Ashram Handbook

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Area Lead

• Samazon

Where the fun will be done

• Main Tent
• Lounge Tent
• Gretto Reset Daily

When the shift is

• Midday shifts and in the shade!

Highlights of what’s involved

• Detail-oriented – Reset the Beauty!

• Like things clean
• Vacuuming, Dusting, Orange Glow, Pillow fluffing… making things pretty
• Busing and tidying after the night’s festivities
• Working in Small team 2-3 People 
• Good Friends and conversation!


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Area Leads

• Sarah Holbrooke and Thi Buhlman

Where the fun will be done

• In each of the four hotel rooms and the bengal lounge

When the shift is

• About 2 to 4pm and again about twenty minutes after sunset, Monday – Thursday

Highlights of what’s involved

• We raffle off four hotel rooms Monday through Thursday night, and need to get them in ship-shape for our opening each night. This includes making beds/changing linen, dusting (it’s dusty on Playa!) and vacuuming, replacing/fixing anything broken in the previous nights shenanigans, and illuminating/opening up after sundown as guests start to arrive for our evening party. We also maintain our back-of-house private Bengal Lounge – no beds to make but we are in charge of daily neatening/dusting/resetting

FAQ

• What is the actual work involved?
  • General chambermaid activities
  • changing out linen, dusting, vacuuming, fixing/neatening, taking out trash. 
• What is the timing?
  • You’ll work two shifts in teams of two, with four room tents and one Bengal Lounge to clean. 
  • Teams meet with ROOMS lead (either Sarah or Thi) at 2pm at the grotto, and should be done by 4pm. 
  • Teams of two take on each room. Again meet up right after dinner to open up rooms tents and illuminate all lighting.
• Any skills needed?
  • Attention to detail is great
  • Love of decor is helpful
  • Liking working in teams is beneficial
  • Willingness to get it done is paramount. 
  • Care for final outcome and pride of a job well done are bonuses

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Area Leads

• David Holbrooke and Mother Nature

Where the fun will be done

• The Sexiest Spot in Ashram – the Trash Corral, the Hottest Place on the Playa – the Fire Barrel, the Best of BRC – the Compost Bin and of course, everyone’s Favorite Festival Hang – the Trash Cans

When the shift is

• First of all, we Green Storm 24/7 and it’s less a job, more a lifestyle. However the System insists on shifts that we actually have to show up to so here we are bending to its will.  We have two people on each shift, which happens twice a day. The first shift is in the morning, before you head out into your day, so sometime between 10-11 works well and the second shift is in the late afternoon/early evening.

Highlights of what’s involved

• Nothing says Ashram glamour (notice the British spelling to make it sound fancier) like carrying other people’s trash around. And to be clear, it is really collective camp trash as yours or mine or anyone else’s personal trash should be NOWHERE NEAR the CAMP TRASH. I know you are sold now and cannot wait to sign up.
• Ok, it is actually generally satisfying because something needs to be done such as moving trash bags from the bins or the kitchen to the corral and you do it and it is done!!!
• The GREEN STORM (Trademark) also makes sure that we are helping out our courageous bar team by getting all their empty bottles organized and together in the glorious Trash Corral. 
• Cans. Oh the cans. We move all the recyclable cans to the corral and then when we have a bunch, we take them to Recycle Camp, which is to me, always a treat. Unless you show up a day or two before they are open and that is a whole other story … 
• Because we are good people and care about the  environment, we are also composting and making sure the kind people of the kitchen have put the compost in the right place and it involves some other stuff we will work thru in camp. 
• Recycle all the plastic bottles and take them to the sacred Trash Corral. 
• Ah, the cardboard. There is a fuck ton of it and we have previously burned it but we will do less of that this year so a lot of this will have to be folded and wrapped and brought to the … take a guess – what do you think? Yes, you are correct. The Trash Corrall. Unless it’s your personal cardboard. That stays with you. 
• MOOPing. All citizens of earth should be mooping and all of camp has to MOOP. and we will have regular moop sweeps. 
• Part of what we do at the GS is scold people for putting the wrong shit (not literally for fuck’s sake) in the wrong bin. If there is a big sign that says Plastic Bottles ONLY and some assclown puts garbage in there, they need to be shamed and perhaps publicly flogged. Depends on how bad their crime is of course. We are not assholes. 
• We do have a mantra that if you are going to join this holy effort of ours, you have to have tattooed prominently somewhere, which is … IT’S NOT THAT FUCKING HARD.
• Thank you for loving the earth and doing the right thing. 

FAQ

• I heard that Black Rock City arises from the desert and then disappears so Is Burning Man a truly green event?
  Uh, FUCK NO. It is such a wasteful and indulgent gathering with all the fucking propane being burned and just look at how many people show up with new shit in boxes and plastic and styrofoam, filled with objects that they don’t need. 
• Where does my single-use plastic bottle go?
  It is certainly not very recyclable since that is a farcical, yet effective exercise by the fossil fuel industry to make us think that somehow we are being green. So the answer to this question, friend, is that single-use plastic bottle will go far, far into the future – like forever, so you can think of it as part of your legacy for millennia to come. 
• Speaking of the future, do we have a livable future on earth?
  Nope.
• Any other questions? 

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Area Leads

• Andrew & Sam Kalicki (Everything & Mrs Beans 🫘)

Where the fun will be done

• Inside & Behind Main Tent (never in cube truck)

When the shift is

• 8:45pm until bar closes (if a longer session, will split in two)
• Longer shift nights; Sunday soft opening & Thursday all-nighter
  • 1st shift (9pm – 12ish)
  • 2nd shift (12ish – 3ish)
  • 3rd shift (3ish – closing)

Highlights of what’s involved

• This is done each night. Think of this as being Maverick’s wingman/copilot. He might be the hotshot pilot, shooting down Migs – but you’re the one making sure he’s covered and has everything he needs to succeed.
• This includes hanging behind the bar and helping wash bar equipment as it’s used (shot and saki glasses, bar spoons, shakers, etc), running to get more ice as the sinks get low, emptying the pour-off buckets in our grey water tank, grabbing liquor from the staging area behind the tent, filling smaller bottles from handles if we run out of small bottles that night, etc. 
• Basically anything that needs doing so the bartenders can focus on making drinks!
• Hell – if it’s really busy and you want to make shots and walk through the crowd dishing them out, please do (just ID people)! While your main purpose is as bar support, don’t feel you can’t ever make a drink for patrons or enhance the experience for everyone.

SHIFT TO-DO’s

• Replace liquor in quick wells when it runs out
• Replace/refill mixers in quick pour bottles in quick wells when it runs out
• Grab additional ice from the freezers if the sinks run low
• Empty pour-off buckets in grey water tank near kitchen
• Help clean and replace used bar items (spoons, shot glasses, shakers, etc)
• Organizing empty bottles in provided card board boxes outside of main tent
• Sam and Andrew will pull out the allotted amount of alcohol for each day in the morning so whatever is in the staging area behind the main tent is what we have for that night – you should never have to go onto the cube truck to grab anything else (since that carefully separated for the rest of the week)

FAQ

• Do we ever need to go into the cube truck for things?
• Where is the ice for restocking at night?
  • In the life boat (shipping container) behind where we eat (in the rear coolers)
• What if I can’t make my shift (restocking or bar back)?
  • Two solutions…
  • 1. Be a radically self reliant adult and find someone to switch with or cover you (please let Andrew or Sam know ASAP)
  • 2. Let Andrew or Sam know ASAP and they’ll sort it out (only AFTER option 1 doesn’t work)
  • Please NEVER just not show up…that fucks the people working that night and you don’t want to do that to a fellow camper 🙂
• What do I wear for barbacking?
  • Whatever you want! But you’re encouraged to get a little classy and sexy since we are the not only the best bar on playa, but in the universe
  • Keep in mind everyone has a different idea of what classy and sexy is/means…so make sure you feel these things first and foremost (we’re all about self comfort)
  • You will get a little messy and sweaty though 😛
• If it’s really busy, can I help bartend while barbacking?
  • You bet! It just gets a little hectic & crowded back there, so jump in where you can, but don’t abandon your main job of barbacking