Project Citizenship

A Toolkit for Doing It Right

“The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight.” – Theodore Roosevelt

In 2017, we launched Project Citizenship, a cross-departmental effort to address some problematic trends in Black Rock City and to emphasize the importance of participation.

The overarching theme is to nurture a sense of citizenship in the people who choose to go to Black Rock City, and in members of the global Burning Man Community. Citizenship is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the quality of an individual’s response to membership in a community.”

We’ve assembled this toolkit as go-to source for resources to help you acculturate yourself, your campmates, and people you know, so that Burning Man culture can thrive in the spaces, places, relationships, and communities we are each a part of.

Readings | Videos | Social Media | Other Links

Readings

2019 Update on Project Citizenship — Burning Man Journal

Cultural Course Correcting: Black Rock City 2019 — Burning Man Journal

(Non) Newsflash: Burning Man Is Not a Backdrop for Your Product — Burning Man Journal

I Am Not a Brand, Am I? — Burning Man Journal

How to take the Fyre Out of “Influencers” on Playa — Burning Man Journal

City of Dust — Governing

8 Ways to Make Your City More Like Burning Man — Governing

A Decommodified World: What We Can Learn From Burning Man — Deline

The Rise of Burning Man — The Washington Post

Burning Man Is Not a “Music Festival,” or Even a “Festival” — Burning Man Journal

Friends Don’t Let Friends Call Burning Man “a Festival” — Burning Man Journal

Greening Your Burn: Tips, Techniques and Tools — Earth Guardians

From the Desk of Charlie Dolman
Funny pre-event emails sent to participants

All Burning Man Journal posts about Project Citizenship

Consider Your Impact blogpost series

BRC Census 2013–2019 Population Analysis:

Videos

Social Media posts to share

View this post on Instagram

We all know that Black Rock City is a decommodified zone, where advertising is a no-no and selling your product is forbidden. Guess what? The Decommodification principle extends to the time we’re all off the playa too! • It’s very simple, folks: Do NOT use imagery from the Burning Man event to promote your company on Instagram. Do NOT tag a brand in your photos or videos from Black Rock City. That means your furry coats and sparkly tights, your hats and headdresses, your necklaces and glasses, your masks and LED trinkets, your e-bikes and scooters…the list goes on. Do NOT use a photo of someone else’s art to market your ‘thing,’ and don’t use imagery from the playa to market YOURSELF, your personal brand, or your services! • We need your help! If you see a playa photo/video on Instagram with a brand tagged, tell the person to take it down. Is your friend promoting their stuff with images from BRC? Tell ‘em to quit it. • Let’s keep the virtual playa as decommodified as the one in the Black Rock Desert! | Photo by @tremendously.tiny. Design by @tannerboeger | #burningman #blackrockcity #brc #decommodification

A post shared by Burning Man Project (@burningman) on Sep 18, 2018 at 2:45pm PDT

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What, you think this vast, empty expanse where we build Black Rock City each year empties itself? Naw, Leaving No Trace is one of the core principles of Burning Man, which means we pick up every single piece of matter we bring and take it out of the desert with us. Everyone in BRC is responsible for picking up MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) — not just their own, but everybody's. If we don't do an AMAZING job of leaving no trace on this public land we call home, we can't have the event. Simple as that. | Photo by Bill Klemens, design by @tannerboeger | #leavenotrace #civicresponsibility #communaleffort #brc #blackrockcity #burningman #tenprinciples #citizenship #thankslarry

A post shared by Burning Man Project (@burningman) on Aug 18, 2018 at 4:56pm PDT

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Black Rock City is BIG, and the Esplanade is merely its 13th longest street! Get to know your city — walk the streets, talk to the people, heckle back the hecklers. When someone invites you into their camp for a smoothie, say yes. Or don’t! You’re completely surrounded by ways to participate, and it never, ever stops. Check out the weird stuff, the small stuff, the out-of-the-way stuff. You’ll never see it all… and that’s the best part. | Photo by William Clearlake, design by @tannerboeger #participation #immediacy #brc #blackrockcity #burningman

A post shared by Burning Man Project (@burningman) on Aug 14, 2018 at 2:15pm PDT

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Along each block of Black Rock City, there lie untold possibilities of weird, wonderful, and unique experiences. People from all over the world come to share their gifts, big and small. You already know where to find the big, so take a walk (or bike ride) with your friends off the beaten path. There’s no telling what you’ll find and what magical stories you’ll return with! | Photo by Kate Shay, design by @tannerboeger #participation #immediacy #brc #blackrockcity #burningman

A post shared by Burning Man Project (@burningman) on Aug 8, 2018 at 11:35am PDT