10 Principles for life: Leave No Trace

10 Principles of Burning Man: Leave no trace

In the Burning Man community there is a motto that we live by, the words “Leave No Trace” are a way of life in this desert bazaar. Many people ask what exactly this means and how it's possible to manage. Leave no trace is very applicable to the natural world in ways that are easier than they may seem.

First off, what is “Leave No Trace”? Quite simply it is what it says, leave nothing behind that gives the idea that someone was there. This can also be called reducing your carbon footprint or being consciously aware of your impact on the environment around you.

In Burning Man this means picking up all trash and “MOOP” or matter out of place, that you see. Black Rock Desert, also affectionately called Black Rock City, is a protected reservation land that is occupied by 50,000+ people each year for only a week, but those people must also be responsible for cleaning up EVERYTHING they leave behind. Some of the things required of a person attending the event are always picking up MOOP which are things that don't belong in the desert, from typical trash to glow sticks, everything must be picked up. If it is your MOOP, pick it up, if it is not your MOOP, pick it up. It is as simple as this. Also, no scarring of the land, which means no extensive digging, burning on the desert ground or physically altering the natural lay of the land. Everything must remain as it was found.

What does this have to do with every day life? Quite simply, people in general make a HUGE impact on the environment in ways that have already changed the landscape of the entire planet. Just because leave no trace is a Burning Man motto does not mean it can't exist every single day for veteran Burners or future virgins to the desert or people that have no care for Burning Man. Be conscious of what you do to the Earth every step of your way, and if you see signs of others MOOP, pick it up.

Realistically how can this be applied to every day life? In many ways there has been a large movement in this direction already. People around the globe have become aware of the need to find alternative energy sources and a “greener” and “sustainable” way of life. What this means is, the impact humans have had on the planet is at this point catastrophic, yet there are efforts being made to repair and save the planet, no matter how small they may be. What can you do to help? Recycle when you can, compost if you can, garden your own vegetables and buy locally. Not only does this benefit you, it creates a chain of benefits that extend a very long way.

There is a list of things that can be done to help leave no trace and to help the Earth live a longer life than is projected as of now. A few things I have actively thought and worked on incorporating into my life, which should be shared globally:

Recycle/compost:
Landfills are giant scars on the Earth filled with MOOP and refuse we may think has left our lives forever. Just because you put it in the garbage can doesn't mean it doesn't exist any more. Recycling has become very efficient in many places now offering single-stream means of recycling. What this means is if it is recyclable you can simply send it out with recycling, making it almost unchanging to the normal thought of throwing it away, just put it in a different place. There are many different things that can be recycled, the internet or local disposal groups should have a great list of what can be taken care of this way.

Composting helps by consolidating all biodegradable refuse into specific locations. While this food and decomposable waste may eventually break down in a landfill, there are efforts to utilize this biodegradable refuse for the good of the land as fertilizer and other helpful ways of returning it to the Earth. If you have a way, compost in your back yard, I don't have a yard, but I work at an organic market that has composting and it is an option for me to dispose of my food waste in a good place. Options are out there if you look for them.

Think locally:
When making purchases, especially in food, consider local first. The reason for this being not only that food is freshest and most easily obtained locally, but the amount of effort expended to get that product from farm to home is much less taxing on the Earth and financially. Farmer's markets are a great way to get the best produce at a decent price without having much impact.

Also, consider buying things through other channels. Places like Craigslist and Freecycle have made it easy for people to barter and sell amongst each other without a middle man. This can help lessen your trace by cutting out corporate overheads and causing extra involvement from third parties in general. The more people something goes through, the bigger trace you and they are leaving.

Think globally:
Be conscious about what you do and how it effects the entire world. This may sound extreme, but it's very simple, think before you act. Throwing trash out or polluting air may seem like one person can't hurt much, but it does, it adds up fast. Being present in things you do can help you to realize how your impact can be less on everything around you.

Pack it in, pack it out:
This term comes straight from Black Rock City. It means if you bring it you take it back with you. This applies to life as well. Anything that you have with you, keep it with you unless you intend to dispose of it responsibly or pass it on to someone else as a gift or exchange. So many things in this world are left and neglected, with really no need. The key phrase here is “One man's trash is another man's treasure” meaning if you don't want it, perhaps someone else does.

Pick it the $*#% up:
It is so easy to think that we would pick up our own trash or if it blows away from us it's just gone. Not only does your neglect of trash around you still make you partially at fault for it, but no, your trash does not blow away into Neverland and get wished away by fairies. This doesn't mean we should all spend our days picking up trash, but what I am saying is if you see it, be conscious of it and at least make an effort. Even if you take a “5 pieces a day” policy where you will pick up 5 pieces of trash you see, that is something more than you were doing before. Contribute so then it won't be so hard after a while, if we're lucky.

Ride-share:
Vehicles are a great thing we have at our disposal. All shapes and sizes and getting bigger by the day. This has a tremendous impact on the world around us as we motor along burning up the air and atmosphere around us, tear up the lands for more fuel and spend billions world-wide keeping the motor ways packed. It may seem impractical in this day and age of convenience, but there was once a time when people walked everywhere. Try carpooling, riding a bike or taking a city bus if it's available. If you want to complain about high gas prices, realize that driving your car everywhere all day every day is exactly what gives companies the right to charge you outrageous prices and the best part is most people complain while pumping more gas into their vehicle.

I could go on and on about the different things we can do to help the environment and to leave no trace. It doesn't happen overnight and it doesn't happen because of one person. We can all change the world if we all take our stand. What we know now is what our children will know, and teaching them how to make a smaller impact on the world will help many generations to come enjoy this beautiful world. This is just one of the 10 principles of Burning Man, but it is personally the most important to me. If you read this and agree, be the change, start acting on it today.