PolyParadise - 2017 - What Worked

Saturday December 30, 2017

Each year this is my space to reflect on the year that was in Black Rock City ala The Village of PolyParadise. To take a look at what we did right and what we did wrong; how the changes we instituted from the previous year worked out and what we might do to improve in 2018. This was the 19th year of PolyParadise; There is no doubt that it gets better & better each year.

You all should be very proud of the Community you created & nurtured all week long.

I thank you all for being part of the 19th ANNIVERSARY of the Village of PolyParadise.

I offer my own observations and as always welcome Comments, Praises, Bitches & Roses for areas of your concern as campers that I have not addressed. Please post to our
Yahoo Group or to our Facebook Page - generate some chatter; let's get PSYCHED!!! 237 Days!!!

****PolyParadise****

The population of the Village of PolyParadise population increased by 10 campers in 2017, to an On-Playa total of 250 Campers. When we include The Twisted Swan & 9 Energies theme camps with a total of 45 campers bringing the total population to 295 campers. WOW!!!!!

We had 155 veteran campers return and 140 new campers and of that number 88 were Burning Man VIRGINS. I thank all of the returning campers for making PolyParadise your Playa home, I so depend on each & everyone of you in making our camp an amazing loving space. We had 36 International campers from (Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Poland).

I hope that all of our Virgin campers have seen what Community really means, and I hope that you will all camp with us again.

I hope that everyone had an amazing time as a PolyParadise Resident.

Our 2017 Playa dimensions 250'x450'.  The Twisted Swan was not given their own space and was to be included within those dimensions.  This was not ideal and a departure from 2016 in which they had their own separate 100'x150' space. Within PolyParadise we did the best we could to create vertical rows of vehicles between Eulogy & Genuflect. We had the best we could to create walkways thru camp that should have made getting from the ends of the camp to the Community Space easier; this was met with limited success. The Community Space, Serving Area & Kitchen was an INCREDIBLE space in both day light and at night.

PolyParadise continues to be a ‘Camp Drama Free Zone’, I mean everyone seems to get along, no assaults, no fisticuffs between campers. No one acted like a 3-year old. So Thanks to all of YOU!!!

****Playa Location****

Each year BRC Placement continues to create unique neighborhoods with all placed Theme Camps & Villages.   In 2017 we were mapped @ 3:45 Eulogy & Genuflect with the Twisted Swan as part of that allocated space. We did not get the corner as we had in 2016 - we were mid-block between 3:30 & 4:00. I appreciated Camp Leaders of the Twisted Swan & 9 Energies for being so accommodating in making adjustments to their camps frontage needs as we made it work with all three camps on Eulogy.  With having to allocate space to the Twisted Swan the Human Carcass Wash needed to be moved to Genuflect; regardless of having to transport all the shade structure stuff to G - having the event in the center of our space; at the T in the road as 3:45 stopped @ G was AMAZING!!!

We had awesome foot traffic in our Community Space and incredible attendance at all of our camp events and the Twisted Swan was well attended every night. For 2018 I am going to do what we can to insist that The Twisted Swan be given its own separate space outside what is listed for PolyParadise.

We did have interesting neighbors this year.  The CONSTANTWHITENOISE of the Large Generator on the 4:00 side was menacing for sure; one of the reasons I have shied away from doing that in our own camp space, though they were very nice to assist with a defined walkway on that side all the way E to G.  A different experience on the 3:30 side where we had several border disputes

For 2018 we will be asking for the same placement area & dimensions but giving the Twisted Swan its own space next to us or adjacent thereof. But there are no guarantees - we get placed and given our Camp Dimensions and that is that; it is Burning Man we adapt.

What were your impressions of 3:45 Eulogy & Genuflect?

****Kitchen & Stuff****

In 2017 PolyParadise continued with the Community Kitchen related ‘Requirement’ upon registration; to be part of the daily cooking/feeding ritual - make one meal for 25 people and be able to enjoy a smorgasbord of food the rest of the week. The Community Kitchen was an awesome success! Thanks so much to Knotch & Shadow for stepping up as our New KITCHIAN BIATCHES and to all of their helpers that maintained the kitchen all week long.

The kitchen & serving areas encompassed a full 40'x40' – the layout was awesome for ingress & egress in and out of the kitchen area. This year we implemented a 10'x40' 'Cooler Cove' at the back of the kitchen that allowed us get personal coolers out of the walkways in the kitchen; this was AMAZING!  For 2018 - we will purchase additional canvas tarps to allow coolers to not sit directly on the Playa and dealing with WET PLAYA and your cooler.

With the six (6) 3-Burner Cast Iron stoves, we had plenty of cooking surface area. The wind and keeping the stoves lit continues to be an issue - We appreciate additional wind shields created by Honest John to mitigate or reduce this issue.  The VERY LARGE GRILL now in its 3rd year is holding up fine and allows us to cook meat dishes far more effectively. We had plenty of snacks for everyone, and all seemed satisfied with the selections available.

Thanks to everyone that took the time & effort to create some awesome meals all week long. There were so many great courses served each day. Thanks to everyone who assisted with Trash Can Pizza & Trash Can Turkey!!! Thanks to everyone who cleaned up, picked up, MOOPED up.

The switch to BBQ Lighters instead of matches was a winner just need MORE or them and maybe better quality instead of the cheap bulk ones I bought.

Dishwashing and keeping the Pots/Pans washed and available for the next person continues to improve year to year as we as a community become better washers and more aware that if we want clean pots & pans that the only way that is accomplished is by each of us doing some dishes during the week.

For 2017 we purchased three standup kitchen sinks that worked well though their standard height meant you needed to bend over to wash - we will need to raise the height of the sinks for better OLD FOLK Back issues.

The Kitchen/Serving Area & Community Space were (4) 20’x40’ structures oriented with the straight edges meeting instead of at the peak. With this arrangement we are able to use tarps to 'Wall Off' 20' (10' on either side), having a 20' opening (in the middle) between the Kitchen area & the Community space to better manage wind thru the kitchen. The kitchen arrangement continues to work well with the two corner areas that housed the shelving with the snacks, pots & pans and the other side was the coffee tea area.

The 100-cup coffee maker that worked very well in created caffeinated elixir drinks for the masses. There were suggestions about better coffee then Folgers from Costco; we will see what we can do about that and more coffee singles for when the large pot is brewing and someone needs an immediate Caffeine FIX!

In 2017 we were required to apply for and adhere to the standards of a Nevada State Health Department Food Permit. This was the fifth year of this mandate for camps with a population over 125 serving community meals. The cost of the Food Permit was $50. With our Official Food Permit prominently displayed within the kitchen; we had a visit on Monday from the Nevada State Health Department to see that we were complying with the stated rules, which included: Food Handler Gloves, Hand Washing Station (Hand Soap, Towels, Continual Flow Water) Bleach cleaning supplies, clearly visible menu, separate food preparation/serving areas, food thermometers, and clearly marked Community/Personal Coolers.

In previous years of being inspected we had been cited in a few areas including: Gloves not being worn by food preparers, Food needs to be served to guests as opposed to guests severing themselves. With the prominent  display of signage within the kitchen we were able to satisfy the inspectors and received a PASSING GRADE!  We also received HIGH MARKS with the Foot Pump/Hand Washing Station 3.0 - Our hats OFF to Mark for coming up with the idea and its ever changing design. Our Kitchen Biatches have mentioned that they are in need of replacement and that they will be taking care of that for 2018.

We were inspected by the Health Dept. on Monday morning; they are there to make sure we are preparing & serving safe so that no one might get ill; they arrived Monday morning before our community ice run.  Because we have a space for your coolers of course they inspected the coolers and found several - I mean several coolers that did not have ice and the contents of those coolers we over proper storing temperature.  So those food items were thrown out.  I along with our Kitchen Biatches made sure that those folks that were affected knew why their food was discarded.  I am very glad they came by and did this inspection cause I know I would not have wanted to get sick or anyone else to get sick.  There were coolers that did not have any ice and probably never had ice as there was no melted water. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE TO COME TO THE PLAYA WITH YOUR COOLERS ICE FULL!   We will do what we can as a camp to have an early Monday morning ice run to assist with getting coolers iced; but in the end this is your responsibility as a camper to know when you need ice for your coolers.

I realize that using the paper plates and plastic silverware creates additional trash, but I am convinced that going the disposable route is better than having regular tableware - having to constantly clean dishes & silverware. Of course needing to continually wash your own dishes and silverware for each meal requires water – then disposal of additional waste water. We will continue to use paper plates and plastic silverware in 2018.

Having the Menu & Volunteer list printed in a 5'x5' poster size board displayed in the Kitchen was awesome, letting everyone know what was going to be cooked at each meal and who volunteered for what events.

With regards to Syrup - We had many campers volunteer to make pancakes/waffles or things that needed syrup. The food items were delicious & tasty but each person brought their own supply of syrup, which means we have lots & lots of syrup. We now have enough syrup for pancakes/waffles to feed several armies. So if you plan to cook Pancakes/Waffles for 2018 WE HAVE SYRUP, no need to bring anymore.

Thanks so much to STAGGER for again heading up the Trash area and to everyone that assisted in bagging, tagging & tapping up trash. More importantly, thanks to all of you for taking some trash home. We generate this trash as a camp; we need to deal with its removal from the Playa as a Community. Because of your efforts and commitment and Love of Community Trash…We transported ZERO bags of trash off the Playa in the truck back to Phoenix. We did have 7 buckets of general slop, generator oil, left over food stuff slop, the remnants of many a thing on the Playa.

Thanks to all the PolyCampers that stayed till Tuesday and took any remaining trash bags Off-Playa.

****Kitchen Biatches Notes ala Knotch & Shadow****

PP Kitchen Lessons Learned 2017 - What went right and what went wrong observations in no particular order:

What went right:

PP Kitchen 2017 was so fun and so fucking awesome we loved every minute of being your PP Kitchen Bitches!!!!

Three sink setup was great. Nice deep sinks. Took a little over 5 gallons per sink for a conservative amount of water depth.

(Good and bad) Automatic sump pump worked pretty good but you still have to monitor it regularly. Sometimes the float would get stuck and it would not kick the pump on to empty the sump or would not stop pumping after the sump bin was empty.

Two 55 gallon drums of water was good. Used clean cooler water to supplement when available but tried to drained both drums first so they were empty by the end of the stay.

Table next to sinks for dirty dishes helped a lot. Previous years stacking on the ground led to piles of dishes "out of sight out of mind" effect. Stacking on the table put the need to clean front and center.

Checking Ph levels every 2 to 3 hours is needed and it kept the sanitizing water perfect. After 3 or 4 hours the Ph dropped to levels that did not even register color on the test strips. (about 2 caps of Clorox per 5 gallons was good).

Inventory of plates, bowls, knives, forks, spoons, big and small foil serving pans was good this year. We washed the foil serving pans when they were not too messy for re-use. Inventory of napkins was barely adequate but almost running out at the end of the week.

Clorox wipes are excellent. Something magic in them that cleans the playa very good. The amount in inventory this year was adequate. Really beneficial to have a container at the ends of each cook table for cooks and for cleanup. Please supply them again next year.

Hand washing stations are great but getting worn out. Need to replace for next year. (Knotch and Shadow will build new ones).

Rolls of white paper towels were great but we ran short. Select-a-size is best. Perfect for ends of cook tables and also important for helping clean out extra sticky food from cooking pans so the wash water stayed cleaner longer

Brown paper rolls for hand washing stations worked very good but we did run out of those rolls

The disposable gloves brought this year were much better than previous years. Whatever brand they were is the one to get next year.

Table clothes worked great. Cleaning after every meal allowed us to go the entire burn having to replace only one tablecloth and that was due to ripping when someone put duct tape on the center of it and removed it. Need to replenish inventory with same number for next year.

Gorilla tape was only tape that worked to hold the table clothes on the tables but it worked well. Need to make sure we have a roll in inventory for the kitchen tablecloth use next year.

Sharpies and light colored duct/gaffer tape for labeling bins in kitchen during kitchen setup worked great and were appreciated.

Grill lighters for stove was a very good idea but maybe buy a little better quality next year.

Using the large stainless steel (SS) strainer to separate icky cook pot liquids worked good. Icky water drained into a orange bucket and the icky solids were dumped into another orange bucket for sealing and transport off playa. We could use one or two more large SS strainers the size that fits the 3 large cooking pots though. We need them for the frequent separation of pasta from water. Had to use the small plastic strainers and they were not big enough to fit the cook pans or to hold all of the pasta. I had to hold the plastic strainers while the cooks poured the hot water out because the plastic ones would not rest on the pans as they were too small. Got a few nice steam burns to remember the many pasta dishes that are cooked every year

The folding metal wind shields around the stoves help a lot. Worth keeping.

Big grill and the flat top griddle are great and take a tremendous load off the smaller kitchen stoves and great time savers for massive bacon, pancakes, toasted bread or grilled meat cooking.

Coffee routine of about 100 plus 60 cups (160 total) per day seemed about right. Coffee made for breakfast only which lasted until 1030 or 1100 usually. Seemed about right but let us know if we need coffee available later in the day.

Single serve coffee packets were very appreciated for the late to the breakfast party crowd when morning coffee was gone. Need for next year.

Disposable insulated hot cups for coffee were great and we need them for next year also.

Sink height was way too low. Need to raise legs around 8 inches. Rich said they are adjustable.

Need a few spray bottles for water/Clorox disinfectant spray to help remove the really dried on crud off tables and dirty dish table. Also Nevada Health Inspectors mentioned we needed this.

Need some kind of backing for clean dish racks to prevent dishes and utensils from falling off the backside of the racks. Maybe shade cloth and zip ties?

Need more tongs. (Knotch and Shadow will gift more tongs to camp)

Ran short of rolls of white paper towels. Need a few more rolls than the 2017 inventory - Ran out of rolls of brown paper used for hand drying at the hand washing stations

Tri-fold paper towels do not work well… moopy and easily blow all over the place

Ran out of pump hand soap this year. Nevada State Health inspection requires pump hand soap available in kitchen at hand washing stations.

Need at least a couple more 5 gallon buckets than inventoried this year as 4 are now being tied up at hand wash stations.

Ran out of pump hand sanitizer this year.

Need a few more square pot holder pads. We have enough of the mitts but were usually short of pads. Mitts were used instead of the pads but they make the pot unstable.

Almost all stoves are wearing out. Lots of trouble with them this year. Knobs/internal control jets getting loose. Several burners were very low flame and could only be used for light duty.

Griddle accessory for large grill must not be used for cooking anything producing a lot of oil. Someone cooked bacon on it early in the burn and caused what could have been a bad structure fire and possible injuries. There is no drain capability for the grease on the griddle accessory so it just built up, ran over the edge and into the bottom burner flame where it caught on fire.

Grease drip problem from the small griddle is still an issue. Need to engineer some type of drip catcher on that griddle to catch the hot grease.

Personal coolers, dangerous temps and ice problem noted during Nevada Health Dept. inspection. More information needs to be provided to campers ahead of time about priority of icing their coolers properly and keeping them iced.

Drain pipes for sinks (and shower) kept popping out of the sump tanks (not the grey water tanks) and also coming apart at the hose joints. Probably had 10 to 15 spills and 3 full scale head to foot soaks from the grimy sump water when emergency repairs were needed.

Good and bad - Automatic sump pump worked pretty good but you still have to monitor it regularly. Sometimes the float would get stuck and it would not kick the pump on to empty the sump or would not stop pumping after the sump bin was empty.

Not kitchen but in kitchen… First Aid box needs to be inventoried and restocked. I know it is missing ibuprofen/pain killers, band aids are old and don't stick, Pedialyte (don't know what it is used for by Wildchild needed it and it was not there), hydrogen peroxide is expired and doesn't work any more, and missing some other common things I can't remember that peoples were searching for).

Better quality grill lighters needed. A lot of them failed quickly this year.


****Community Meals****

In 2017 PolyParadise had a Community related ‘Requirement’ upon registration, a choice of being part of cooking & sharing a meal for 25. The meals and the variety of all things cooked were amazing!!!! There was never a want for food, there were always choices.

Special callout to everyone that assisted in the creation of Trash Can Pizza on Tuesday, Of course to UncleBob for coming up with this crazy idea. Thanks to for everyone that assisted with Trash Can Turkey and a HUGE Thanks to the crew for jumping right in and carving up all that turkeys (90bs of BIRD) while an anxious crowd awaited food…Amazing!!

Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to the planning, cooking, serving & cleanup of each and every meal. For when we share a meal and break bread together we grow from just being friends to being FAMILY!

Over the years campers have mentioned to me that they arrived for a meal and there was not enough food for them or that they saw some campers going back for seconds and when they had not gotten any food. I understand your complaints - meal times are set at two hour intervals 8:00a-10:00a 12:00p-2:00p 6:00p-8:00p - Policing who gets in line and how many times is not where we are headed. There are two possible solutions to make sure you get food - Get to meal times ON TIME or see that there is not enough food and  STEP UP and be part of the solution which is to Cook an additional meal for the community. Remember meals are not included in the Camp Fee; they are a GIFT to the Community.

****Community Space****

The space itself was awesome, area for chairs, pillows, crash space and the massage table. Thanks again to Dr. J for that wonderful gift to the community, it has lasted 7yrs now and shows a few minor tears in the material but no major structural damage. Thanks to JustJack for donating a 2nd massage table - amazing and AWESOME!!

The space worked out well with the Community Space, Serving Area, and Kitchen all just one big connected space, so that the straight edge met instead of at the peak. The space measured 100’x40’, we used tarps to 'Wall Off' 20' (10' on either side), having a 20' opening (in the middle) between the two structures to better manage wind thru the kitchen.

The community space 20'x60' was incredible and well utilized. The extra space allowed us to be able to setup a Clothing Exchange area - additional room for more campers to sit & eat within the community space at once.  Because of the limited room we had on the frontage of Eulogy we made an L with the 3rd 20'x40'; I actually liked the way it was setup.

The Popcorn Machine & late night movies were a big hit and will certainly be back in 2018. I know I had an awesome time watching movies and munching popcorn - I hope all of you did too.  I am gathering additional movies titles to be available in 2018.  We will be purchasing a new Laptop & Projector as both have been to the Playa 7yrs and are in need of replacement.

The space really kicked ass at night. The move to using all Rope Light to light the Kitchen and Community space was amazing!!  It gave off the just enough ambient light. Because of the limited space with our Frontage on Eulogy we were unable to raise the Light Tower we had up the previous year but the front walkway and frontage of the camp was lit up AMAZING!!!

****Playa Events****

This was an amazing year for PolyParadise Playa Events. We had lots of amazing events that drew large crowds each day.

Poly High Tea - Human Carcass Wash - Mind Melt - Poly Friendly Social Mixer, Clothing-optional qi gong, Conscious Breathwork, No Urgency, Yoga Postures for 2, Mindful Hugging, Best sex living with STD's, Yoga for the truly beautiful, Card Magic Human Conection, Awakening Energy Meditation, Distaff Shatner, The week long 9 Energies Tent and of course EVERY NIGHT @ THE TWISTED SWAN!!!

Major Kudos to the organizers _Touch & Crew (HCW), Facilitators & participants of Poly High Tea, BrotherLuv (Mind Melt), Trevor, Keira, Brandi for the Poly Mixer, JanTed for the  No Urgency & Best sex living with STD's, JustJack for Card Magic making connections Just Jack & Donald for Yoga Postures for 2, Donald for Mindful Hugging, NoGoodnick for the qi dong & Distaff Shatner. You all are aces in my book!!! Thanks to everyone who assisted in each and every event. The events are as much for us as a camp as well as sharing with the Playa Citizenry.

The Human Carcass Wash encompassed a full 40’x40’ structure.  Long gone are the days from circa 2001 when the HCW was a 5'x7' piece of Astroturf. With this additional space the HCW now serves well over 500 participants daily!!!  Freakin INCREDIBLE!!!  I am thinking about making the HCW Space bigger for 2018 to accommodate the very large crowds we get each day, maybe adding a full 20'x40' to the existing structure.

****Perfect Place for Poly Play****

We all must collectively thank Tailfeather and everyone that helped erect the Poly Play Space. Each year the space has evolved and creates an awesome addition to our Community. The new and improved viewing tower atop the dome was amazing. Thank you all for creating such an awesome space to let loose, a space to explore sexually. Thank you Tailfeather and his orchestra - to everyone that assisted in the assembling & teardown of the dome.  Please volunteer with Tailfeather as many hands makes light work & then Johnny can play!!!

****Poly Shower****

Major kudos for another year goes to Tailfeather & Twist for the shower base & frame that we have been using since 2008.  Major Kudos to Rich, Paul & Cobalt for assisting in all that was in ripping out the old linoleum bottom and giving the inside of the shower base a new coat of epoxy Paint.  It worked GREAT!!!

For 2018 we will need to fashion a new top cover to the Shower as the one we have been using has seen better days.

Thanks to 2Cripsy for redoing the shower & kitchen sink pump/drainage tubs at the work-party. As mentioned I need to get a straight length of pool hose and not segmented hose to better serve this function of getting the water form the tub to the Grey Water Tanks.

***Leave No Trace****

PolyParadise has always prided itself on its Cleanup & Recycle efforts. The 2017 MOOP Map shows we had YELLOW on the frontage and back side (HCW).  Playa Restoration does not give us any indication as to why our areas were YELLOW; though it does mean we need to be MORE DILIGENT at the smaller things that may be hidden below the surface of the Playa.  Thanks to all that MOOPED all week and to Knotch - Shadow & Uncle Bob for being the last off the Playa and for making sure that our LNT efforts would in fact be as GREEN as possible!!

We did have a Friday visit from the Earth Guardians in which they schooled us in two areas. Proper placement of Gas Cans (Not under the Truck to ensure proper ventilation) and our Gray Water area.  It was my mistake in purchasing segmented pool hose for the Shower & Sink connections to the Gray Water Tanks.  The segmented hose pulled apart at said segments and was a MOOP Issue all week.  Will endeavor to purchase 40' one length hose for 2018.  The EG also found that because of the hose leaks we had a significant amount of water under the sink.  To better deal with this in 2018 the entire sink area will be placed on top of tarp and canvas flooring to better capture this water.

                                   We need to strive for ALL GREEN in 2018!!!

   
Village of PolyParadise MOOP Map Village of PolyParadise MOOP Map
 
PolyParadise 2017 MOOP Map PolyParadise 2016 MOOP Map
   
Village of PolyParadise MOOP Map Village of PolyParadise MOOP Map
PolyParadise 2015 MOOP Map PolyParadise 2014 MOOP Map
   
MOOP Map 2013 Village of PolyParadise MOOP Map
PolyParadise 2013 MOOP Map PolyParadise 2012 MOOP Map
   
For 2018 our MOOP MAP Footprint goal is ALL GREEN - we can ALWAYS be more MOOP vigilant. Remember it is MOOP if it is not Playa -that is the definition of Leave No Trace. Overall we did an amazing job - thanks to all that assisted in Never Letting It Hit the Ground!!! Thank you to everybody that stayed for teardown and beyond...You guys ROCK for making those last sweeps through our space and making sure we would be MOOP FREE! Overall we did an amazing job - thanks to all that assisted in Never Letting It Hit the Ground!!! Thank you to everybody that stayed for teardown and beyond...You guys ROCK for making those last sweeps through our space and making sure we would be as MOOP FREE as possible.

Overall we did an amazing job - thanks to all that assisted in Never Letting It Hit the Ground!!! Thank you to everybody that stayed for teardown and beyond...You guys ROCK for making those last sweeps through our space and making sure we would be as MOOP FREE as possible.


****Survival Guide****


2017 marked 9 years of the PolyParadise Survival Guide. The survival guide was emailed to all campers upon registration and was available via the web site for review. I hope that each of you found it useful.

****Gray Water Reclamation****

Our Gray Water disposal with the drain system for the sink and the shower that emptied into the holding tanks provided by United Site Services. This system is supposed to provide us as a camp a no-worry way to deal with the Gray Water issue.

In 2017 we contracted with United Site Services to provide Grey Water Reclamation Services. We rented (4) 250G tanks (The largest USS rents) - three were for PolyParadise & one was for the Twisted Swan.  Our contract was for Servicing the tanks Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday. Over course of the week I estimate we generated just about 1,500 Gallons of Gray Water.

****Water – Water - Water****

In the desert water is a commodity – it is used to cook – clean posts/pans & dishes, starter for the Human Carcass Wash and of course for taking a shower. As a camp we require each vehicle in camp to donate 5 gallons of water to assist with our water supply as a camp. We obviously use a lot of water to do these tasks; even if we had 75 vehicles all bringing 5 Gallons of water that is only 375 gallons to add to the 100 that we bring in the U-Haul.

Some people have suggested that we get potable water delivered so that the amount of water is not an issue and do away with the requirement of the water donation and eliminate a lot of plastic waste.  My opinion is that we need to remember that Burning Man is a desert camping trip and part of its ethos is we bring what we need to consume and take away what we use. Each camper manages their own water and as a Theme Camp we need to do the same.

In that vein I highly encourage - if you have the means & space to bring additional water for camp use it would be appreciated.

****Garbage, Garbage, Garbage****

Many Many thanks to STAGGER for again heading up all things Garbage Czar for stepping up and taking on the role of TRASH!

Since the Trash is generated by the community - our camp requirement is for each vehicle to take one-bag of Trash Off-Playa...Thanks to Stagger for making it easy with double-bagged/tapped/labeled bags for each of us.  Were you surprised to find your personal bag-o-trash at your vehicle :) Major kudos to anyone and everyone that transported more than one bag, you are aces in my book!!

We do generate quite a bit of 'Burnable Garbage' we compacted the Burnable bags / wrapping them up tightly with gorilla tape & transported off-playa like other plastic bag garbage.  This appeared to work well.

I encourage all campers to check in with Stagger and see how you might assist him in the managing of the garbage - Community Generated - Community Managed.

We are noticing that each year we are getting more campers that are entering Black Rock City via the Burner Express bus service.  With this accommodation you receive a Clear Plastic MOOP BAG that you can bring back on your way home.  We highly encourage all campers that use the Burner Express Bus Service to bring their MOOP BAG to STAGGER so he can properly fill them for you to transport off-playa.

***** 2017 Garbage Czar Report ****

I am so happy to report that Poly Paradise’s garbage situation this year went extremely well compared to some years past. With only minor mixing, the residents of Poly Paradise managed to separate trash, and transport their allotted trash off the playa with no left behinds.

I would particularly like to thank Wolf for stepping up and helping with trash delivery. He was a big boost to my moral. He probably heard me bitching like I always do and came around to see what he could do. In total, 84 bags of trash were delivered – according to my running count – with works out to about 1.3 tons of trash delivered around camp. Thanks, Wolf.

Our new indestructible can crusher was great… Thanks to RICH for that. Stand up and take credit!!!

The burner express riders brought their bags back to the trash area and they were perfect for getting rid of pizza boxes and cardboard. Managed to get rid of every pizza box that way, and a significant amount of card board. Thanks guys.

The last day is always the toughest.. as people are leaving yet trash is still being generated. However, this year people stepped up and took trash on their own which was a BIG help.

We still bring too much cardboard to the playa, and without a fire this year it really stacked up. Some angelic person wrapped up the large pile of left over cardboard with duct tape making is much easier for me to toss into my van at 4:00 am when I left camp. Thank you anonymous poly person.. please also take a bow.

As well as things went this year.. there is always room for improvement.. I have an idea for next year that might improve things even more.. and add an element of fun to the whole getting rid of trash thing.

Thank you everyone for a great trash year.. and special thanks to Wolf for helping me when I needed it most.

****Early Arrival & Exodus****

Early Arrival - Many, Many thanks to all of our Early Arrival crew. Kudos go out to all of you for your tireless efforts to get the camp erected and all system connected. You guys ROCK!!!

The crew was awesome!!! We rocked the house and had the entire infrastructure up & functional by Sunday morning. I thank you all so much for doing what needed to be done, being out in the Sun & Dust; making PolyParadise happen On-Playa!!!

We set the camp up over several days, but we take it down in just a few hours, it is a massive undertaking that requires lots & lots of hands. You cannot be 'Required' to stay and assist with breakdown, but know that each and every one of you that did help is so very much appreciated. This year’s crew was incredible. Thank you all so much for doing the dirty work and being there to pack away our community for another year.

We again stayed until Tuesday morning; this allowed for a more cohesive teardown & truck packing and my. We had a great time with the folks that stayed and many thanks to everyone that did the last of the MOOP WALK. throughout our camp space.

****Those Amazing AZBurners****

BIG BIG Kudos - To our fellow AZBurners who are always available to assist during the year; for Truck Loading & Unpacking; carrying, cleaning, sorting and building PolyParadise year-round here in Phoenix. Special Thanks to (UncleBob, Rich, Poje, Big Phreeky, Alien, Sarge, Kilted James, The Doctor, Cobalt, Armella, Paul, Corvus, Sandman, CactusMan, Raymond, Atira, Cobalt, Rich, Painterboy, Ethan, Justin, Knotch, Shadow, Fancy Nancy, Neefer, Drew, JimyMac, Dr. Dirt, Daniel, Tequila Mike, Tony, Sunshine) Back in the day circa 2006 it was only WildChild & I that represented Arizona in PolyParadise.  It is amazing to have had 35 AZBurners in our camp this year. You are all ACES in my book!!! Thank you all so very much!!!

****Annual Work-Party****

Another Playa year is upon us; PolyParadise will be celebrating 20 years within the gates of Black Rock City in 2018.

Running a large Theme Camp is a year-round process and requires participation by many people, especially at our annual Spring Work-Party. This is where we take the contents of our garage, all the PolyParadise Playa Gear, and clean, sort and other wise inventory what we have and what we need...making an assessment of what we have, what broke & what needs replacing.

PolyParadise will be having its annual Work Party (Clean Scotto & WildChild's Garage & thus the PolyParadise Playa Gear) on Saturday March 17, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona starting at 10a.....You are welcome to come for the day or the weekend...We have enough room to accommodate a few overnighters and can set up tents in the backyard.

Once we have cleaned the PolyParadise Playa Gear and are sufficiently covered in Playa Dust, there is a Hot Tub and of course if it is warm enough, or anybody is adventurous enough, we now have a pool; we can PARTY!!!

WildChild & I would like to thank the PolyParadise Work-Party 2017 Crew:

Village of PolyParadise Work Party 2017
 


Thanks as well to our dogs: Toby & Sammy for keeping us all entertained.
, we certainly hope we can entice all of you back again this year.

Of course you are all welcome to come to Phoenix and join us, just drop me a line.

We promise to take lots of pics as we sort & clean the Playa Gear and get our garage in some semblance of Playa order.

****Generator Power****

When it comes to the camp’s Generator, there is someone who needs special THANKS!!! TWIST!!! Hats off to you my Right Hand Man & Rocket Scientist!!!!

This year we rented a Honda EU 7000 generator; in conjunction with our 2500W Battery Backup system. The portable 2,500W Battery System created by TWIST! worked AMAZING!! Over the summer Twist worked with Rich (THANKS RICH) on the system and made some adjustments which would facilitate larger voltage loads for the multiple kitchen aids (Rice Cookers, Coffee Pot, Deep Fryers) we employ.  This system in conjunction with the  Honda EU 7000 we rented we were able to provide a way for us to have continual power to the Shower & Sink pumps and critical lights within the Kitchen & Community space when the Generator was off or had run out of gas.  All Hail Master-Twist & Rich!!!!!

The Battery System weighs over 300lbs - the wheel base of the cart it is on needs work and instead of fixing the current cart - MASTERTWIST will be updating the cart on a newly purchased motorized wheelchair - ALL HAIL MASTERTWIST who will hopefully be making Playa Land Fall in 2018 after a 10yr hiatus.

****Burning Man Tickets 2018***

The distribution of tickets for Burning Man 2018 has been announced:
Burning Man Ticket Page
http://tickets.burningman.org/ for details


Registration for tickets will be thru your Burner Profile:
https://profiles.burningman.com/wp-login.php


As a Theme Camp we do get to participate in the Directed Sale - The available slots in this sale are reserved for our key crew as well as new additions each year.  At this time all slots have been allocated.

****Camping Fee - 2018****

Our only source of income to cover the costs of bringing PolyParadise to Black Rock City each year is thru the Camp Fee. In 2017 we established a camping fee of $150/person.

We did end 2017 with a positive balance of $924. The money will be used to purchase the additional infrastructure we need as a Theme Camp. 

There are several items that need replacing | upgrading including: An additional 20'x40' for the Human Carcass Wash, 20'x40' tarps that were lost in the wind storm, stoves and a possible 20YR Anniversary Art Piece -  The Fee for Camping with PolyParadise 2018 will be increased by $25 to $175/person.

Registration for PolyParadise will begin on March 1, 2018...

Because of the income reporting changes made by PayPal I am no longer be able to accept payment for camp fees via said PayPal. Camp Fees in 2018 must be paid via check or money order.  Bottom line if your check BOUNCES please plan on camping elsewhere.

****Scotto Speak****

2017 was my 18th Burn and my 16th serving as Camp Daddy, Benevolent Dictator of PolyParadise. We gather together from all corners of the globe to share, learn & grow - a passion & commitment to Community and lifelong friendships created on the hallowed grounds of BRC and within the borders of PolyParadise. I cannot imagine my life without Burning Man or PolyParadise. I thank you all for being part of it all with me.

The Burning Man/PolyParadise experience is different for each person. It is my hope that each of you felt you had a home & a family within the borders of PolyParadise and that each one of you had the MOST AWESOME TIME EVER!!! I hope that if you return to Burning Man again, you will camp with us and again help create the Community we love, PolyParadise in BRC!

My overall assessment of our camp is that after 19yrs we have this Playa thing down pretty good. Rinse - Repeat - Revise. We provide a great home within the Gates of BRC, a drama free space with an amazing Community Space/Kitchen, Events area, The HUMAN CARCASS WASH, Shower and of course the power of family & friends.

There is an extra special Callout; reserved to my Life Partner, Wife, Friend & companion, WildChild. You teach me each day the value of a Big Heart and are constantly there all year long with a smile, encouragement and new ideas to make the Burning Man/PolyParadise experience better & better each year. You are there to meet each challenge, you are there for our campers and most importantly you are there for me, I am forever yours.

Again, it has been my pleasure and honor serve as your Camp Daddy (Benevolent Dictator). Each year brings a different set of challenges, a different set of lessons to be had & learned or stumbled upon; you just never know what the Playa will bring....

We will learn from our mistakes, we will again come alive with The Village of PolyParadise, Version 20, it will be better than ever!!!

August 26 - September 3, 2018 - 237 Days left till Burning Man!


Scotto
- Camp Daddy
- Benevolent Dictator Village of PolyParadise
- Burning Man Lifer/Geek/Zealot
 
 
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