DHARMA HOUSE was founded on the principles of Burning Man.
Cleaning up at our August 2025 DHARMA House party, I was reminded of how common single-use water bottles are and the huge amount of waste that they generate.
Single-use bottles are convenient, I know. THE MAN’s marketing arm has made them part of our DEFAULT culture, making lots of money on them at the expense of our health and the environmental health of the planet.
“Single-use water bottles are a huge problem. Each year, 20 billion to 30 billion pounds of plastic enter the world's oceans, harming wildlife directly and making their way into seafood that in turn introduces microplastics and the chemicals they contain into the human body.” - BeyondPlastics.org
Once we wake up to the fact of their destructive nature, it would be really selfish to continue buying them and using them.
“Leaving No Trace is arguably Burning Man’s most important Principle. If we don’t uphold that one, no more Black Rock City. But Leaving No Trace is not just about the playa; it’s our ethic about the whole planet. Burners are environmentalists. It’s just our nature.” — from BurningMan.org
Bringing this principle home, if we don’t uphold “Leaving No Trace” principle in our lives we will loose the healthy planet we call home! Single use plastics usually end up floating in a river, the ocean or in a landfill. Less than 5% of plastics are actually recycled in the US! (Recycling is NOT SUSTAINABLE)!!!
I did my first “Rite of Passage” burn in 2011, staying with the Red Lightning community usually on the Esplanade. Everyone brought their own reusable water bottles; while the community leadership provided some drinking water, most of us brought several our own water jugs.
Invitational Challenge
What would it take for DHARMA HOUSE to eliminate single-use bottles from our culture?
Here are some ideas:
- What if all of us commits to bring our own reusable water bottle (labeled with your name) to the next events? (I attach mine to my belt).
- The DHARMA Leadership team commits to providing enough quality drinking water for you to refill your reusable water bottle during your stay at our events.
- Do you have any extra reusable water bottles you could bring to the next DHARMA House for those who forget to bring theirs, or who are not yet in the habit of using one?
Let’s prove to ourselves that our DHARMA community can actually change and grow together!
Please post a comment below.