Questions about lnt, gray water removal, large kitchens

[BBadger]

I think we can all agree that showers, washing pots and pans, bar mats and shakers are brainwashing our new burners. That kind of opulence would make one believe that we're like Muammar Gaddafi hosting dignitaries in a bulletproof, Bedouin tent in New York City.

Man, I've gotten so many emails about my camp from these damn spectator, burgin nouveau riche asking about all kinds of facilities and amenities. Electricity? Shade protection? Showers? What is this, the Hilton? We don't feed them grapes and fan them with palm fronds either, y'know! This is Burning Man, not burning money! A $30 tent, a few 2-gallon jugs of water, and a pack of Ramen is all a person needs to enjoy our camp -- or any camp -- at its full glory. Bring a folding camping chair if you want to hang out in the communal area. They're lucky we're even placed. They could be hanging out in J-land without the company of great people like ourselves.

I totally sent those 1% assholes scurrying. Why do they even ask me these things? They obviously haven't read the guide and don't have a clue about what the event is all about (hint: character building through suffering). Such camp amenities change the fundamental character of the event from a dirty hippy rave fest into some semblance of civilization that we don't want to impress upon the minds of young burners. Burning Man is a shanty event. Always has been. Always will be.

Discuss.

[FIGJAM]

(hint: character building through suffering)

I refuse to suffer and I'm already a character, but the playapod is shanty like.

[LowePro]

Mini-Portable-Charcoal-BBQ-Grills.jpg

I'm considering for next year a combo system to get rid of some burnable trash as well as evap water:
A small charcoal-style grill. We'll collect the burnable trash in a paper grocery bag, when it gets close to full we'll burn it in the Grill (under tight supervision during low-wind of course) and while it's burning, use an old pot to heat up and steam-off some of our gray water.

Thoughts from people who may have tried this?

[CaffeineGirl]

If you want to cook on that BBQ, bring it. However, since it is charcoal, remember all the ashes will have to be bagged up after they are completely cold and packed out.

If you want to burn paper trash, there are numerous public burn barrels. This approach will work best if you burn small amounts during the week, and do not save it all to the end when the barrels are often full of ash. The BBQ will not hold much ash, and what there is will easily blow out even in a tiny breeze.

Unless you want to spend hours watching a pot boil, for the miniscule amount of water that will actually boil away in a pot on a grill, it would be way easier to just bring a funnel and pour your grey water back into the container it came in, and pack it out to a legal disposal site.

[Jackass]

Really trillo? Get off your damn horse.

I'm in charge of water management. This why we got all green.

Have you heard the one where the pot calls the kettle black...?

[TomServo]

Staying away from the drama..We used multiple evap systems..3 ponds, one large cloth evap thingie and a burn barrel. The burn barrel worked the best...suspending a large vat into the flames, to boil off water..BUT we didn't start that until later in the week. Even if we had, we would still have been left with a lot of grey water. It didn't help, that people, unknown, kept dumping crap into it. WE WERE NOT MAKING SOUP, ASSHOLES! We had issues with folks not hauling out grey water...I don't blame them, as they were loaded with plenty of trash. We are searching all options.

[Jackass]

Just stick with the evap pond and have it pumped out at the end of the week, after some people have left and you can actually find one of those guys. The camp behind us did that this year. While he was pumping I asked him if he could handle another five gallons, he said, "sure, go get it". Score!

50-100 bucks doesn't seem too bad to not have to deal with that shitty water. I'm pretty sure that if you catch those guys at the end of the event, they are a bit more negotiable on pricing. Just add it to the camp budget

[pink]

One of our camp members with a trailer pumped our leftover into his black water tank. We would have been pretty fucked if he didn't. We're looking closely at revamping our dish washing & cooking. The easiest meal was omelettes boiled in baggies. I poured the boil water into our garden sprayers & used it for showering. We used our cooler water for showering & dish washing too. But there was way too much water being used on dishes...

[trilobyte]

@tg - I'm not on a horse, just pointing out that you may have fallen off yours. For someone who's quite vocally opposed to people who hire out and contract others to do the work for them, a thread asking questions about hiring and contracting others to do the work for you seems a bit ironic and hypocritical. If you read my posts, you may have been able to pick up on the notion that it doesn't really matter to me how you guys choose to run your camp. I even pointed you in the direction of United Services (whom you'd need to contract with in order to arrange graywater removal), and passed along alternative ideas (for anything from waste water management to improving evap). Do whatever you guys like, those are just options and suggestions.

[Roberto Dobbisano]

High Horse....

WHINNYING!

[media]

[TomServo]

Ok..now that EVERYONE's off their horse..

[GreyCoyote]

Nope. Feet still firmly in the stirrups here.

[lucky420]

i wish i had a magical high horse...weeeeeeeeee

[Dr Helix]

Well I would guess that tg might be a bit testy if you know the Burn she just went through (http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 60#p974221) According to what she wrote:

1. Had some sex starved girl draped all over her sig-other all week.
2. Drank so much vodka she passed out in her own puke and had to be taken to a med tent
3. Missed everything and recorded nothing.

Add to that the cleaning and grey water she and Tom had to deal with and I'm surprised ANYONE going through that would want to return. Just goes to show that the worst time at BM is the best time at so many other places.

[GreyCoyote]

I want pictures. And maybe some popcorn too.

[TomServo]

I had a Great time! despite the drama. was a little rough, cleaning up after, but we survived. In my view, PLANS are like expectations...and you all should know what to do with EXPECTATIONS, out there. Live and Learn.

[dragonpilot]

Burning Man offers many opportunities for setting the degree to which one wishes to "rough it." It's been my experience that no matter what the circumstances one finds oneself in, one usually strives to to make life as comfortable as resources and conditions permit. When backpacking on a remote mountain/desert trails, I'm limited by what I can carry on my back. When I am sea kayaking, a six pack is within reality. At Burning Man sky's pretty much the limit, subject to $$$...

As Figjam says, most of us don't need to practice misery or deprivation to build character...YMMV.

[tattoogoddess]

Well I would guess that tg might be a bit testy if you know the Burn she just went through (http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 60#p974221) According to what she wrote:

1. Had some sex starved girl draped all over her sig-other all week.
2. Drank so much vodka she passed out in her own puke and had to be taken to a med tent
3. Missed everything and recorded nothing.

Add to that the cleaning and grey water she and Tom had to deal with and I'm surprised ANYONE going through that would want to return. Just goes to show that the worst time at BM is the best time at so many other places.

And I never did get my Girl Scout badge for all this!!! Lol. After a few months of Cooling down and evaluating things. Tom and I made it out alive, we are still together after making it threw two burns now. Yep I will be returning again next year and making it the main priority to do things a bit diff next year and see more stuff!!!

The camp planning resumes in January. Ohhhh buddy.

[GreyCoyote]

Time for a reality show.

[AntiM]

Time for a reality show.

Campzillas?

[gaminwench]

SparkleZillas?

[GreyCoyote]

Burnistas?

Or as another user once posted, "Detonatetrix"

[Roberto Dobbisano]

"Suck Commanders"

[TomServo]

Time for a reality show.

Campzillas?

More than you think

[CapSmashy]

We used to be worried about grey water and then Monty created Raider Ball.

A giant black billboard vinyl will evaporate a lot of grey water especially when participants are sliding through it in their vain attempt to win the game.

[ygmir]

friends with dreads/conditioner in a bucket/walking evaporators.

dose said grey water with patchouli, bucket and put out the sign:

"Dread conditioner dunk station"