Burning Man Shuttle

BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE 2009

That’s right…We’re back for Year 3! Meet new lifelong friends on the BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE to Black Rock City. You will be scooped up at Reno International and whisked to Whole Foods for a quick grocery run and then on to the playa! This is our third year in a pilot program to lessen our cumulative impact of travel to the greatest city on Mama Earth.

A $65-$75 donation to Burn Clean Project will reserve a One Way ride to or from the playa, helping you to avoid burning petroleum, the cost of a car rental, and the worst part of all—scrubbing the rental car thoroughly enough so they don’t charge you a playa-sized cleaning fee! If you still haven’t bought your BM ticket and plan to ride the BIOBUS, then please get your tickets shipped to you and carry them by hand, to help the BIOBUS avoid long waits at Will Call.

Please read the BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE FAQ thoroughly regarding cargo limitations: bikes, luggage, food, and water. ————————————————————————————————————————-

BOOK HERE

Reno International Airport-Black Rock City: Monday August 31st, 2009
Boarding RNO Int’l: 12-12:45pm
Whole Foods: 1:15-2pm
Will Call and Greeter’s Station: 4pm-6pmish
Arrive Black Rock City Center: 6:30ish Donation of $65-75 reserves a one-way ride for 08/31, press button below.

Reno International Airport-Black Rock City: Tuesday September 1st, 2009
Boarding RNO Int’l: 12-12:45pm
Whole Foods: 1:15-2pm
Will Call and Greeter’s Station: 4pm-6pmish
Arrive Black Rock City Center: 6:30ish Donation of $65-75 reserves a one-way ride for 09/01, press button below.

Reno International Airport-Black Rock City: Wednesday September 2nd, 2009
Boarding RNO Int’l: 12-12:45pm
Whole Foods: 1:15-2pm
Will Call and Greeter’s Station: 4pm-6pmish
Arrive Black Rock City Center: 6:30ish Donation of $65-75 reserves a one-way ride for 09/02, press button below.

Black Rock City-Reno International Airport: Sunday September 6, 2009
Boarding Black Rock City: 5:30-6:15am
Arrive Reno International Airport: Between 9 and 10am (depending on Exodus)
Donation of $60-75 reserves a one-way ride for 09/06, press button below.

Black Rock City-Reno International Airport: Monday September 7, 2009
Boarding Black Rock City: 5:30-6:15am
Arrive Reno International Airport: Between 9 and 10am (depending on Exodus)
Donation of $60-75 reserves a one-way ride for 09/07, press button below.

If you have any further questions after you’ve read the FAQ, please email us at connect@burncleanproject.org.

If you are a very reliable person and would like to volunteer with Burn Clean Project for a free ride to BRC, please write us with your skill set to volunteer. connect@burncleanproject.org

Thank you for joining Burn Clean Project in our goal to see Burning Man become 95% fossil fuel free by 2010. Let’s do the damn thing!

*ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
RNO-BRC 12:00-12:45pm Load In RNO Int’l: Ground Transportation
BRC-RNO 5:30-6:15am Load In Bus Depot behind Center Camp: 6 o’clock and Dart

Whole Foods 1:15-2pm 6139 S Virginia, Reno, 89502 (775) 829-8666

* LUGGAGE
You can either bring 1 boxed up bike and 1 piece of luggage TOTAL, or 2 pieces of luggage and no bike TOTAL. No unboxed bikes will be allowed aboard the bus. No more than two pieces of luggage will be allowed aboard the bus. If you bring 3 or more large items, get ready to leave them at the airport. This same guideline applies to return trips from the playa. Leave the life-sized unicorn statue with the folks who brought it!
* FOOD
You are limited to 2 bags of groceries at Whole Foods plus your water supply, which can total no more than 11 gallons. Have a tight list written out and don’t overshop. You will be transporting yourself from the drop-off to your camp. Less (weight) is more (fun).
* WATER
You may bring no more than 11 gallons of water on the BIOBUS. The formula for how much water you need for drinking, cleaning, and showering is 1.5 gallons per person per day. The math: 3 days-4.5g, 4 days-6g, 5 days-7.5g, 6 days-9g, 7 days-10.5g. Water is both valuable and heavy-you do not want to haul water you don’t even need from the bus drop-off to your camp and then leave it behind when you don’t use it all. Whole Foods will have 5 gallon reusable water jugs for $18 each. Water is 0.39/gallon. If you have your own large empty water totes, bring them with you.
* DO NOT BE LATE to load.
You will be left in the (playa) dust. No ride is guaranteed for you any of the following days if you miss the bus. There is a NO REFUND POLICY. Be on time. We love you. Be on time.
* SHIP EVERYTHING you can.
Get your campmates who are driving out to take as much of your stuff as possible or send your stuff in a container headed from SF, Boston, Chicago, or NY. Research to find one leaving from your neck of the woods.
* PACK LIGHT.
Hauling your goods from the drop-off to camp can be heaven or hell depending on your pack job. Light and tight with wheels is the best! The Sun is supposedly going to set at 7:30ish. Having a minimum of luggage, luggage with wheels, and a keen idea of how to hitch a ride to your camp with a mutant vehicle will come in handy here.
* KNOW YOUR CAMP COORDINATES
Know these before you come to BRC if you are supposed to be staying in a registered camp. Study the map of BRC to see where you’ll be ahead of time. Pretend you’re back in the Scouts.
* LAST MINUTE UPDATES
Updates will be posted at the top of the homepage at www.burncleanproject.org. Please check here before you leave for your flight, just in case there’s some last minute news.
* BE ON TIME!
The BIOBUS from Reno Int’l leaves promptly at 12:45pm. If your plane is delayed, get ready to hitch in. If you make it to RNO Int’l and think you can make it to Whole Foods before we leave at 2pm, then please take a cab from the airport to meet us there.The BIOBUS from BRC will be leaving at 6:15am promptly to avoid Exodus hell, from the Bus Depot at 6 o’clock and Dart . Stay up and enjoy the sunrise or get up at 3am if you want to make it onto the BIOBUS sugarplums. No refunds are provided. Please be on time to ride or be ready to hitch.
* BE NICE.
Be amazingly cooperative, punctual, and funloving with the BIOBUS pilot. Be sober and don’t get sick or leave trash in the bus (we will be charged a hefty fine.) Love your spacemates.
* WEAR YOUR SPACESUIT.
The BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE is the perfect launchpad for your parade of playawear. Flight costumes of all sorts are HIGHLY encouraged!
* SPREAD THE WORD.
Help BRC go fossil-fuel free by 2010! Send our link to all your burner homies and tell them to book early at www.burncleanproject.org.

We appreciate you so deeply for choosing to go fossil fuel free to the playa and making the BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE program come to life. Thank you for flying with BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE 2009 and for joining Burn Clean Project in our goal to see Burning Man become 95% fossil fuel free by 2010. Let’s do the damn thing!

–
1-LUV & Nano

FAQ: Booking procedure, costs, bikes, luggage, food, water, drop-off, pick-up, packing, extra trips, shipping your things out ahead of you, and BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE fashion.

—————————————————————————————————————————–

1. How do I book a ride?
   Go to the BOOK NOW section on the Burn Clean Project homepage. Book early as there is limited space!
2. How much does it cost?
   If you donate $60-75 to BCP, you will receive a One Way to or from Black Rock City
3. Why a sliding scale?
   Some folks is rich, some is poor. If everyone donates $65, BCP can pay Peter for his labor, insurance, bus overhead, as well as biodiesel, airport permits, and other miscellaneous fees. If everyone donates $75, then Burn Clean Project will actually have a budget for organizing renewable energy solutions for Burning Man! Any amount between $65 and $75 is all good; donate what feels right to you.
4. Is there a refund policy?
   NO. If you miss the BIOBUS due to airplane mishaps, oversleeping, or any other circumstances-there are NO REFUNDS.
5. Can I bring my bike?
   Bicycles are too bulky for 30 people to bring on the bus, along with 2 pieces of luggage, 2 bags of groceries, and water. You can either bring 1 boxed up bike and 1 piece of luggage TOTAL, or 2 pieces of luggage and no bike TOTAL. No unboxed bikes will be allowed aboard the bus. No more than two pieces of luggage will be allowed aboard the bus. If you bring 3 or more large items, get ready to leave them at the airport. This same guideline applies to return trips from the playa. Leave the life-sized unicorn statue with the folks who brought it!
6. How much luggage can I bring?
   You can either bring 1 boxed up bike and 1 piece of luggage TOTAL, or 2 pieces of luggage and no bike TOTAL. No unboxed bikes will be allowed aboard the bus. No more than two pieces of luggage will be allowed aboard the bus. If you bring 3 or more large items, get ready to leave them at the airport. This same guideline applies to return trips from the playa. Leave the life-sized unicorn statue with the folks who brought it!
7. How much food can I buy at Whole Foods?
   You are limited to 2 bags of groceries at Whole Foods plus your water supply, which can total no more than 11 gallons. Have a tight list written out and don’t overshop. You will be transporting yourself from the drop-off to your camp. Less (weight) is more (fun).
8. Can I bring my water supply on the bus?
   You may bring no more than 11 gallons of water on the BIOBUS. The formula for how much water you need for drinking, cleaning, and showering is 1.5 gallons per person per day. The math: 3 days-4.5g, 4 days-6g, 5 days-7.5g, 6 days-9g, 7 days-10.5g. Water is both valuable and heavy-you do not want to haul water you don’t even need from the bus drop-off to your camp and then leave it behind when you don’t use it all.
9. What is the pick-up location at the airport?
   The BIOBUS will be waiting in the parking lot of Reno Int’l Airport at Ground Transportation.
10. What is the pick-up location on the playa?
    TBA in the beginning of August. Check back at BurnCleanProject.org before heading off to the playa!
11. What is the drop-off location in Black Rock City?
    TBA in the beginning of August. Check back at BurnCleanProject.org before heading off to the playa!
12. Will the bus make any trips not listed on the schedule, like Thursday the 28th or Tuesday the 2nd?
    Five trips is all we can do this year from RNO-BRC and back.
13. What if I can’t make the 12:45pm departure?
    No problem-check out BioTour departing at 5pm!
14. Can I get a biodiesel-powered ride from SF-BRC and back?
    Yes, get a ride on the BioTour American Safari! They have limited seats-so hurry!
15. Will it be light out when we arrive at Burning Man?
    We have done our best to tightly schedule the ride in to Black Rock. We can not predict the length of the lines at Will Call and the Greeter’s Station, so there is a chance you may arrive after sunset. Bring a headlamp, study the map ahead of time, and know where you’re going. This will make your arrival easier.
16. Do you have any advice for me as a BIOBUS (space) TRAVELER?
    Yes! Here are some tips…

• DO NOT BE LATE to load. You will be left in the (playa) dust. No ride is guaranteed for you any of the following days if you miss the bus. There is a NO REFUND POLICY. Be on time. We love you. Be on time.
• SHIP EVERYTHING you can. Get your campmates who are driving out to take as much of your stuff as possible or send your stuff in a container headed from SF, Boston, Chicago, or NY. Research to find one leaving from your neck of the woods.
• PACK LIGHT. Hauling your goods from the drop-off to camp can be heaven or hell depending on your pack job. Light and tight with wheels is the best! The Sun is supposedly going to set at 7:30ish. Having a minimum of luggage, luggage with wheels, and a keen idea of how to hitch a ride to your camp with a mutant vehicle will come in handy here.
• KNOW YOUR CAMP COORDINATES before you come to BRC if you are supposed to be staying in a registered camp. Study the map of BRC to see where you’ll be ahead of time. Pretend you’re back in the Scouts.
• BE NICE. Be amazingly cooperative, punctual, and funloving with the BIOBUS pilot. Be sober and don’t get sick or leave trash in the bus (we will be charged a hefty fine.) Love your spacemates.
• WEAR YOUR SPACESUIT. The BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE is the perfect launchpad for your parade of playawear.
• SPREAD THE WORD. Tell all your burner friends to book early on the BIOBUS! Help BRC go fossil-fuel free by 2010!

Eco tech blogger extraordinaire Karl Burkart wrote a wonderful article on our chrome://foxytunes-public/content/signatures/signature-button.pngefforts here at Burn Clean Project, and though we may just have one BIOBUS, and not a “fleet” quite yet, we are certainly working on it! This year we are adding another service under the SHOP tab on BurnCleanProject.org, an easy all-in-one shop providing green supplies for Burning Man, but I guess I should let Karl tell you about that…

Burning Man strives to ‘burn clean’
The ‘Burn Clean’ blog and a new e-commerce site will help Burners to go green.
Mon, Jun 15 2009 at 7:16 PM EST


50,000 people driving hundreds of miles to camp in remote desert and burn TONS of lumber shaped into giant effigies doesn’t exactly sound like the greenest of labor day weekends, but the irony of Burning Man is that it attracts some of the brightest and most environmentally conscious “global citizens” on the planet.

Fortunately one very influential burner chick by the name of Jenn Breckenridge along with a posse of green Burning Man vets took on the daunting task of reconciling this curious cultural disconnect by helping to organize a “greening the man” committee which has since made great strides towards a more eco-friendly Burning Man.

From solar powering art installations to implementing a zero waste policy to transporting burners via BIOBUS, a fleet of biodiesel-powered shuttles, Burning Man is going green. Jenn’s own blog Burn Clean Project offers “sustainable energy solutions for Black Rock and beyond” including guidelines and tips on camping, transportation and volunteering.

As of today, the site has also added a first — an online shop called Modern Local for burners to find and purchase green equipment for the upcoming Burning Man. Right now the shop offers only a few carefully selected green products but Jenn has a big vision for its future:

…to source and sell only products designed or made within 150 miles of her home in Venice, CA. By showcasing only the goods masterminded or manufactured within the region, Modern Local will help Los Angeles residents to witness and participate in the enrichment of their hometown, creating a deeper sense of pride and identity for the diverse metropolis in which they live.

Do your green-curious self a favor and check out more of Karl Burkart’s eco tech posts on MNN as well as his very own GreenDig.net, where you can get “real dirt on the environment.”

So Burn Clean Project has started getting quite a few requests for information on BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE 2009, so here’s the latest… Peter a.k.a. Teacher With The Bus has agreed to be our faithful BIOBUS provider once again. Yay! Tickets will go on sale here June 7th. Prices and exact dates are TBA. There will be at least 3 shuttles to the playa from Reno International Airport with an essential grocery stop at Whole Foods, 2 shuttles out on Sunday and Monday, along with plenty of biodiesel and fun fun fun. The other details are still being worked out. Stay tuned.

At first glance the numbers reported in the News Scan Data Points of the Scientific American magazine indicate a small percentage of carbon offset by the Burning Man Festival during the Green Man-themed event of 2007 (Wo). This small percentage of pounds of carbon dioxide offset is 0.2% of of the total on-site emissions (according to the article) and 0.02% of the emissions from the participants travel. Unknown values are how many “equivalent-pounds of CO2″ were offset by the collective of individuals who made aware choices on their transportation and existence on the playa.If we consider that a gallon of petroleum diesel generates 22 pounds of CO2 while a gallon of biodiesel generates 1.5 pounds of CO2, the above percentages can be recalculated to show a savings of 205 tons of CO2 by the Burning Man infrastructure’s use of 20,000 gallons of biodiesel rather than 20,000 gallons of petro-diesel. Adding in the carbon footprint savings from the biodiesel used at the 2007 event increases the on-site offset from 0.2% to 8.5%.Now, that may not be a significant percentage, but its identifiable progress towards a sustainable and harmonic existence. Also consider how a number of major theme camps, including Entheon Village, Roots Society, The Hive and the Silicon Village used biodiesel to fuel their camps presence.Finally, the Burn Clean Project’s BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE of 2oo7, that operated 6 trips between RNO and BRC saved 30,888 pounds of CO2 (thats 15.44 tons of CO2, saving 0.06% of the transportation footprint or 0.6% of the on-site footprint). Of course, these values do not include other bio- or alternative-fueled vehicles that transported citizens back and forth between the spaces which could account for many times more these percentages.The take home message is clear, we can make a difference and you are making a difference in a shift in consciousness that is having a markable effect in our social reality. Sources:

• http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/fuelfactsheets/emissions.pdf
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diesel
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_automobile_fuel_technologies

A group of modern-day geniuses have joined together to create a gift of gifts for our interweb enjoyment. Some folks may need to get high to understand this, some of you are already there without the extra 50 bucks and the coughing. All I’m sayin’ is do whacha gotta, get comfortable, get ready, get set, get loose, get excited, get educated, get open, hopefully you’ll get it-Post Modern Times have arrived!

Yes, some folks out here in California finally made one of my big dreams come true-a fully functioning fuel station selling petroleum, biodiesel (B99), and ethanol (E85). Conserv Fuel is the first station in LA to sell E85 to the public 24/7, and has become the only station in LA that sells B99 at the pump. Now that’s what I call exciting!

“Fifty years ago, my father, his two brothers, and my grandfather emigrated from Denmark to California,” says Conserv founder and CEO Kristopher Moller “One of the first jobs they landed was working at an independent service station in a small town east of Los Angeles. After decades of dedication and hard work, my father built USA Gasoline into the largest independent gas station chain in the State.”

In Spring of last year, the entire USA Gasoline chain sold to a US oil refiner, save a single station in Brentwood. From this single station, Kristopher Moller founded Conserv and has seemlessly integrated the old guard and the new guard of fuel under one roof. On their website, Conserv boasts “a commitment to a new type of American Dream.” Well, not only did they fulfill a years-long personal dream of mine, they fulfilled the timeless American Dream of solving old school problems with new school innovations.

If you’re in LA, stop on through. Whether you have a biodiesel Benz, a flex-fuel Avenger, or a petroleum-sucking F-250, Conserv Fuel is the spot to get just what you need and support a fuel provider who gives a s%*#.

Conserv Fuel believes that conservation is the first step to fuel sustainability. Check out their tips to reducing your fuel use.

I’ve decided to track back where my energy comes from and where it goes and make sure there is a renewable and sustainable path, for however the evolution goes, all the way though. On the input for electricity, we are planning on installing an adequately-sized PV array that can be grown when electric cars are added to the mix. But, for now, we can only add less than 100% of the electricity that we have used on the average over the past two years, if we want community subsidies. Did I say communities? In this context, community subsidies are referring to local, state and federal economic programs, see DSIRE for more information on these programs.

I’m working on a pragmatic approach to living a healthy life, everything that I come into contact with I think about it, what it is, what it means in the context of my life, how it got there, how it was made, all that jazz. Little steps all the time and I love my life more for it. I saw an ad in the New Yorker the other day discussing how a scientific study demonstrated, across many areas of activity, that working for the greater good is good and does good. So, while we are on this track and while nothing is perfect and there is always more, I’ve decided to track where my energy goes and make requests that my energy goes in a good and healthy manner.

The first step is going to be addressing my communication signals, so I’ll make sure to brush my teeth and floss and take care of those temporary fillings and then look at how I charge my cell phone, where the power for my laptop is coming from and how I move my body around, which I consider the physical aspect to auditory communication.

The second layer will be to look at how these communications are received at the end of the initial transmission stage. Is the message clear? Is the cell tower down the street and the internet hub in the house powered by photovoltaics? These are the questions to ask, I’ll let you know how it goes. After that, a mesh-networking approach will be applied, based acceptable limits upon my personal dynamic spacio-temporal energy profile. Or, I’ll just go for it and see where it takes us. I have a feeling it will bring us all together in a healthy and harmonic way.

R.

The Solar Saucer impacted Black Rock City this past burn during its 2007 maiden voyage, with Captain Scotty Whitaker at the helm. This mobile generator uses energy from our closest star to power its internal devices such as LED lights and a sound system, while providing enough juice for any extracurricular 110 volt device.

Since taking off from Black Rock City, The Solar Saucer has toured a number of clubs and parties throughout the Western United States. Scotty even touched down at King’s Beach Elementary for a renewable energy download to some small Earthlings.
Stats: The Solar Saucer stores 1.75 kilowatts per hour in 16 batteries located onboard. Running a 48-volt system and a 3600-watt grid tie inverter. Interior can be used as a stage, DJ booth, or mind control center. Beam me up!