Dear Liza,
Well, after the Major Structure Burn, my phone ran out of juice. I tried to get it charged at several places, but the chargers were either not effective or busy, and there was too much other fun stuff to do.
I apologize for not having any pictures for Sunday or the Temple Burn, which was lovely, quiet, and contemplative.
As my new friend Aryn said, it’s like the difference between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Celebration as opposed to Reflection. The Temple, as you can see in the only picture I have of it, was a delicate wooden structure. Folks used markers to write wishes, or regrets, or remembrances of loved ones, which will all go up in smoke and be released Sunday night.
But this brings me to the last Principle… Leave no trace. How were 3,000 people with all their camping baggage, and two major fires, not going to leave a whopping big trace?
As to the people and their stuff, there is a special Burner word. MOOP. It stands for Material Out of Place and means anything that doesn’t belong in the environment. Bits of paper, plastic, glass, sequins (a real concern here), and even soapy water.
These are managed in different ways. The soapy water (or any water that isn’t drunk) goes into large ‘grey water’ tanks that are hauled out at the end of the festival. Porta Potties, of course, hold all our poop and such, and are cleaned during the festival and hauled out at the end.
MOOP crews of campers clean up their own camps, going inch by inch ( I was down with my nose to the ground, since my eyes aren’t fabulous) to check for anything that doesn’t belong. As well as our own Kind Bar wrappers, we found bottle caps that were old and rusty, which means they had been there for quite a while. It felt good to make the site better than when we found it! All the MOOP was taken away, to be recycled or thrown away in our home trash cans.
And, when everyone has gone, there will be another crew of MOOP specialists who come sweep for whatever we missed.
Then there is the Burns. Two structures, put together with hundreds of screws, and burning to the ground. How do we mend those scars in the field?
Cousin Jasper explained it to me. After the Burns are out and cold, crews go over the areas with strong magnets that look like those metal detectors that treasure hunters use. These lift the screws out of the ashes! The area is raked and searched several times to get all the metal out.
Then the ground is soaked and native grass seed spread on, to make sure the area grows back the way it was.
I love so many things about SOAK and the Ten Principles. Responsibility, environmentalism, and the ability to be your best, most creative self. Of course no event is perfect, but the SOAK crew is always trying to make it better.
One of the drawbacks for me personally is that sometimes, other people being their best selves is noisy, and I like quiet. But, like in every human activity, compromise and cooperation step in and help.
I don’t know if I will have another SOAK, but I’m sure glad I did this one!
Love,
Grandma Judy
Dear Liza 