Burning Man is a yearly event in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The festival, held during the week leading up to Labor Day, began in 1986 when a group of friends started a bonfire on the summer solstice and burned an 8-foot wooden man. According to Burning Man co-founder Larry Harvey, the event promotes the following core values: radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, leaving no trace, participation, and immediacy. Burning Man provides a space for people to embrace aspects of their own individuality that do not materialize anywhere else. It is important that such a space exists. On account of the environmentally damaging aspects of Burning Man, it is evident that changes have to be made in order to safely conclude that the event should remain.
Mr. George, who knows people who have gone to Burning Man, discussed how it can provide a haven for people to become like ‘a whole different person’, in a liberating sense. However, in recent years, some people have treated Burning Man as a massive party containing drugs and degenerative activity, contrary to the original reputation and morals of the event. Mr. George says that those people go against the “ethos of the event,” potentially negatively impacting those not involved in poor behavior. The unrestricted nature of Burning Man, originally intended to allow self-expression without limits, allowed space for those affairs to have festered. Despite this, a climate where free expression is encouraged is vital for Burning Man to still be around.
Another critical aspect to consider is the negative environmental impacts associated with Burning Man. Of course, the overarching theme of flames surrounding the event causes carbon emissions; transportation used to and from the event is the most significant emitter of carbon among all emissions related to Burning Man. In recent news, flooding caused by storms during Burning Man this year has affected the attendee’s transportation. Changes in climate over recent years have been a substantial factor in occurrences of extreme or prolonged weather. To which Burning Man’s emissions have certainly contributed. However, Burning Man has tried to mitigate these environmental impacts with solar arrays, albeit the productivity from these is a mere fraction of the total carbon emissions.
Considering the environmental impacts and lack of morals for some participants of Burning Man, it would be natural for many to frown upon such an event of what could be considered extravagance. Some activities and individuals are excessive or harmful, but Burning Man is an event where radical self-expression and inclusion are core tenets and vital for many. However, it is imperative that in the future, the environmental damages the event causes are addressed more seriously, either by holding the event more sustainably or with less extravagance.
