The mission of Apogaea’s Sustainability Committee is to encourage participants to make Apogaea more environmentally, culturally, and economically sustainable through education, inspiration, and communal effort.
By focusing on collaborative, grass-roots efforts, real social consciousness, and permeative conservation, the ASC hopes to amplify the sustainability efforts of our local, regional, and international communities, both in and out of the Burner-sphere.
Important Contact Information:
- Board Member Liaison: Danielle Grace
- Department Lead: Japangela Anderson
Sustainability Volunteer Opportunities
Theme Camp/Dept Educator
Do you love chatting with people about sustainability? We need your help gathering and disseminating information to departments and theme camps. Volunteers for this shift are required to attend a training session either virtually before the event or at the event.
Gate Emissions Survey
We need your help gathering information from vehicles arriving during peak hours. This easy shift will be done at Gate. Volunteers for this shift will be trained at the start of their shift, and will be responsible for passing the knowledge onto the next shift.
Seed Packet Distribution
We need your help distributing packets of native wildflower and grass seeds for participants to spread around as they pack up (the land owner has requested this). Volunteers for this shift may attend a virtual sustainability training if they would like.
Ride Matching - New For 2024!
As we gear up for the magical experience of Apogaea, we’re excited to announce the return of a ridesharing program to ensure safe, convenient, and inclusive transportation for all participants. We believe that the journey to Apogaea is just as important as the destination, and we want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and supported along the way. Please read on:
Deciding who you travel with should be an experience rooted in CONSENT and SAFETY! Please use this opportunity to communicate openly, explicitly share your travel boundaries, and respect others’ boundaries as well! All Apogaea participants are expected to conduct themselves with integrity and respect for the safety of others. Creepy behavior, or behaviors that endanger the well-being of those in your vehicle will not be tolerated. Drivers or passengers who do not follow these guidelines may be banned from participating in the ridesharing program. Conduct questions or concerns can be addressed by emailing [email protected] at any point. Let’s come together to create a safe and inclusive community where everyone can fully enjoy the transformative experience of Apogaea!
Survival Guide Sustainability Tips
We all know that the basic principles of BM include radical self-alliance, reducing our environmental impact, and packing out EVERYTHING that we pack in. But are we all really doing all that we can, especially when it’s not convenient, or after a couple of cocktails. Are you doing everything you can to reduce your carbon footprint (and helping your fellow Burners reduce theirs)
Following are some hopefully simple tips from your newly ignited Apo Sustainability Committee:
- Carpool – we know it’s not easy with varying work and life schedules, and a ton of crap that you’ll haul to the event and probably not use, but our excessive number of gas-guzzling vehicles is a growing problem. Do what you can to carpool, and click HERE for the recently rejuvenated rideshare.
- Trash, recycling, and composting:
- Avoid plastic – not just disposable water bottles, but packaging, trash bags, etc.
- Consider packing out your own trash and avoid group trash collection at camp. No one wants to haul back those hefty trash bags full of refuse, liquor bottles, make shift ashtrays, and compostable (and sometimes rotten) food goop.
- Leave extra plastic and glass packaging at home. Bring food and drink and supplies in containers that can be reused to pack out your waste.
- Pack out recycling in empty coolers. Resist the tendency/temptation to throw recycling away while you’re buzzed and stumbling around in the dark!
- Bring buckets with lids for refuse or compostable materials. Mesh bags or nylons offer an easy way to dry and collect compost.Take them home and compost them.
- Again, avoid community trash receptacles that almost ALWAYS attract cross-contamination of trash, recycling, and compost. Be responsible for your own crap, and only your own (but help guide your brethren to successful sustainability.
- Conserve your water. Sounds easy, but maybe just pretend that every drop is as valuable as top-shelf liquor or liquid gold!
- Just because it’s art doesn’t make it exempt from best practices in sustainability. Make sure to have a plan to reuse or recycle your camp infrastructure and art installations.
- What else can you do to reduce your carbon footprint and environmental impact? Share your ideas!
- Please contact us with your ideas, and/or if you’d like to contribute to these efforts, at [email protected]