1. Reservations are now officially closed.

2. Late People: Whole Foods has moved to a new address!!! 6139 S. Virginia, Reno, NV 89502

3. Our drop-off and pick-up on the Playa is at 6 o’clock and Dart at the Bus depot behind Center Camp

4. Today is my birthday. Last day of Leo. Amen. 1LUV

5. Anyone who would like to volunteer to check people onto the BIOBUS on the 26th, 27th, or 31st, please email burnclean@gmail.com right away.

6. All BIOBUS riders, please read the below information thoroughly so you can be totally dialed in for your ride to or from the playa.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: BIOBUS (space) SHUTTLE ESSENTIALS

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 2008 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 $60, 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 the first time in our three years of organizing renewable energy solutions for Burning Man! Any amount between $60 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?
    The BIOBUS will be waiting at 6 o’clock and Dart, at the Bus Depot behind Center Camp.
11. What is the drop-off location in Black Rock City?
    6 o’clock and Dart at the Bus Depot behind Center Camp.
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!

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!

Watch Good Magazine’s Music Video Short on E-Waste

A majority of the electronic waste of the US is shipped to China and India in violation of international law. Please consider the following actions to stop the blackening of rivers and the poisoning of our distant cousins in Asia:

• Recycle your computers, PDA’s, and gadgets properly. Earth 911 is an amazing resource to help you figure out how to recycle these items safely.
• Buy your electronics used. It’s less expensive and lowers production of these toxic materials.
• Ask your favorite electronics manufacturers to become Cradle-to-Cradle certified. Apple, HP, Dell, Sony, Panasonic, and JBL are all capable of designing products so that we can enjoy them guilt-free. We just have to ask them…all of us have to ask them.

Learn more about e-Waste and what you can do from the Basel Action Network, who contributed documentary footage to this incredible video. This is the kind of video that needs 2 million hits on youTube…pass it on.

Photo: Junk Mail Tank by Burtonwood and Holmes

Forty-one pounds…that’s the staggering weight of the 560 or so pieces of junk mail each adult American receives per year. Almost half of it remains completely unopened and unread before heading straight to the landfill. Sadly, recycling junk mail is especially difficult due to the high concentrations of heavy metals used in the inks. Year after year, boreal forests get wantonly turned into garbage as more than 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water are wasted in the production of junk mail. This whole frustrating process is perpetuated by everyone, from the USPS to credit reporting companies like Equifax and Experian, selling your name for three to twenty cents a pop to anyone in the market to buy it.

Fortunately for us all, there are ways to triumph over the junk mail debacle. Eco Cycle and StopJunkMail.org have compiled the key steps to ending the junk mail trail yourself. They give you all the details on who to call, what online forms to fill out, and who to give the “Return to Sender” treatment. Or, if you are willing to pay a fee, you can get someone else to do most of the legwork for you. Yay.

41pounds.org

Frustrated with their own junk mail woes, three brothers from Michigan figured out how to trump the junk mail system and began to share the service with friends. Only one year later, 41pounds.org is 5,000 members strong and growing rapidly.
Cost: $41/5 years
Benefit: 41pounds.org gets your name “off the list” and keeps it off for five years. Anytime you find yourself besieged by a new set of junk mailers, you just email 41pounds.org and they take care of it for you. A third of the fee goes to an environmental or social cause of your choice.

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Step Two: Change the Change
By Jenn Breckenridge

“In the absence of an unlikely change in the nature of humanity, buying bamboo shirts or sustainable furniture is like spitting at a forest fire.” Timely words by Alex Steffen, Executive Editor of the evolutionary eco think tank, WORLDCHANGING. I agree, Mr. Steffen, buying green stuff isn’t the only answer to healing the planet, so now what? The US mainstream is aware of major climate issues and the continuing decimation of our air, water and soil quality by corporate and governmental entities. Al Gore’s number one offering to reverse global warming has been to change a light bulb. Thank you Al. Live Earth, in the face of the mass decimation of our planet, has taken civic action one step further by asking citizens to change four light bulbs, as well as shopping for energy efficient electronics and shutting off lights when they’re not in use. Umm…okaaaay. A lot of folks have changed their light bulbs from incandescents to CFL’s. World still not saved? Darn it! Well, what next?
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