25 Feb 2010
(This is both B.M. theme camp app support data and notes for Camp members’planning.)
Pre-arrival
We de-package/repackage into reusable containers everything possible before we leave home. We will bring no glass containers (they’re heavy anyways) unless absolutely necessary (eg. the good scotch!).
Water will be carted in large reusable containers;we will not bring store-bought jugs of water.
We will bring pre-calculated waste water containers and equipment (more below),and room for all returning trash. (Only one year did we have more trash than we planned for;every year we have less!)
We will bring no fragmenting moop-generators;boas,glittered objects,feathers,fuzz,old tarps,etc (and we’ll tell newbies about this,it’s often news to them.)
On the playa
We have pre-arranged cartable (eg. bikeable plastic bags) storage for all categories of items:plastic,aluminum recyclables;paper/cardboard burnables to burn camps (else hauled back with us) (to be honest I don’t even like burn barrels for disposal). Everything not recyclable on-playa will be carted back with us home for ethical and legal disposal.
(In 2008 and 2009 we had two Graywater water processing systems;we reduced wash waste water to near-potable,then evaporated it. None was sprinkle-canned on the road as in previous years. We will continue/fine tune this for 2010.) The remaining mixed organic/playa dust waste muck is be sealed and transported back home. (5-gallon snap-lid paint buckets designed into the water system.)
We will store all items intentionally all the time,trash or non-trash —things blow away!
We will be cooking exclusively with propane;we will have no open fires of any kind. NOTE:we may have a fire this year;if so it will be very small (36″diameter), in a metal container suspended over the playa surface. Of course this will be disclosed in the theme camp app and we’ll abide by all rules regarding fire.
Our older drip-prone vehicles all have catch pans that do not blow away,for catching leaks.
Smokers all have hacked Altoid boxes or equivalent.
Arrival
A minimum of two vehicle-groups of us will arrive Sunday (as approved;TBD);upon arrival we will coordinate with our lovely Placer,and finalize layout for coherent organization of arrivals,storage,trash and waste water. We calculate easy cartage in our two next-Monday-leaving vehicles.
Exodus
No nighttime exodus!! Morning,post-breakfast,exit has proved optimum (least pessimum). Don’t die at the hands of rushing idiots!
Return-home trash and recycle haulage space allocated during the week —not last day. All vehicles reserve return space for a full trash bag or water bucket. Most of us are experienced desert campers (vehicle and backpack);zero trash,pack in/pack out. This is routine for us,though a week’s worth (plus waste water) requires extra vigilance and planning. (Return trash has never been a problem for us.)
We usually do a partial teardown Sunday afternoon,leave up water and wash station,main structure,etc. Monday morning after breakfast we complete teardown,pack vehicles. Some leave,but the core group moves vehicles to near the street,then does a final parallel walk through,back of camp to front,as many times as it takes to find zero moop.
(We were awarded LNT/Green Camp of the Day for 2008 and 2009 by the Earth Guardians)
Planning notes and URLs
Where to take trash
Home!