Camp Announcements

Hi folks… since we began some of the initial footwork in getting ready for 2017 it is important to let potential campers know that there have been a lot of lessons learned that will see corrections. We have received a lot of accolades for our organization and structure. Our infrastructure has been top notch, but I sold a big chunk of it to help pay the bills in 2016 and to reduce the bandwidth on the camp.

If you saw any previous posts on here talking about 2016 Trip Reports it is clear there was a lot of frustration and holes we fell into in certain areas. Let me be clear that I take on the responsibility of all those problems. The support from leads in camp was above board and one had too much on their plate and not enough help.

Reboot for 2017 with a new deity: Kali the Goddess of Death and Destruction. But Kali is also creativity and renewal. Sun Guardians: Dead Monk Society is a chance to create a platform for new ideas and new leaders to come forward. Ideally someone will step forward and take over the camp logistics from me in 2018. Not that I am leaving the camp, but it is a chance for someone else to take the reigns and maybe chart something of a new path.

Camp fees are going up. As demonstrated the last 2 years, the 200$ / person is not enough. For all the resources the camp provides and for the health and well being of our Theme Camp the camping fee is going to be $300 / person and put everyone on the same level. Even me.

We have some new temple design and a new backstage we need to develop and curate. There is still a question if we can use the shower Doug built. These are just some of the things that will be discussed in the 11/17 meeting and are listed in the agenda. (Link will take you to the Agenda in Facebook)

We will have some changes in leadership. I need people who will work together and leaders of the camp need to communicate and make decisions we would all make and support each other like we have in years past. This is one area that never faulted.

Sorry this has gone as long as it has. I want to make everyone a promise that this is going to be the strongest year yet. But with that comes higher standards and expectations from you AND ME. I am amazed how wonderful our team has been. It can only get better… and so can I.

Love & Light

2015 was our most successful year and celebrating that, on any level I can think of, will not do it service. While there were weak points in the presentation and production the camp was a win. Participation was beyond expectation with very few exceptions.

• Pre-production and builds – win
• Getting people and stuff to the playa – win
• Build day – painful and windy but… win
• Meal Plan – bumpy road (Feast Plan: win)
• Kitchen Mngt – refinement needed
• Resources – (pantry, water, ice, shower) – bumpy
• Breakdown – went well but needs some help

Preproduction and Builds

Planning for the camp started in September 2014 and the budget was dependent on the camp fees collected. We agreed to keep the camp number to about 30 max, but we ended up finishing at 34 camp members. Almost everyone paid a camp fee. There was some bartering and no circumstances where someone fees were totally scholarship based.

We collected around $7500. and spent somewhere around $9000. on the camp this year. Additionally, outside of the expenses during the event, the storage fees equal somewhere around $1200./year approximately. Total Est $10,200 which is right on track with a camp of our size.

Almost all projects were completed including the zoetrope and wheel of destiny. The only build project out of budget was the sign for the face of camp because it would have taken us well over budget.

Huge thanks for the people that were able to help construct projects.

Travel to the Playa

The van that was rented to take the infrastructure out to the playa worked, but coming home we were well below what was needed to take our belongings back. Planning went relatively well and people united nicely from the Reno storage unit (which is no-more) to get our stuff out to the playa.

Build Day

The support team beat the infrastructure out by a day. While we lost a day of build time everything still managed to get done on time. Because of weather conditions (white out and winds 50 mph plus) Saturday’s build suffered but we still managed to get a lot done.

We managed to get the main structure of the camp up and spent Sunday morning tweaking the space to make it presentable for guests.

Meal Plan

The over all meal strategy was “good” but we fell into a problem with a surplus of food and the failure of people to pack out when they packed in, thus dumping their excessive amount of goods on the camp. In essence, food was just left behind in huge amounts with the expectation that someone else was going to manage it.

• Menu Plan good: meals needed better adjustments for people coming in v. exodus
• Pantry Foods: we sorta lost control of that as well; better planning next time

We generally stuck with the meal plan, but many meals were not prepared to meet the dietary needs of some camp members. There was not enough conversation about how to meet the needs of a minority of camp members who deserved to have food they could eat. We had several allergies and special food needs that could have been easily met; this was a failure that will be corrected next year.

Kitchen Management

We expanded the kitchen on some level but there was a failure to have a solid system to maintain a clean space.

• Dish washing: we fell down on this section and were lucky no one got sick
• Cooking equipment: we seemed to have just what we needed in this area
• Camp members: Ziploc plates and bowls for each camp member – genius

We really suffered on cleanup and people in camp carrying through on making sure the camp space was always kept clean.

One solution is to add to the Kitchen Team and have a lead that only job is to inspect the kitchen daily and hold campers to the fire who cook or are assigned cleaning and that person would have the full support of the camp leads.

Resources

This year we took a chance and ordered a 500 gallon tank of water and initiated a lot of controls around the use of that water and ended up using only 60+% of it. Concerns about it not being enough were unfounded but valid. We required all camp mates to bring some emergency water to avoid any conflict (based on last year’s disastrous Gypsy Flower Camp noted in the Burning Man Blog). It is recommended to make sure individuals are not dependent on someone else for their well-being on the playa.

• water: plentiful but we had a problem disposing waste water; thank you RV1 crew for your help
• ice: we took daily collections and spent <$50/day with careful cooler management
• pantry: food available 24/7 mostly went uneaten

Next year we will add a gray water tank to reduce the impact on the kitchen and the camp.

• shower: it worked well again this year

The evap pond did okay, but we were left with too much in the base when it was time to put it away. The evap pond solution is not the most practical and realistic solution moving forward. With the new gray water tank and some changes to the shower we can make a better system for next year, too.

Breakdown

We took the camp down in phases starting Saturday night with some minor items and reserved the larger elements for Sunday. The goal was to be able to leave the playa by Monday morning at 10am.

Enough people remained to have most of the camp down by Saturday night with 2 car ports (kitchen and lounge) left behind for Monday. We were able to enjoy the burns and have space for function until the last minute.

Monday, so many people had left camp and left behind a lot (A LOT) of their items and donation that placed a heavy burden on the last people left behind.

• we had oil stains from the kitchen that had to be dealt with
• spill from the fire barrel that was never cleaned up properly
• the water tank stuck on top of tarp that we were forced to leave behind
• SO MUCH extra stuff that thanks to the grace of Gender Blender they were able to take many items with them

The last members of camp left at 3pm in a horrible state and did not arrive in Reno until 9pm.

We have had a lot of things happening to get ready for this year. As more people step up and get involved there is less on Toaster’s shoulders and that is greatly appreciated. The more people that step up and take over parts of the puzzle the greater our degree of success.

We will be posting a chart showing flow and leads in the camp as well as a few more of the volunteer positions in the camp through the week which includes ice runs. Many of these roles are fluid and can be traded among the campers as long as tings get done.

Many more announcements and  things to come. This image posted here is something else to add to the nifty things to come file.

🙂

Interactivity Description
We have an amazing program for the week and tons of activity and presence mostly during the day, but have a whole vibe thing going on for the evening. We have really really upgraded this year and want to be a real presence for the burn.

First of all, we are building a spiritual temple that will look like a blend of Tibet and Hindu ideologies with a feature of the Hindu god Hanuman calling our theme this year “Hanuman’s House of Tea and Yoga”.

When you first pull up to our camp you will have to stop and park your bike in our safe area for those. We have several major elements on the street that will catch the attention of passers that include:

– THE WHEEL OF DESTINY where you can ask a question and get any answer possible. It is a combination of a magic 8 ball and a spinning wheel that will be accessible all throughout the event!

– CHAKRA sculpture will be mobile and the pieces can be moved. It will be glowy, shiny, illuminated for night, featuring the chakras.

– big l.e.d. sign that will become a feature from dusk to late night with moving graphic images, flashing, super psychedelic nifty awesome messages including more representation Hanuman.

– we will have lots of monkeys that will also be illuminated just like any monkey god’s temple would have.

– our temple will be ornate and colorful with a beautiful archway coming from the street. It is an inviting passage into a large comfy space filled with mild mood music and incense.

– THAT’S NOT ALL!!!!! Three days of the week we will host a boba tea giveaway! Yes we will have all the proper paper work for health department, but it will be amazing.

Our temple will host events, classes and workshops all through the week by people in my camp as well as people from other camps that are sharing our space to teach

– Yoga, Meditation, Dance, Chanting… and a great lesson about Hanuman!

– …and once again! THAT’S NOT ALL … we are having a wrestling exhibition; before anyone freak out it will be all in fun, on foam pads, typically naked (we suspect) in an inflatable pool and using a dry, safe water based lubricant.

We hope people will want to find rest, peace and comfort in our lovely temple in their travels plus take advantage of the tons of amazing things we will have all week long…

But… that’s not all!!!!!!! I said it again! We will have a fire barrel (yes, all safety concerns PLUS are being implemented) with benches people passing can enjoy at night.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put us on a cool spot on the main strip across the street from Comfort & Joy if possible.

Project Interactivity
Primarily Day Time,Scheduled Events,Acculturation for First time Burners,Action for Reward,Chill Space,Create an Environment,Entertaining,Food Given,Games,Environmentally conscious,Lectures,Performance,Performance Art,Ritual,Ritual Performance,Sculpture,Structures to Climb or Play On/With,Theme-related activities,Theme-related visual effect,Workshops,Yoga

Number of Campmates
31 to 40

Acculturation
We require our newbies have sponsors and talk about acculturation in all of our meetings and have made a very strong emphasis on the 10 Principles AND protecting the environment. Half of our camp members are veterans and have at least 1 RC.

Physical Description
There will be a row of flags on the street welcoming people as well as our led lit sign with our raised Sun Guardians logo! While the face really is a row of car ports there will also be several items making it really eye catching.

A red archway with carpet and a drape inside leading into the temple.

A store front for out Boba Tea House with an extensive menu (the secret is we only have one of the items on a menu of a hundred things.

Near the Tea House will be the wheel of destiny where people can ask questions and get answers for their destiny.

On the opposite corner of camp will be a shiny, glowy chakra sculpture.

On the side if the temple will be a burn barrel set up for out camper and visiting guests with all the safety.

The passage to the temple will be warm, bright and inviting.

We will use RV’s and pulled trailers on the sides of the camp/ Our solar panels will be behind the fire barrel area and a wall of vehicles hiding our evap pond.

Project Features
Public kitchens

Sound Amplification
No

Sound Amplification Details

Stage
No

Big-Name Performers

Big-Name Performer List

Large Crowds
No

House Managers Name

House Managers Email

House Managers Phone Number

Do You Want to Share Your Camp Name, Location and information?
Listed

Text for website listing
A spiritual temple honoring Hanuman: “House of Tea and Yoga” taking you on a journey of your past, present and future. Your soul is timeless and our space is awesome.

Camp Hometown
San Francisco

Camp state/province
California

Camp country
USA

Public URL for Camp
http://www.sunguardians.net

Public Email
info@sunguardians.net

1st additional contact
Scott Reinhardt aka Knot-o

1st Additional contact role – Important to indicate, as this person may have more authority than the questionnaire filer.
#2

2nd Additional contact name
Raymond Gonzales aka Princess Beefcake

2nd Additional contact role – Important to indicate, as this person may have more authority than the questionnaire filer.
#3

3rd Additional contact name
Durwood Pepper aka Pepper

3rd Additional contact role – Important to indicate, as this person may have more authority than the questionnaire filer.
Kitchen Manager

4th Additional contact name
Jim Taflinger aka JT

4th Additional contact role – Important to indicate, as this person may have more authority than the questionnaire filer.
Kitchen Manager 2

Purchased a ticket?
Yes

Previous Camp Lead
Scott Kraske

Early Arrival Setup Crew Count
15

Early Arrival Date
Thursday

Camp Producer
False

Camp Producer Name

Camp Producer Email

Producer Phone Number

Who will receive the EA Passes?

Requested Sector, 1st choice
7:30 Avenue

Requested Frontage Option
100

Requested Sector, 2nd choice
7:30 Portal

Requested Frontage Option, 2nd choice
100

Requested Sector, 3rd choice
7:30 Large Theme Camp/Villages

Requested Frontage Option, 3rd choice
150

Requested Approximate square footage need by population
15000

You would prefer not to camp near …
I can think of more people I want to camp with than not.

Requested Sector: Other Camps

Other Camp Location: Comments

Requested Approximate square footage need by population: Other Camps

LNT Contact Name
Knot-o and Mike Piko

Leave No Trace is a cornerstone of the Burning Man ethos and one of our Ten Principles.  
Practice the 5 R’s: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore and Respect.,Reduce trash when packing.,Create a detailed strategy or plan for Leaving NO Trace

During Burning Man, our camp will:
Keep smelly garbage away from recyclables in BRC.,Clean As We Go and Keep It From Hitting the Ground.,Adopt the seven principles and practices of Leave No Trace at Burning Man.,Educate all camp members about minimizing our impact on the playa, so that my LNT crew can relax during the event knowing that all of our camp members are doing their part.,Conserve energy, use renewable energy sources and minimize waste.,Collect, reduce and properly dispose of grey water.,Use or creatively use discarded materials for all the components of our camp structure and decorations, so that our camp is sustainable year after year.

As we depart the playa, our camp will:
Bring tools to rake, magnetic rake, sweep and pick up every last nail and wood shard that dropped on the playa surface so that I leave my space and my surrounding spaces better than I found them,Follow the ‘rule of thumb for line sweeps’- (hyperlink http://www.burningman.com/environment/images/moopmap10fin.jpg) – performing required multiple sweeps of our camp before leaving BRC. (One sweep is not enough. Do as many passes as necessary: the strength of the line sweep is in the number of people and passes.),Organize neighborhood MOOP sweeps. (Joining with neighboring camps and sweeping an entire block together is the best insurance against MOOP hot spots, bringing your own MOOP scores down.),Secure all vehicles’ loads to prevent windblown trash on the highway and in neighboring communities.

Art Installation Name

Heavy Equipment Use
No

Heavy Equipment Details

Share Heavy Equipment

Outside Services Deliveries?
Yes

Outside Services Details
Water

Outside Services Provider
Meco-Reno

Number and Type of Vehicles
10

RV / Portable Housing Rental
No

Number of RVs / Portable Housing Units

RV / Portable Housing Provider Name

RV/ Portable Housing Unit Provider Email

RV / Portable Housing Unit Provider Phone

Have you purchased a year-round storage container from Burning Man?
No

What is the PC # of the container that you purchased?

Shipping Container From Somewhere Else
No

Water for Civic Benefit
No

Mutant Vehicles
No

Name of Mutant Vehicle(s)

Mutant Vehicle Contacts

Generator Powered?
Yes

Number of Generators
1-3

Kind of Fuel
gasoline

Fuel Storage
1-20

Alternative Power
Our primary power source will be solar panels, we are using a backup generator from the 1 RV in our camp for the water pump.

Comments
LOVE PLACEMENT!!!! We are a Gayborhood camp and the lead of this camp is also the administrator of Queer Burners [dot] Com. As far as I know we are the only established Queer Temple.

Flame Effects
No

Open Fire and Store Bought Fire Appliances
Yes

Describe Burn Barrel and/or Fire Appliances
A single designed oil can barrel with legs to raise if off the ground and we will use a grate over the top to prevent bits from flying out. We also will have a large perimeter around it.

Are You Using Lasers in Your Theme Camp?
Yes

Laser Safety Contact Name
Hunter Senft-Grupp

Laser Safety Contact Playa Name
Hunter

Describe Lasers and Safety Measures
We plan on using it as a night time affect with smoke around the entrance of the temple for night time visual impact.

We are going to have our first meeting for  2015 late January so if you want in on that and be a candidate for the group sale then you need to jump in. In any case it will be a chance to ask any questions. January 29th!

How do you find out about the meeting?

All the information is in the Group on Facebook linked in the required reading section. It will be a telephone conference call and if we can get people in the Bay Area to meet together on it that would be cool too.