I only had two hours sleep last night after driving 12 hours, but I want to post these pictures and give you the list of ways I’m de-plastifying my Burn this year.

I’m staying with the Earth Guardians… which is part of the Burning Man infrastructure tasked with making the event as green as possible.

If you’re on the playa, stop by and say hi, leave me a message in the little notebook attached to my tent, or come to one of my workshops, either Wednesday at 1 or Saturday at 2.

Here’s the outside view of my little home on the playa:

Tent

The tent is a Springbar Traveler 5, which is made of heavy duty cotton canvas. I put it up this morning with the help of an expert named Kearce. But it was me who pounded all 18 twelve-inch steel stakes into the hard playa.

Here are the pros and cons of a Springbar tent. Pros:

*Mostly heavy duty cotton instead of synthetic material.
*Super strong, stable, and durable. According to comments online from Burners, these tents can withstand strong winds without rebar if you use the steel stakes that come with it. And the canvas keeps the dust out. These tents last for many years.
*Made in the USA instead of China.

Cons:

*Vinyl floor and polyester mesh windows and accessories.
*Does get hot inside without a shade structure over it.
*Crazy heavy to carry
*Expensive – except maybe not when you consider how sturdy they are and how long they last.

Water Container

This year, I let Tracey use the stainless steel iced tea containers from last year, and I bought a used 10-gallon Super Chef double-walled, insulated beverage dispenser from eBay.  The top seals with a rubber gasket, so it doesn’t slop water like the other containers, and being double-walled, it keeps the water cool.

The main drawback is that it’s freaking heavy when full. I got 3 guys to help me move it from the back of my rented vehicle to its current position in front of my tent. Another drawback is the price, but used ones on eBay are way less expensive than new. And more eco-friendly of course.

The town of Gerlach provides inexpensive bulk water to Burners who want to fill any size container or RV tank.

Ice Chest

My ice chest is just plain plastic. But it follows my rule about getting things second-hand rather than new. It was given to me for free by someone from Craigslist who didn’t need it anymore. She gave me a heavy-duty used flashlight too.

The ice in the cooler came in a plastic bag. Unfortunately, I ran out of time to figure out a better solution, and I did want to be able to keep some things cold. However, I did make a less plastic choice…

Ironically, the ice I found at Whole Foods came in 3 smaller plastic bags inside a big plastic bag. And the whole thing is only 9 pounds. I couldn’t do it. I left the store without it.

I say ironic because Whole Foods is supposed to be the eco choice, right? Yet I was able to get a 20 pound bag from Target without all the extra packaging inside.

Directors chair

That is a bamboo chair with cotton seat and back that Pier1 had on sale for super cheap. I did look for second-hand chairs for outside my tent, but I started looking too late and couldn’t find anything. I would like a second chair and will start looking for a used one as soon as I get back home.

Compost Bag

I’m using an organic cotton mesh produce bag to dry my compost. Tracey taught me this trick last year. The weather on the playa is so hot and dry, it will dessicate your produce peels and trimmings in quick order so you don’t have stinky rotting food to deal with or plastic bags of food waste to send to the landfill.

You can buy organic cotton mesh bags from Life Without Plastic or Amazon.

Gray water evaporation bowl

The only thing allowed to be left on the playa surface is plain water. Everything else must be collected and packed out… including dirty waste water. It’s a lot easier if you leave your waste water out in the sun to evaporate. I’m using a stainless steel bowl from my kitchen for this purpose rather than a plastic basin or tub.

Girlie pink bicycle

Wait. I just got done showing you how butch I am pounding all those stakes. This bike is salmon, not pink. I rented it from Hammer & Cyclery. They are an organization that promotes bicycling and bike repair, and for Burning Man, they allow you to rent online in advance and then they deliver the bikes to the playa so you don’t have to transport them yourself. Getting around would be very hard without a bike. This place is huge.

Okay, I’m done for the night. I’ll show you the inside of the tent and its contents tomorrow, including all the plastic-free food I brought with me.

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