead and lifeless, when in fact it is alive and fragile. It does not need hundreds of humans to burn and gut ti.

Oh my EBrown, your statement proves that you are missing the entire concept of Burning Man, which has nothing to do with the fact that the desert is dead and lifeless. Burning Man gathers in the desert solely because the desert can accomodate it. Remember that Burning Man started at Ocean Beach and moved to the desert when it got too large.

A significant part of Burning Man is educating it's particpants that the earth is alive and active, even the fragile infrastructure of the alkaline-rich desert, which is why none of the participants are allowed to so much as spill water on the fragile sand.

Burning Man is about cherishing the earth and one's inner, truest self, it could happen in the desert, on the beach, in the forest, anywhere.

I don't believe there is a collective Burning Man ethos.

But, since I have been four times (EBrown, you obviously have not), I can tell you that in that particular region, there is nothing alive. I've seen a praying mantis once, and last year there were a few flies at the turn off, but really nothing lives there. There is a lake bed that is covered in water for a large portion of the year, and then it dries and becomes hard packed, hot and dry. It isn't a consistent habitat for anything. However, I don't think Burning Man is about bringing life to the desert (especially since it started on a beach and moved to the desert). Most participants love the desert, love the environment at Burning Man and do their best to protect it. The desert is not burned, objects are burned, objects that sit atop protective barriers so that the desert floor is not harmed. BM wouldn't be able to use BLM land if it harmed the environment.

Is there ever a trace left? Probably. Is it substantial? No.

Burning Man isn't for everyone. You can loathe it all you want, but if you are going to cite a reason, it should at least be true.

I hate Burning Man because the people who go to Burning Man think that going to Burning Man makes them interesting.

despite the BLM and LLC insistence on the practice of backcountry ethics and LNT, the amount of residual trash at the site has increased noticeably. . Specifically, the Main Document, the graph located on page 18. To summarize, the graph shows that after several years in a more or less stationary location, the amount of trash found in the residential areas of the event has gone from approximately .25 sq. feet/acre to approximately .525 sq. feet/acre. The same document goes on to state, "Regression analysis indicates that if present trends continue the standard could be exceeded in the future." (Burning Man 2006-2010 Environmental Assessment, 3/31/2006 at 18) Compare this with the "background" levels of trash and refuse found on the rest of the playa, which has remained stable, or possibly decreased slightly, over the past 4 years.

The Burning Man 2006-2010 Environmental Assessment also shows that contamination of the playa by automobile drippings is down. But, as of 2004, an estimated 10.6 gallons of hydrocarbon fluids (gasoline, oil, transmission and driveline fluids, etc.) were deposited on the playa. Again, the EA suggests that the waste is broken down by sunlight and dispersed by wind. Therefore, the waste is indeed left behind by event participants.

Wildlife, including antelope, wild horses and burros, are visible at times along the edges of the playa. The region's many canyons, cliffs, mountains ranges and sagebrush flatlands provide a varied habitat for a dramatically diverse group of Great Basin fauna. Small shallow lakes provide seasonal habitat for resident and migrant waterfowl and shorebirds. The narrow canyons provide meadow and stream-side riparian habitats. The Calico Mountains and High Rock Canyon are home to a population of more than 150 California bighorn sheep. Significant numbers of the dwindling sage grouse populate the northwestern section of the conservation area.

ebrown: how is the nominal impact on the playa after burning man any different than your and your urban neighbors daily impact on the environment. have you stopped to consider your carbon footprint? that of your city? or do you just like to harass an event that embraces free-thinking and individuality?

I am suprised that you even own a computer and use energy considering the environmental involved in manufacturing, energy use, discarding, etc...

wilderness: city/no footprints: many footprints
yes
yes
no (caveat: I doubt that there is anything about Burning Man that is any more freethinking or individual than your average cafe or highrise)