Let’s Build a City!
Black Rock City 2024 offered us all a reminder of two things. One: We are all beholden to the elements in the Black Rock Desert. And two: Black Rock citizens are magnificently well prepared for anything; they show up with joy, resilience, humor… and enough pancakes and coffee to sustain an entire block.
Ready? Let’s build a participatory city, one whose citizens are artists, innovators and leaders (that means YOU). Black Rock citizens come together from all ends of the earth, live together for eight days to learn, work, evoke awe, and lead the way in advancing a more creative, connected and thriving society.
A Global Cultural Movement
Socially, logistically, creatively, Black Rock City is a great cultural experiment — one out of hundreds of ways people come together to create, innovate and share stories in the Burning Man global cultural movement, supported by the Burning Man Project nonprofit. Wherever you live beyond the dust, tap into it and help make it happen by connecting with your Regional Burning Man community.
How We and YOU Leave No Trace
In 2019, we made a giant leap with our Environmental Sustainability Roadmap, which outlines three important goals we wish to attain by 2030:
- No Matter Out of Place. Handle waste ecologically.
- Be Regenerative. Create a net positive ecological and environmental impact.
- Be Carbon Negative. Remove more carbon from the environment than we put into it.
These goals are in line with what we all need to do to ensure that Earth is a viable ecosystem. We believe that the Burning Man community has a pivotal role to play.
The road ahead is ambitious, and we’re doing real work to get there. As it was in 2023, the Man will be 100% powered by solar and renewables in 2024 and beyond. The use of battery coupled generators will be expanded on BRC’s internal grid, reducing our fossil fuel needs. Generators powered by diesel fuel are being replaced by solar generators and increasingly utilizing renewable fuels. More renewably-powered infrastructure, including additional solar-powered light towers and other solar-powered lighting, are being implemented. Theme camps are joining in greening too — the Green Corridor will be back and even bigger for 2024. Stop by the 3:00 sector for a grouping of camps setting the bar for renewal energy, waste systems, and more!
In 2024, you will see even more environmentally-conscious art — many artists are working to power their art projects sustainably. Forty-one percent of 2024 Honoraria art projects demonstrated a significant effort towards sustainability in their proposals, via innovative solutions to power, materials, and transport, or the artwork’s message. That is up by more than 17% over last year!
We hope Burners around the world step up and help right the ship so Burning Man culture, humanity, and life on Earth can thrive into the future. As you prepare for your Burn and read through this Survival Guide, consider how you, your friends, and your camp can contribute to our shared goal to create a sustainable city. Will you prototype a new waste management or grey water system? Are you de-MOOPing everything you bring to the playa before you arrive? Using reusable construction materials? Minimizing kitchen and food waste? Doing MOOP sweeps at your camp and picking up MOOP when you see it on the open playa? Are you reducing power needs at your camp and thinking creatively how you can share resources with your neighbors? Are you pulling up every last stake and lag bolt before you leave your campsite? Are you sorting your trash and recycling before you depart BRC for easy drop off at collection centers on your way home? For lots of tips on greening your Burn, see the Leaving No Trace section of this guide.