<p>7️⃣<strong> Civic Responsibility</strong>: We value civil society. Event organizers must be responsible for the well-being of the community and strive to inform participants about their civic duties. They must also ensure that events are conducted in accordance with local, state, and federal laws. This is more of a formal principle that is closely monitored. For example, leaving the desert took us 10 hours (even though it was only 1-2 km) primarily because they release people in small batches to avoid creating a traffic jam outside the desert and disturbing the residents around.</p>
<p>8️⃣<strong> Leaving No Trace (or MOOP — Matter Out Of Place)</strong>: Our community respects the environment. We strive to leave no physical trace of our actions where we gather. We clean up after ourselves and try, whenever possible, to leave places in better condition than we found them. An incredibly strong principle. I have been to various events, but I have never seen such cleanliness maintained for even a day in other places as I have at Burning Man over a week. The toilets are incredibly clean, and there is a manic desire to leave no trash behind. I’m not just talking about napkins or paper, but hair, wood chips, etc. For example, all art is made in advance (cut, drilled, etc.), and if something needs to be done on-site, a protective covering is laid down or a box is placed to collect sawdust. If something falls, it is picked up by hand. When the city disappears, first the camps, and then the organizers go through every inch and collect everything that wasn’t there before Burning Man (even hair!). Of course, it was particularly frustrating to read articles in clickbait media accusing us of polluting the desert at the moment when everything was turning to mud and sucking everything in. It goes without saying that when the organizers reported a week later that the playa was cleaned to zero, we didn’t see a retraction article. At Burning Man, you won’t find trash bins; each camp builds its own and takes all the trash with them (even the water after washing dishes), and it’s customary to walk around the desert with a small bag to collect trash if you happen to find any (which is very difficult).</p>