The Green Theme Camp Community (GTCC)
The Green Theme Camp Community (GTCC) is a collaborative effort to make Black Rock City—and the broader Burner ecosystem—more sustainable, more resilient, and more aligned with Burning Man’s 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap.
Since 2020, this initiative has brought together theme camp leads, builders, and visionaries who want to design for the future—not just survive the desert. From practical tools to cultural transformation, the GTCC is building a movement around radical sustainability.
Why It Started
As Black Rock City looked toward a more sustainable future, the question emerged: What would it look like if theme camps became engines of regeneration?
In response, the GTCC began by hosting a summit, forming working groups, and sharing open-source tools to rethink: Power, Water, Food, Waste, Shelter, and Transportation.
Key Initiatives:
BLAST (Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps)
Launched in 2022, the BLAST program is a self-assessment and recognition tool designed to help theme camps reduce their environmental impact. Modeled after green building certifications, BLAST provides a framework across six key areas—power, shelter, water, waste, food, and transportation—encouraging camps to track, reflect, and improve on their sustainability practices year over year.
The Green Corridor
The Green Corridor is a designated section of Black Rock City where sustainability-focused theme camps co-locate to share infrastructure, pilot regenerative systems, and model new ways of living lightly on the land. By building proximity-based collaboration, the corridor fosters peer learning, resource efficiency, and a visible presence for environmental innovation at the city scale.
Playawide Compost Program
Since its inception in 2015, the Playawide Compost Program has been a volunteer-driven initiative aimed at promoting Burning Man’s principle of “Leave No Trace.” By facilitating compost collection across Black Rock City, the program encourages participants to divert organic waste from landfills, transforming it into nutrient-rich compost. The program operates multiple drop-off locations where participants can deposit compostable materials during designated hours throughout the event week.
Green Camp Resource Guide
The GTCC Resource Guide is a living, open-source document created by and for theme camps seeking to integrate sustainability into their design and operations. It offers tested practices, design tips, case studies, and links to tools that support ecological innovation—from greywater systems to solar arrays. The guide is regularly updated to reflect the evolving creativity and commitment of the Burning Man community.
BLAST (Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps)
A community-built sustainability assessment tool—like LEED, but for theme camps. BLAST guides camps in six focus areas: Power, Shelter, Water, Waste, Food, and Transportation.
The Green Corridor
A designated section of Black Rock City where sustainability-minded camps co-locate to share infrastructure, collaborate, and model regenerative practices.
Sustainability Leads
Theme camps are encouraged to appoint a Sustainability Lead—someone who stewards the camp’s environmental practices and brings GTCC tools to life on the ground.
The Resource Guide
An open-source, ever-evolving toolkit offering practical ideas, case studies, and designs to support ecological innovation at any scale—from solo campers to mega-camps.
Regional & Year-Round Impact
While GTCC started in the dust, its tools and frameworks now support sustainability efforts at regional Burns, local gatherings, and camp build weekends around the world. The work continues to grow—one conversation, one prototype, one shared solar grid at a time.
Why It Matters
This is about more than reducing your trash footprint. It’s about culture shift.
GTCC is helping lead the way toward a Black Rock City where sustainability isn’t just a box to check—it’s a creative opportunity, a communal ethic, and a celebration of what’s possible.
🌐 Learn more or get involved at greenthemecampcommunity.org