LEAVE NO TRACE?
What does "Leave No Trace" mean? Simply put, if it wasn't on the playa when we arrived, it shouldn't be on the playa when we leave. When the last truck leaves the area, you should not be able to find a single one speck of Matter Out Of Place (MOOP). Leave No Trace (LNT) is, however, more involved than simply picking up MOOP. To have 40,000+ persons "leave no trace" while fully participating and interacting for a week-long event demands that participants embrace a mindset that prevents things from ever becoming MOOP in the first place.

VILLAGE ORGANIZATION
There are seven organized theme camps within. Each of these groups of people will appoint an Avalon Beautician to function as a Leave No Trace Guardian and ensure that the LNT principles outlined below are fully followed and embodied by the group's members, and in the plans of the seven theme camps.

The 2006 Avalon Welcome Package, which will be distributed to every Avalonian and will be available on our Web site, explains the purpose of the Avalon Beauticians and introduces them. (Please see our 2005 Avalon Welcome Package for an example of what we've done in the past.)

The Avalon Welcome Package also includes many tips for MOOP avoidance in both the etiquette section and the packing tips. It's quite a good read, really.

RECOMMENDED READING
For a first-time burner, the amount of information provided for living a Leave No Trace lifestyle while on the playa can be daunting. This Leave No Trace plan has been written with the goal of providing tenets and a checklist to help the neophyte burner maintain a consciousness and level of awareness that is in sync with a Leave No Trace event.

Additional information and detailed solutions to specific problems can be found in the following documents:

• Burning Man Survival Guide
  
• Protecting the Environment
  
• Garbage & Recycling
  
• Recycle Camp
  
• Burn Scars on the Playa
  
• Grey Water Disposal
  
• The Church of Mez Cleanup Hints
  

LEAVE NO TRACE: FIVE TENETS

1. Pick materials that lessen waste, are recyclable, or are reusable.
When designing and buying for your camp site, use materials that lessen waste, are recyclable, or are reusable.

2. Avoid bringing things that can be left on the playa.
When possible, avoid bringing the small things -trinkets, flimsy paper, small feathers (boas) and glass bottles - that inevitably are left on the playa for others to clean up. If securing objects to costumes, vehicles, bikes, and so on, ensure they are securely fastened. Avoid things that are hard to clean off a desert floor (such as glitter and spray paint).

3. Design a camp that is easy to clean and maintain.
Most burners make an effort to live by the Leave No Trace principles. You can make it effortless by:

• Providing clearly-marked receptacles for the different types of trash (recyclables, burnable trash, wet garbage, and so on).
• For each "thing" you use in camp, have a place for it to sit when not in use. Not only do you know where it is when you need to use it, but you also know where to put it back when you have finished.
• For "crafty"-type theme camps, consider using ground coverings (plastic or carpet) to catch small items before they hit the playa floor.

4. Plan the teardown of camp.
Provide a detailed breakdown and cleanup plan for the camp that accounts for every board, stake, nail, and scrap used. Share the plan with your campmates, allowing every participant to efficiently help during the deconstruction of the camp.

5. Pack tools to support Leaving No Trace.
Make it easy to leave no trace by bringing tools with you. Useful cleanup tools include:

• Flat-blade shovel
• Broom / Whisk Broom
• 5-gallon bucket and mesh bag for wet kitchen scraps.
• Separate containers for recyclables, burnable trash, and non-burnable trash
• Rope and string for tying loose stuff down
• Ziploc Bags (various sizes) for storing trash you pick up while out-and-about in Black Rock City (bring your own Ziplocs)
• Extra trash bags
• Work Gloves (everyone should bring their own set of work gloves)
• Sledge Hammer
• Sealed-lid container for cigarette butts, such as an Altoids tin (smoker's responsibility)
• Vise grips for removing rebar and buried stakes
• Magnet to sweep area for buried metal objects

LEAVE NO TRACE CHECKLIST

Each Group Must Designate an Avalon Beautician.
An Avalon Beautician:

• Ensures the camp stays clean before, during, and after the event.
• Makes cleanup of the camp spontaneous and fun.
• Recruits help with cleanup from campmates and other Avalonians.
• Takes part in planning for purchases.
• Encourage every camper to reuse / recycle / reduce.
• Stays until after other campers have left, making sure all goes and no MOOP is left behind.

The Avalon Beauticians do NOT make up the camp cleanup crew. All campers are expected to do their part daily to ensure the camp remains clean and moop-free. If everyone does his or her part daily, there won't be an Herculean cleanup task at the end of the event.

Get Buy-In From Campmates.
Every burner should pledge to leave no trace in and around the campsite.

Allot Time for Cleanup.
Put time aside for cleanup, not only at the end of the event but also during the event.

Consider Cleanup when Planning the Camp.
Plan the assembly and takedown of camp - structures, tents, shower, and so on - with an eye on avoiding the creation of moop. Some examples:

Camp setup: Cut carpets at home and avoid having "carpet shag" on the ground. Provide a straining screen between showering people and the evaporation pond. Use carpet in areas where small items can be dropped (such as staples and nails).

Camp cleanup: Place screws and nails into their containers immediately - never drop screws onto the ground to pick up later. If the proper container isn't handy, put it in your pocket. Always wear an item of clothing with pockets during setup, breakdown and cleanup, even if it's just an apron or shoulder bag.

Keep Trash Separate and Organized.
Keep recyclables, burnable trash, and non-burnable trash in separate clearly-marked containers.

Avoid bringing glass containers - they can break and then glass fragments are left on the playa. If you bring any glass, keep it in camp. If glass breaks (we had a mirror break two years ago) stop and clean it up instantly. It is preferred that you bag playa dust with the glass shards by sweeping the area clean afterwards versus a visual pickup.

Remove extraneous packaging at home - remove the plastic wrap from all the new stuff you buy before you even pack it!

Clean as you go.
Clean as you go. Realize that MOOP can be blown away or buried at any moment. Get volunteers to conduct daily checks around camp for loose MOOP. Create a roster if volunteers aren't forthcoming. Clean up any MOOP you come across, regardless of who left it.

No fires in camp.
Lighting fires on bare ground leaves burn scars. If you must burn something, use a public burn barrel or burn platform. Follow the safety guidelines for fires and burn scar prevention. Sweep up and haul out your ashes.

No holes or trenches.
Do not dig trenches or holes that are more than 6 inches in diameter (to prevent scarring the playa).

Prevent MOOP from happening.
Keep items tied or weighted down. Leave papers at home. Avoid creating flyers to hand out. Put trash in a container at the moment it becomes trash - otherwise it will more than likely find its way onto the playa floor. Keep a trash bag in or near your tent.

Give 2 Hours to Cleaning the Playa.

In addition to cleanup of your own camp area, each burner must give two hours to general playa cleanup (trash fence, local port-a-potties, café area, and so on).

If you are planning to leave early in the morning, you should give your two hours on a prior day.

Pack it in, Pack it out.
Take all trash home with you.

Don't Use the Toilet as a Trash Can.
DO NOT put trash in (or around) the port-a-potties. The rule of thumb:

If it doesn't come out of your body, don't put it in the potty.

Trash dumped into the potties clogs the cleanup hoses (only 3 inches in diameter) and makes it difficult for the port-o-let cleaning crew to come, empty, and clean in a timely manner. Ask any veteran burner about the "port-o-lets of 2000." I still have nightmares.

Plan enough space to take trash home.
Have extra space (8 cubic feet, or 2 x 2 x 2) in each vehicle on the way to the desert.

You would assume that you have less to take home, after eating the food and drinking the water. Trash, however, seems to grow, not shrink. If you are running an interactive theme camp, you will also be taking home the trash of others.

Don't wait until the last minute.
Some burners like to leave first thing in the morning: avoid traffic and get on the road early. The laws of physics prevent you from being able to leave early in the morning and doing your part regarding the cleanup if you intend to do it prior to leaving. Common sense states that you will have to participate in cleanup the day prior or leave later.

Leaving before Sunday AM? Putting in two hours for the playa cleanup can happen prior to Sunday AM. And while the theme camp may not be ready for deconstruction and fine-tooth cleaning, identify what can be done (crushing plastic water jugs, compacting trash, taking recycling to Recycle Camp, and so on) that in turn reduces the amount of time the leave-on-Monday-PM burners have to spend. And if you're leaving before everyone else, take some community garbage (or those plastic water jugs you helped crush) with you.

Before the majority of people leave, participate in a grid cleanup of the camp.

Don't Dump.
You represent Burning Man on your way to, at, and on your way home from the event. Just as you want to leave no trace on the playa, you should also strive to leave no trace on the way home. Either stop at a proper dump or take it all the way home.

We are guests on the land.
If we don't take care of it,
we won't be invited back.

With great thanks to Fairyland, which is definitely on the forefront of Avalon's LNT efforts.