Intelligent Travel

The Greening of Burning Man

After returning from her trip to Mongolia, our Next Great Travel Writer contest winner Suzanne Roberts donned leopard pants and headed out to the annual Burning Man festival. Here, she sends us a dispatch about how the huge party in the desert has been working to become a sustainable event.

Every year during the week leading up to Labor Day, Black Rock City, a fully functioning metropolis, complete with a post office, radio station, airport, recycling center, bars, boutiques, and night clubs, is erected in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada as part of the annual Burning Man Festival, then disappears, virtually without a trace. Although many would call it the “biggest party in the world,” Burning Man is also the largest “Leave No Trace” event in the world, restoring the dry lake bed, aka "the playa," to the condition in which it was found before the 50,000 or so people arrived.

Burning Man began in 1986 on Baker Beach in San Francisco when an 8-foot-tall wooden man was burned by Larry Harvey and his friend Jerry James. The event moved to the dry lake bed in the Black Rock Desert in 1990. Since then, the event has grown from a few hundred participants to a record 49,599 in 2008. People who haven't been to Burning Man may think of it as a hedonistic free for all, but those who attend know that it is about radical self-expression, self-reliance, and gifting. These tenants create an artistic community, known as Black Rock City, but they also contribute to an environmental ethic. In 2006, Burning Man adopted its Environmental Statement, and was praised by Al Gore in 2007 for its “Green Man” theme and dedication to the environment. Here are some of the innovative ways in which the festival incorporates its "green" theme.

Give of Yourself: The society runs on a gift economy, which means that no money is exchanged (except for at the center café, which sells coffee and ice - passing proceeds along to charities) and that everyone comes prepared to give something of him or herself, whether it be an art installation, volunteer work, yoga instruction, solar recharging stations, dance clubs and bars, or performances that range from ballet and cabaret to fire dancing, flaming skydivers, and even geology and native plant courses taught by PhDs. From this creativity and gifting community have come ingenious ideas regarding ways in which to “green” Burning Man, as well as take the gift-giving off the playa in order to make positive contributions to the greater world.

Watch Out for ‘MOOP’: According to Roger Farschon, an ecologist with the Bureau of Land Management, the amount of debris created at the festival has consistently come in far short of their quota; the majority of the mostly wood matter left behind is roughly the size of a dime. Burning Man participants call this sort of debris “Moop” or “Matter Out Of Place,” and are instructed never to “let it hit the ground.” There is not a single garbage can on the playa, so participants must be self-reliant and “pack it out.” Also, a huge clean-up effort takes place during and after the event. Farschon calls Burning Man “a valid use of public lands,” and says, “to date, there has never been any major problems with the way they have left the playa.”

Ride Waves—But Not Planes

Much grumbling has accompanied the fees being imposed by U.S. airlines on previously benign items such as a passenger’s first checked bag, in-flight pillows, blankets, and drinks. These costs, in addition to pricier fares, are meant to boost revenue in the face of high fuel costs. No one has grumbled quite as loud, however, as the surfers who are being charged as much as $300 to bring their surfboards along. And that’s just for one board. Many serious surfers will take as many as four boards in one bag, which—depending on where they’re flying to—could amount to a $1,200 bill one way. That’s more than most plane tickets cost.

Airlines such as Delta justify the high fees with the argument that the boards require special care: They don’t get put through the standard baggage carousel, but get transported to the claims area on special elevators. “There are handling costs associated with surfboards that we have to account for,” explains Delta spokesman Kent Landers.

Indignant surfers beg to differ and maintain that the charges they encounter are inflated. The L.A. Times reports that although surfboards are large, a typical short board weighs about four pounds while a larger board only weighs up to 15 pounds. It would seem, then, that the additional charges are not so much about weight but the overall inconvenience of adding surfboards to the plane's cargo. The Times cites an incident in which Hawaiian Airlines slapped passenger Mark Cowan with an $80 fee for his kite board (which was only 4 feet, 9 inches, and 11 pounds) at the Los Angeles International Airport. And this was on top of a $100 fee he was charged by Delta on his flight from Colorado to L.A.  “You know, I just realized I’m going to be paying $360 to take my board along,” said Cowan.

It’s getting to the point where avid surfers and kite-boarders like Cowan are considering just leaving their boards at home and purchasing new ones on location. For most good surfers simply renting boards is out of the question.

Airlines known to stick surfers with high fees—often exceeding $150 a board—include Delta, Continental, and United. Alternatively, airlines that keep costs reasonably low include JetBlue, which charges $50 a board, and international carriers such as Qantas Airways and Air New Zealand, which don’t charge surfers any fees.

Photo: Calico182 via Flickr

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The Dems Go Green in Denver

When the Democratic brass and political junkies head to Denver next week, they might be wearing the requisite red, white, and blue, but they’ll be seeing green. In an effort to make this year’s convention, in the words of Denver mayor John Hickenlooper, “the greenest convention in the history of the planet,” leading Democrats, the city of Denver, the Democratic National Convention Committee, and community members are all working to promote sustainable practices.

Even before setting foot inside the Pepsi Center, delegates are being asked to think about their ecological footprints. Earlier this year, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the Green Delegate Challenge, which encourages delegates to offset the carbon produced in their travels to the Mile High City. Delegations with the highest participation will be recognized on the convention floor, and individual delegates, super delegates and alternates who participate will receive a “unique wearable ‘green item'” to sport for the cameras. DNC officials say they’re pleased with the participation in the program, which has 31 delegations offsetting 100 percent of their carbon output and a total of 2,895 individual delegates choosing to take part. According to DNCC spokesperson Damon Jones, the challenge represents a way to include delegates in an effort for sustainability that has been a priority for this DNCC all along.

“We’ve said from the beginning we want this to be America’s convention, and sustainability is something Americans are concerned about. We really wanted a way to get the delegates involved,” Jones says.

Inside the Pepsi Center, delegates might find it hard not to be green. The DNCC Green Team, headed by well-known environmental activist and first-ever “Director of Greening” Andrea Robinson (who managed sustainability at three of Al Gore’s Live Earth concerts), has been working for almost a year to create a sustainable event for an expected 50,000 or more attendees. As the Chicago Tribune reports, Robinson has established (non-mandatory) menu guidelines for caterers (fried foods are out, colorful, organic and locally produced foods are in), hired an “Official Carbon Adviser” to monitor the greenhouse-gas emissions of every tossed paper cup and plane trip, and assembled a trash brigade of 900 volunteers to ensure proper sorting of trash and recyclables. She’s buried balloons touted as biodegradable to ensure they really did degrade (they didn’t) and scoured the country (unsuccessfully) for union-produced, organic fanny packs for volunteers. Perhaps most ambitious of all, she’s set a goal of recycling or composting 85 percent of convention waste.

Rafting on the River Salmon: Where Are the Fish?

Last week, Traveler senior editor and resident tours expert Norie Quintos wrote about her sea kayaking tour in British Columbia. This week, she writes about rafting the Lower Salmon River in Idaho. And tune in next week when she shares tips on great family vacations.

My family likes salmon. We like it sautéed, roasted, poached, and grilled. I prefer to buy the wild kind (farmed fish contain higher levels of PCBs and fish farms have been implicated in contamination of the ecosystems they reside in) but with the slowing economy whatever is on sale usually rules the day.

But I can't say we really cared about salmon. Then came our five-day family rafting trip on the Lower Salmon earlier this month with ROW Adventures, an outfitter based in Couer d'Alene, Idaho. We never quite realized it, but in the midst of all the fun we were having, we were getting quite an education.

Jenss Family Travels: Americana

This month, Rainer Jenss and his family started their trip around the world, and they'll be sending us dispatches from the road over the course of the next year. Check back each week to keep up with the Jensses and see where they're headed next.

“Jeez Dad . . . It’s not Americana, it’s American!” Tyler barks at me with his typical 11-year-old sarcasm and "know-it-all" attitude.  “Why do you keep saying it wrong?” Looks like we both will be learning a thing or two about the true meaning of this word during the first – and longest – leg of our round-the-world tour.

I can’t seem to remember which incident sparked this reaction during the first half of our seven-week drive across the country, there were so many occasions to have uttered it. Ever since we passed through the border patrol in Port Huron, Michigan after our brief stint in Canada, we’ve encountered one uniquely American experience after another, starting with the food.

Carol will tell you that the biggest adjustment so far to life on the road is the almost incessant need to eat out. When we were offered the opportunity to stay in a house in northern Michigan by a colleague of mine (thank you Karen), little did we realize that perhaps its biggest draw would be the chance to eat home-cooked meals for a few days. Never have I seen my wife more excited to go to a grocery store! 

To deal with the constant quest for appropriate family-friendly dining, our investment in the book Roadfood proved fruitful. Far from a Zagat’s, this book highlights some of the best local eateries along our nation’s most traveled roads, according to Jane and Michael Stern, a husband-and-wife pair who have traversed the country writing about food for 30 years.  If nothing spells America more than M-c-D-o-n-a-l-d-s, perhaps we are doing this country a disservice by not recognizing the likes of Thompson’s Restaurant in Bingham, Maine; Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria in Chicago; Bob’s Café in Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and the Sundance Café in Dubois, Wyoming.  For me, these are the places that serve up real "American" cuisine. Sure, most of them offer regular menu of burgers, pizza, and greasy fried food we normally try to avoid, but it’s the atmosphere in which they are served that makes them oh so Americana.

Plan My Trip! Biking the Bay

IT Editor Janelle Nanos is blogging from the West Coast this week and taking suggestions from readers on where to head next.

Greetings from San Francisco! I lived in this fair city for the summer four years ago, and I'm having a hard time believing it's taken me this long to return. As I'm sitting here typing, I'm listening to the sound of the trolley and am taking in a view of Coit Tower, the Transamerica pyramid, and the ridiculously curvy Lombard Street. But after arriving in town yesterday, all I really wanted to see was the icon that I missed the most: the Golden Gate Bridge.

I'm staying with a friend in North Beach, which is only a few blocks from the hubbub of Fisherman's Wharf, so I decided to revel in the full-fledged tourist experience for a change and join the hordes of bikers who pedal along the Embarcadero. I snagged a bike and map from Bike and Roll and set off to explore the water's edge. Dodging tourists and hawkers along the wharf, I traveled on the bike path past Fort Mason and the tall ships that are currently in town, getting a glimpse of Alcatraz and a bevy of sailboats in the throes of a regatta.

As I approached that art deco wonder that spans the Bay, the fog had rolled in, wrapping its two arches like a shawl. So it was perfect time to snap a few photos and take advantage of small cafe and gift store on the shore, for as I overheard one tourist say, "You can't really resist a place called the Warming Hut." I'm not going to lie, I was expecting to be gouged on food and exposed to a large quantity of Golden Gate keychains, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the gift shop and cafe both shared an overtly green theme, and that all of the proceeds from store purchases go towards supporting the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

Napa Valley: Foodie Globe-trotting

Napa’s clinking-glass culture is an incubator for more than world-class vino. Proof: Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in downtown St. Helena, which globe-trots via diners’ taste buds each Wednesday for their year-and-running Supper Club.

Aptly named, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen is a white-linens eatery cached behind Main Street with a scene that feels more neighborly than swanky. Head chef Cindy Pawlcyn—known better for another of her endeavors, Napa favorite Mustards Grill—infuses her farm-to-table Supper Club menus with tastes inspired by street food, festival food, and cultural delicacies, showcasing locally sourced ingredients (some from her own organic garden). Each Wednesday, her menu pulls into a different port of call.

At a recent Israeli dinner, guests noshed on hummus-inspired soup, Isreali shnitzel, and tabouli sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. And those lucky enough to attend the Spanish country dinner were treated with a dessert of decadent ropes of crispy churros dunked in chocolate, the official 3 a.m. snack of Madrid. Cindy highlights stateside cuisine some weeks, from Southwest corn and chilies to San Fran cioppino.

On deck this summer are dinners to celebrate the tastes of South Africa, Morocco, the Caribbean, the New England Shore, the bistros of Paris, Festival of the Tomatoes (we don’t know what that means either, but we hope it includes some fresh gazpacho!), and more.

For just $40 a seat (including all courses and wine pairings), we’re hard-pressed to think of a better way to taste world cultures and defy the devaluing dollar at the same time. After all, even the most dedicated oenophile needs to refuel with food, occasionally.

The five-hour feast starts at 5 p.m. each Wednesday. 1327 Railroad Ave., St. Helena; +1 707 963 1200.

Photo: Laurie Smith

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Hotel Hip: Worm Composting

Luxury and eco-savvy hotel chain Fairmont is proving that chic suites and green living don't have to clash. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa (Sonoma, California), known for its mineral hot springs and spa, has just recently introduced a worm composting initiative, which it hopes will compliment the resort's aim to be a sustainable property.

The 3' x 3' x 14" worm bin sits near the employee parking lot and is intended to reduce about 128 pounds of organic waste each month. But cutting out the organic waste isn't the only thing the wormy guys are good for, explains Melissa Attanasio, the resort's "Green Champion" (I wish I had "champion" in my official title). "By feeding the worms hotel food waste, we end up with one of the best (sustainable) soil amendments and fertilizers—worm castings," she says.

The century-old Canadian hotel chain is the winner of several green awards, like the Worldwide Hospitality Award—Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program (2006), and the Fairmont Sonoma received the Best (Green) Practices Award from the Sonoma County's Business Environmental Alliance earlier this year. No word on whether the worms are contenders for any of their own awards, but we'll be sure to update you should they win some.

Photo: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

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Yellowstone and Montana MapGuides

We always try to keep tabs on what our neighbors here at National Geographic are doing, and so we're excited to share what the folks at the Center for Sustainable Destinations are up to next. One of CSD's many projects is to establish geotourism charters with local communities to help identify, develop, and promote the unique and authentic assets that will attract travelers to their region. Working closely with community partners, they then harness the staff and resources of the National Geographic Maps division to create a unique MapGuide, which, as the name helpfully indicates, is a bit of a guidebook and map in one. I used one while in Baja a few months ago, and thought it was both tremendously helpful and a really fun way to explore a place.

Last month, CSD released their latest MapGuide, "The Crown of the Continent," which spans Alberta, British Columbia, and Montana. Working with a local geotourism alliance, they plotted a slew of fascinating finds like the Bellevue Underground Coal Mine tour (wear miner's helmets!), the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center (fossils!), and Garnet Ghost Town (boo!), plus a bevy of campsites, small B&B's, and handicraft shops. The maps have terrific photographs and tons of information, and even better, they're absolutely free! You can take a peek at the maps online, and order your own at the Crown of the Continent website.

Next up for CSD is a MapGuide on Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Right now, local residents and visitors can nominate for inclusion in the MapGuide landmarks, attractions, activities, events and local businesses that define the region's unique character and distinctive appeal. Nominations may be made between April 15 and June 30, 2008, so send in your favorite spots now!
Image: Crown of the Continent MapGuide

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Cinematic Road Trip: Nebraska

John Ur returns for this week's edition of Cinematic Road Trip. Today's stop: Nebraska.

Every time I begin one of these columns, I chant the name of the state that I mentally try to inhabit and see if it fits a song like “Ooooooooklahoma.” Well Nebraska does not, as far as I know, serve as the title of any popular song, but the Counting Crows once sang of, “Omaha, somewhere in middle America, get right to the heart of matters. It’s the heart that matters more.” As in: Somewhere in middle America, believe it or not, there are actual people living out their lives.

This may come as a surprise to people fixated on the East and West Coasts, but not to Alexander Payne. Over the past decade, Payne has become a prominent writer-director on the backs of some strong movies—most recently, Sideways, which won him (and his writing partner, Jim Taylor) the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Payne grew up around Omaha but is not the first famous Hollywood figure to sprout from the city among the cornfields. He follows native Omahans Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire, and Nick Nolte, all of whom also made their way to Tinseltown.

Payne must maintain a fondness for his home state. He’s adapted two novels set in east coast states to be shot around Omaha. In Election, Reese Witherspoon plays an over-achieving high school student running for Student Council President of Carver High School. Payne shot the high school scenes at Papillion-La Vista High School in Papillion, Nebraska, which is in the suburbs ten miles southwest of Omaha. (The original novel by Tom Perrotta is set in New Jersey.)

Although less critically acclaimed than Election, About Schmidt provides a greater view of the rest of Nebraska. In this film, Payne relocates Louis Begley’s novel from Long Island to Omaha and casts Jack Nicholson as Warren Schmidt, a retired assistant vice president for Woodmen of the World Insurance Agency. This is an actual company located on Farnam Street in Omaha.