The Leave No Trace Promise

As a community we will:

• Plan Ahead
• Practice the 5 Rs: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Restore, and Respect
• Keep our camps clean before, during and after the event
• Adopt the seven principles and practices of Leave No Trace at OTHERWORLD
• Do what is necessary to protect and restore the campground and Koksilah River
• Identify potential problems and issues that may arise
• Create a strategy or plan for Leaving No Trace
• We will educate all community members about minimizing our impact on the campground

To minimize our impact, we will follow these rules:

Before the event

• We pledge to Leave No Trace in and around the campsite, including our own and others’ waste.
• We will plan the assembly and take-down of our structures and decorations and tape the edges of our carpets.
• We will inventory vehicle space so that we can pack out everything.
• We will take the packaging off of just about everything and stock up on reusable products and containers.
• We will shop for simple finger foods and prepare meals in advance to reduce waste.
• We will bring no glass, cheap trinkets, small feathers, and anything that might get left behind.

During the event

• We will check our camps daily.
• We will clean as we go, realizing that any trash or MOOP (matter out of place) can blow away or be buried at any moment.
• We will keep our recyclables, burnables, and non-burnables clearly separated for easy disposal.
• We will recycle our aluminum back home.
• We will have special cleanup crews for any high traffic activities we host and take care of any trash left by guests.
• We won’t leave trash in or around the port-o-potties.
• We will burn only wood or paper (nothing synthetic) and follow the safety guidelines for fires.
• We won’t dig large holes or trenches.
• We will keep all items tied or weighted down, and leave papers at home.
• We will not dump any grey or black water in the river (or anywhere else).
• We will encourage members of our camp to carry a personal trash (MOOP) container and a cigarette butt container when they are outside their camp.

After the event

• We will put aside time and have designated volunteers for the final cleanup.
• We will take all trash in sealed containers to a landfill on the way home.
• After cleaning our camp, everyone in our community will devote time to general campsite cleanup.
• We will leave extra space in every vehicle on the way to OTHERWORLD, knowing that repacking will inevitably take up more space and ensure that no items can detach during the ride home.
• We will pack out everything.
• We won’t put trash in or around the port-o-potties.
• We will help out our neighbors and fellow citizens

We will be Good Neighbors

• We will encourage our guests to bring their own beverage containers.
• We will help out our neighbors.
• We will adopt the space around our camps, making sure that it stays traceless.
• We will help careless or forgetful campers.

Here's how we’ll do it

• Design our camp in a way that is easy to keep clean:
• We will have a Leave No Trace coordinator who will communicate and educate all participants on the value and importance of LNT.
• We will have five Leave No Trace zone captains who will make sure that their zone remains clean during the event and spotless after the event.
• We will ensure that no participant has an excuse for leaving a trace by handing out garbage bags and recycling bags to all participants.
• We will encourage all participants to clean as they go and pick up MOOP as they roam

Create a detailed plan for the breakdown/cleanup of our community, accounting for every board, stake, and scrap, and pack necessary tools and supplies:

• The Leave No Trace zone captains will visit every campsite and common area in their zone before anyone leaves to make sure LNT has been adhered to
• The Leave No Trace coordinator will do line sweeps with the zone captains and cleanup crew.
• Adequate budget will be set aside for Leave No Trace (to include garbage bags, paint, zip-ties, and rope for educational signs).
• Adequate space will be set aside in vehicles to haul garbage and recycling out.

We recommend all theme camps bring the following:

• Rope and string for tying loose stuff down.
• Small spare bags for collecting trash as we wander.
• Lots on industrial strength trash bags: more than we think we'll need.
• Cheap work gloves for everybody.
• Vehicles and/or trailers to haul everything out

Packing Out and Restoration of Our Site

• We will take away everything we brought with us plus a few things we didn’t know we’d have.
• We will try to give a helping hand to our neighbors.
• We will pick up all woodchips, broken glass, plastic debris, metal debris, fire works and plant material within our borders. We complete restoration of any hotspots (micro-MOOP collections).