Sign-off
From Pyropopedia
Site Sign-off is a volunteer-driven department of Burning Flipside which makes the final sweep of Pyropolis to ensure that no MOOP (matter-out-of-place) is left behind and signs off on the promised cleanliness of the rented land. Do remember that this is rented land. We have to give it back in better shape than we got it because we're renting it from Earth and posterity, never-mind the land owners.
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Jargon is often used in discussing Clean-up and Site Sign-off. Please read on for more.
LNT
One of the 10 principles of that thing in the desert as well as a common greater outdoors ethic, LNT means Leave No Trace. It is often said one should "take only photos, leave only footprints," but with thousands of people on a few acres we must make an effort to leave behind as few footprints as possible.
For more information and practical advice see Wikipedia:Leave No Trace.
Closely tied to the LNT ethos within our burning community is the recognition of MOOP.
MOOP (and the related and often confused term "garbage")
MOOP is an acronym for Matter (which is) Out-Of-Place. This is the garbage-like stuff humans, freaks, and participants generate by even showing up on Pyropolis. We drop things. We open packages, containers, and one-time-use products and suddenly that stuff which was so important and carefully packed and stored is now garbage.
Only this is incorrect. It's not garbage.
Think about it for a minute. What is garbage (in our daily lives)?
"Garbage" is the stuff that goes in tidy but stinky containers that Other People deal with which magically goes away.
At Pyropolis everything we bring (including ourselves) is MOOP.
The point, of course, is to give it a place. Relevance. A point of existence that begins on arrival and continues after we leave our big burn.
We make a place for ourselves at Flipside. We take ourselves home. We recycle that which can be. We cart off everything else and reuse it next year, at that thing in the desert, or, when it so happens, at the landfill. It's up to every one of us to see to it that all matter finds it's final resting place.
That final resting place is not Flipside.
There are no event staff who will throw it away for you.
We are all the event staff.
The Sweep or in our vernacular "Mooping"
Sweep transitive verb - to brush away dirt or litter
For the purposes of Site Sign-off (and, indeed, Leaving No Trace) the camp sweep or "mooping" is the periodic cleaning of every stray bit of matter that was not a part of the natural environment.
We endeavor to leave the grounds cleaner than when we arrived.
You will notice this when you arrive and begin making camp. Other folks have used the grounds before and can sometimes leave behind some surprising MOOP. Let's not be like them.
The secret to LNT is to periodically look down and pick up the MOOP. It's always more fun with more people helping while continuing a conversation.
Sweep when you visit other camps.
Sweep when you get up and are most rested.
From time to time, line up arms-length apart and walk a line picking everything up that doesn't belong. Make sure to do this when your camp is packing up to go.
And the end of the festivities, when we are at our most tired, there will be very little work to do if it's been a routine.
Questions? Ideas? Other?
E-mail Thomas, Clean-up Lead
clean-up-lead at burningflipside dot com
E-mail Parsec, Site Sign-off Area Facilitator
sitesignoff08 at burningflipside dot com
Thomas 17:10, 8 April 2008 (EDT)
