The Burn Clean Project is a volunteer organization providing sustainable energy solutions for the Burning Man festival in Black Rock Desert.
The mission of the Burn Clean Project is to organize and energize Black Rock City's evolution from petroleum dependency to the affordable application of renewable energy resources. The ultimate goal of the Burn Clean Project is to see Black Rock City 95% free of fossil fuels before the close of this decade, while spreading the technologies and philosophies of renewable energy use to communities across the US.
In 2006, Burn Clean Project organized the biodiesel and biodiesel-friendly generators to power the Staff Commissary, the Greeter's Station, and the Man himself for the Burning Man festival with 99.9% biodiesel. (.1% blend of diesel fuel is required for federal tax incentives.) This B99 was processed from locally collected Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO), from Bently Biofuels in Minden, NV. This was accomplished by founding member, Jenn "1-LUV" Breckenridge and partner, Dr. Ryan Wartena of MIT, with the aid of Blue, Facility Manager at Burning Man headquarters and BCP Liaison, Carlo Luri, General Manager of Bently Biofuels, and Don Gray of Kohler Power Supply. Large theme camps such as Entheon Village, Disorient, and Hookahville also took advantage of the deals struck with Bently, Kohler, and Burning Man, and fueled their camps with B99.
What was accomplished by Burn Clean Project in 2006, created a paradigm shift in the fuel practices of Burning Man. In 2007, the BM organization, much encouraged by BM's DPW, fueled as many of their generators which was possible with B99, from the 50 kW generators on up to the massive 200 kW's. Cashman's and United Rentals, the two major generator providers of Nevada, have both considered changing their anti-biodiesel policies to accommodate Burning Man and to compete with Kohler Power Supply. Up until 2007, Kohler has been one of the very few national resources for authorized B100 use. Cashman's and United's adjustment at the corporate level, has been affected by citizens ready for positive change and willing to do something about it, supported by companies like Bently Biofuels and Kohler Power Supply, that believe renewable fuels are not something to be reserved for the distant future, but are realities ready to be utilized today.
At the close of the burn in 2006, Larry Harvey, founding member of the Burning Man community, announced that the theme for 2007 BM festival would be "The Green Man". The organization has taken on Tom Price as a full-time Environmental Manager of BM devoted to "greening the burn". Now Burning Man, already the largest Leave No Trace event in the US, has advanced to another level of environmental stewardship. The Earth Guardians, longtime protecters of Black Rock Desert and Alternative Energy Zone, longtime incubators of renewable energy technologies, have been joined by Burn Clean Project, Cooling Man, Evolutionary Center, Sustainaville, Greening the Burn, and a score of other eco organizations that are devoted to creating a way of harmoniously co-existing with the environment.
For Burning Man 2007, Burn Clean Project ran the BCP BioBus (space) Shuttle to Black Rock City from Reno International Airport. A biodiesel-fueled bus shuttled burners to and from Black Rock desert, helping eliminate the need for individuals to rent petroleum-fueled cars for an entire week to use for one four-hour round trip. The initiation of BCP's biobus pilot program is one more milestone in the long-term goal to eradicate the widespread use of fossil fuels in Black Rock City.