Pledge to clean a road

30,000 people coming up and down a highway are bound to leave a trace. Disco balls blow loose, feather boas slither free and poor errant beer cans break loose from the rest of the 6-pack. It happens.

On the way to Burning Man, the last thing you are thinking about is stopping needlessly along the way. Face it, you don't want to miss out on a minute of fun and we don't blame you. But on the journey back home is a bit more relaxed. One or two stops is not going to be a huge inconvenience. So how about taking a few minutes and walking along 447 and cleaning the road?

Believe it or not, people actually volunteer to walk the road and pick up trash. Chris Petrell ususally handles 447 south of Gerlach and Wally Glenn handles 447 heading north. The work is fairly easy. One person drives with their hazard lights on and one or two people jump out and picks up trash as they see it along the way.

This year we would like a little help.

We are asking theme camps and individuals to chip in and clean a section of road. There is no schedule, there is no work crew, we are all empowered to be independent trash teams. The work is very easy. In 30 minutes you can fill a plastic trash bag. Most of the trash is cans or bottles and items that blow off a vehicle loaded with Playa gear. If you only stop for a few minutes and pick up a few cans, you are making a difference.

The majority of the trash we find is actually not generated from the event. A faded beer can most likely wasn't tossed out the window a few days earlier. But that doesn't matter. If we chip in and clean up, we are helping to keep our highways beautiful and it lessens the visual impact that the residents see. If the roads are cleaner after the event than before, people are more tolerant of the impact we make on their lives.

If you see items you find repulsive, don't touch them. We don't want you to pick up road kill or bottles filled with strange liquids, we just want you to pick up trash you feel like picking up. Cans and bottles can be recycled in Oregon for 5 cents each, so you might actually make enough picking up items to make it worth your while.

Let your camps know about this page and please join us.

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