OUR LAND

This festival happens in a forest by the Russian River. Redwoods, water, wildlife, and the bones of an old mercury mine — that's the place we're borrowing for three days.

We don't take that lightly. No spectators — everyone plays a role, and the land is one of the players. How we treat it is part of the festival, not a footnote to it.

Here's how we do this together.

PACK IN, PACK OUT

Whatever you bring to MMM goes home with you. Camp waste, packaging, food scraps, the random thing your friend handed you on day two — all of it leaves with you.

We're a small festival on a real piece of land. There's no in-camp trash service. Plan accordingly — and the next section helps.

MOOP — WHAT IT IS, WHY WE TAKE CARE OF IT

MOOP stands for Matter Out Of Place. It's anything on the ground that wasn't on the ground when you got there — a bottle cap, a glitter sequin, a cigarette butt, a granola wrapper, a zip tie. It's a Burning Man word, and we use it because it's better than "trash" — it makes you notice the stuff you wouldn't otherwise.

Two simple practices:

  1. Bring a personal MOOP bag. One big trash bag, just for your stuff. Strap it to your tent. Use it all weekend. Take it home full. If you didn't bring one, grab one at check-in. We'll have spares.

  2. When you see MOOP that isn't yours — pick it up. That's the deal.

BYO PLATES, CUPS, CUTLERY — AND LABEL THEM

This is already partly on the packing list, but the norm matters more than any single item.

Bring your own kit. Plate, cup, utensils, water bottle. Use it at the food pop-ups, use it at your camp, use it all weekend.

Label everything with your name. Sharpie on the bottom, masking tape with your name, scratched-in initials — whatever works. A labeled cup on the ground is findable; an unlabeled cup on the ground is MOOP. Same goes for plates and utensils.

The food pop-ups are not stocking single-use plates and forks. You bring yours, or you don't eat off the pop-up. (We'll have a small backup kit at check-in for emergencies — see below — but this is the exception, not the plan.)

  • Personal cup or mug — bars won't be providing cups

  • Water bottle — potable water on site (refill, don't buy)

  • Plate + bowl + utensils — sturdy, reusable, labeled

  • Skip the plastic-wrapped single-use stuff — it's the easiest MOOP to avoid

Backup kit at check-in: if you genuinely forgot or lost yours, we'll have a small box of compostable plates / cups / cutlery as a backstop. Take what you need, but the goal is for that box to barely get touched.

At the bar: the bar has a small lending pool of reusable cups marked MMM BAR — RETURN ME. If you forgot your cup at the bar moment, borrow one — drink your drink, bring it back, the bar washes and re-lends. The sticker means: it's not yours to keep, and it's not trash if you find it on the ground. Walk it back.

THE RIVER & THE POOL

The Russian River is a watershed. Water that goes in here ends up downstream in places real people drink from.h

  • Biodegradable soap only — for everything: dishes, body, hair

  • No soap or sunscreen in the river — rinse off before you go in, not after

  • No glass at the pool — broken glass in water is a different kind of MOOP

POCKET ASHTRAY (IF YOU SMOKE)

Cigarette butts are the #1 ground MOOP at every festival, and California is dry. If you smoke, carry a pocket ashtray — even an empty mint tin works. Butts go in your MOOP bag, not the dirt. No flicked butts, ever.

WILDLIFE, PATHS & QUIET

The forest has residents who live here year-round. We're guests for a weekend.

  • Stay on designated paths — off-trail trampling adds up fast at 200 people

  • Quiet hours matter for the wildlife and the neighbors — see the schedule for the cutoffs

  • Leave the plants and animals alone — even the cool-looking ones, especially the cool-looking ones

THE CLOSING SWEEP

Sunday late morning, before you pack the car — we do this together.

20 minutes. Everyone picks up at least 20 pieces of MOOP. We play the "Clean Up" song from Barney & Friends on the speakers ("clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere…") because it's a Lightning in a Bottle tradition and it works. You'll see.

Then the land is left better than we found it, and you go home.

SHARE THE MESSAGE

If you're reading this, you're already on the team. Forward this page to whoever you're rolling in with. The whole thing works because everyone shows up knowing the deal.

Thanks for treating this place the way it deserves.

— MMM