Transportation
Overview
Fossil fuels burning vehicles and aircraft emissions include air pollutants that harm human health and greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
Each year the Burning Man event produces approximately 54,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases and that amount is the equivelent of 8% of one week's State of Nevada emissions. 91% of the emissions are produced by the transportation of people, housing, equipment and supplies to and from the event and onsite.
Burning gasoline and diesel fuel creates harmful by products like carbon monoxide that can cause serious injury and death to Black Rock City participants, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, benzene, and formaldehyde - all direct human health hazards. Aviation gasoline (avgas) is the aviation fuel most commonly used in piston-engine aircraft within the general aviation community and remains the only transportation fuel in the United States to contain lead.
In addition, vehicles and aircraft emit greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, and methane and nitrous oxide in lesser amounts. Global warming has caused the worldwide and regional climates to change resulting in potential adverse effects to the environment, human health, and safety.
The Transportation Team’s purpose is to create radical solutions for moving people, housing, equipment, and supplies to and from Black Rock City efficiently, economically, and ecologically.
Vision: Our Dreams for BRC 2030
BLAST Ideal: Camps reduce the environmental impact of their travel and equipment transportation as much as possible, and offset the impact they do have through supporting regenerative activities in the default world.
Mission: How We'll Get There
BLAST Focus: Reducing and offsetting greenhouse gas emissions due to travel, to and from the event.
Ways to Get Started:
Use the Driving CO2e Emissions Estimater to figure out your emissions, or even your whole camps!
Look into Burning Man Project's Container Program
Use a rideshare document for your camp!
Consider using nearby storage like Black Rock Mini-Storage
Use the Burner Express Bus Program (BxB)
While we know it's not a real solution, you can always look at doing carbon offsets (climeworks & project vesta)
Watch this presentation about air pollution and greenhouse gases
Driving CO2e Emissions Estimater by Tim Barry (Frog)
Have you had enough? Ready to help our people and our planet?
Well then, just how much CO2e are you emitting?
If you fill in this BLAST calculation, your camp will meet the Baseline credit for Transport:
"Transport - does your camp track the environmental footprint of personal travel and equipment transport to and from playa?"
Radical Transportation? Buses!
Full occupancy motorcoaches are the most efficient type of fossil fuels burning transportation followed by Class B motorhomes and the most fuel-efficient sedans and SUVs. All other types of vehicles and airplanes are the least efficient. A reduction in criteria air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions can readily be achieved by significantly increasing the use of high capacity motorcoaches and decreasing the use of all other types of vehicles and airplanes for transporting passengers to and from Black Rock City.
Looking to cut your carbon emissions for Burning Man this year? Here’s some great news — electric vehicles are capable, today, of hauling big art projects and heavy camp infrastructure to Black Rock City.