BURN.LIFE
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Year by Year HIstory
    • 1986 -1990: The Early Days
    • 1991-1996: Hypergrowth
    • 1997-2000: Maturation
    • 2001-2010: Graceful Aging
    • 2011-2015: The Age of Scarcity
    • 2016-2020: The End?
  • Preparing/Attending
    • Getting Tickets
    • Preparing >
      • Tents and Shade
      • RVs
      • Food and Water
      • Clothing & Costumes
      • Bikes
      • Cameras
      • Lag Screws 101
      • Burning on a Budget
      • Packing List
    • Getting to Burning Man (Entry)
    • Being There >
      • Adventuring on the playa
      • Art
      • Music
      • Poopin' on the Playa
      • Leave No Trace
    • Leaving Burning Man (Exodus)

The Blog That Burns

The Temple Needs Us

7/17/2015

 
Fellow Burners - What does the Temple mean to you? Have you left a memory there, to be consumed in the conflagration? Have you shed tears there, remembering those who are no longer with us?
Donate to the Temple of Promise!
The Temple has a cash shortfall of about $40,000 as of this post. Many people don't know that the Temple is funded primarily by us - the Burner community. The BMORG contributed about 25% this year of the roughly $280k budget, and we're grateful for it, but the rest comes from us - Burners. We've raised about $240k of that so far (including about $95k from previous crowdfunding campaigns), and we're in a time crunch to raise the rest. (That figure does not include the copper on the Temple, which is optional.)
Picture
Tell me this Temple isn't amazing. You can't. Because it is!
We're looking for:
  • Individuals to support new kickstarter campaign, which is here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/104063176/temple-of-promise-grove-burning-man-2015. Kickstarter donations are not tax deductible.
  • Individuals or camps  who want to make a gift of $500 or more  directly to the Temple build. These donations are tax deductible.
If you can gift at least $500 as an individual or camp, email me:
matt@templeofpromise.org
Other ways to help: 
  • Share this post as widely as you can. The more people that see it, the better. 

  • Come on down to the build site if you're local. We're at 651 West Tower Avenue, Alameda. Build hours are 10 am to 10 pm on weekends, and noon to 10 pm on weekdays. Just show up! No skills necessary. We'll have you doing something to help in no time, from orienting new volunteers to sanding, gluing, staining, sawing, drilling, and more. Come be part of Burning Man history!
It's our Temple, and it's up to us to make it happen.
Picture
It's a gun show up in here at the Temple build site.
Curious why the Temple costs so much? Here's a rough breakdown of costs:
Wood & other materials ($140,000):  The beautiful untreated poplar we are using was selected for its aesthetic, quality and economy, and this Temple uses a lot of it. 32 Temple arches of increasing size are connected by over 2.5 miles of ‘ribs’.

Transportation ($27,000): It will take 6 flatbed trucks to take the Temple – plus all of the tools and equipment we need – the 323 miles from Alameda, CA to Black Rock City, NV. 

Insurance ($5,000): Gotta have it!

Build spaces ($16,000): The rent we pay for our Alameda space and our American Steel space in Oakland.

Burn supplies ($6,000):  For burn related needs; i​ncludes additional firewood, burlap, fuel, and paraffin wax.

Leave No Trace tools ($11,000): Decomposed granite and LNT tools; ​required to protect the playa from the burn and to ensure we leave no trace afterward.

The Trees ($45,000): The cost to fabricate the three metal Trees that will be in the courtyard of the Temple of Promise.

On-playa power and lighting ($17,000): For build-related power and lights; ​use of power tools, lighting, etc. during the two weeks of building on the playa as well as a generator and fuel for our underground power grid to keep the Temple lit throughout the event.

Build camp ($13,000): Our 130 volunteer builders will be arriving to construct the Temple on playa two weeks before the gates of Burning Man officially open. For them, building the Temple is a labor of love, but they cannot do it without your support. Power, lights, fuel, food, water, shelter, safety equipment, insurance, shade, and more. They will be giving their all, we need to make sure they can do so safely.

Stretch Goal: Copper ($30,000): The shimmering copper cowl featured on the immense skyward-reaching spire of the Temple will inspire awe in all those who will enter.
Picture
Damn right this arch looks good.
Picture
Picture
We're all dreamers on the playa.
Donate to the Temple of Promise
Alberto Jose Becerra-Singletary
7/19/2015 05:36:46 pm

Hello familia,
I am a carpenter and trades man I would like to know if I could donate my time to help manufacture or erect this years temple. I am currently a general contractor I also have health insurance.
Peace love and happiness.

Dr. Yes
7/20/2015 03:13:17 am

Hi Alberto! We'd love to have your help. Just come on down to the build site at 651 West Tower Avenue in Alameda, any day from noon-10 pm weekdays or 10 am to 10 pm on weekends. You'll be put to work right away based on your skills (and for people with no skills, you'll be doing things that don't require it, like staining, sanding, etc). Thanks!

Maria
7/20/2015 07:43:59 am

Horrified by the outrageous cost of the temple. $280,000? Obscene. No wonder so many cannot afford tickets. Prices are unattainable due to costs such as these. The spirit of Burningman is dying.

Dr. Yes
7/20/2015 07:54:15 am

You understand that the price of a Burning Man ticket has nothing to do with the Temple and that that fact is the entire reason I'm helping to raise funds for the Temple, right? The money comes from those in the community who choose to help build something beautiful for the community.

Sirius
7/20/2015 01:58:24 pm

Maria, did you know that tier 1 tickets cost less than the per capita cost to host the event? This 'spirit of burning man' you speak of is an ever-changing entity that cannot die, but only evolve.

Tinker
7/20/2015 11:53:04 am

what happens to the copper? If it is stored for another use will it be stored safely so as not to be ripped off by copper thieves?

Andrew
7/21/2015 09:26:50 am

Is the CNC cutting being done in-house at one of the build venues?state. $30K would be enough to purchase a nice ShopBot.
NIMBY has a huge CNC router, but I am unsure of it's operating status.

Is there any room to reduce material & time costs by packing of the designs into the CNC layouts?

Dr. Yes
7/21/2015 09:31:06 am

Gotta be honest, my skills aren't on the build side and I'm not directly involved with it other than chipping in with unskilled labor. I know that the CNC is something we pay a day rate for, but as for the rest, I have no idea I'm afraid. Our guys are pretty experienced with big playa art though (core members were also core on Embrace, Anubis, Alien Siege Machine, etc) and everything's on schedule there. Some of the reason this Temple is a bit pricier is it's a new team (vs David Best). Just the outlay for equipment to actually do the work was not small at all.

Gary
7/23/2015 12:35:54 am

This is insane to me. .Why would you spend so much money towards waste. In the very least you should be using salvaged lumber and any other repurposed materials you possibly can. To start a project with the intention that it will all be waste and spend so much money and time towards it just baffles me.

There are so many other ways you could make this happen without it being such a complete waste. Our landfills are congested with tons upon tons of discarded lumber and other burnables that could be repurposed to something like this and the main cost would be volunteer labor. I realize you are trying to build a temple and you want it to be artistic but you can do this without being so wasteful. True volunteers will bring their own meals, tools and even contribute to the supplies. Come on people, think outside your paradigm (we all have to, even me.)

Dr. Yes
7/23/2015 01:29:03 am

Big projects like this can't be completed with any kind of schedule if we're depending on people to provide tools when they feel like it and without a rock solid and dependable source of material (wood in this case).

And yes, it's "wasteful", just like the hundreds of millions of dollars that go up in smoke every 4th of July in fireworks, or all the trees that get cut down at Xmas, or all the fossil fuel burned by people driving to sporting events or flying somewhere on vacation, etc.

There's virtually nobody in America who isn't living in a glass house on this issue.

DisappointedXburner
8/4/2015 09:26:28 am

This goes against a lot of what burning man is supposed to stand for. It's been turned into a place for people to take drugs and say "wow, this is really cool".

It wasn't about this when it started. It's completely screwed now and you continue to evolve it in a direction that is attracting the wrong crowd.

This way of society was meant for logical thinking people who could live in a society such as Burning Mans setting, and evolve in a positive direction.

What you idiots have proven, is that with out laws and boundaries you're completely illogical thinking, eradic drug abusers, who are no better then the society you say Burning Man is separate from, wasting natural resource and not making the planet better. Shame on you!

Then to prove you want to keep Burning Man at it's roots you limit ticket sales, but ask for donations to build something that doesn't contribute to the poor condition our planet is in but contributes to the destruction thereof.

Then all the burners run around talking about peace and love while they crack jokes about how "un-open" the rest of the world is.

You're the biggest group of emotional effing hypocrites I've ever met in my life. And you're too eccentric for your own good. It's all about the environment unitl you have some artistic vision, and then it's "screw the environment, the rest of the world does it everyday"? That's your rebuttal. (I know it's not verbatim.)

This is complete BS and you're all a bunch of freakin' froot loops.

Gar
8/4/2015 09:31:02 am

Lol... Thank you for that! I needed to hear someone else say it. I was beginning to think I was the only one.

DisappointedXBurner
8/4/2015 10:48:41 am

You're quite welcome! Nope you're not the only one! I'm a very spiritual person, meditate, and understand the Universe more than most. I've been waiting for some kind of illogical rebuttal on their part, regarding freeing your spirit and all that hoo-rah. It's about mind, body, and spirit and being in tune with your Universe. That takes discipline and understanding of love for all things. 99% of burners have NO CLUE what that is and neither do these people building this false idol. That goes against love for this Earth. The one thing you should respect more then your own selfish excitements. Ya know what I mean?

Dr. Yes
8/4/2015 10:52:02 am

I have no idea what you're talking about. Where did you get the idea that Burning Man (the clue is in the name) is -any- kind of green or environmentally-conscious event? It almost couldn't have been designed to be less so. 70k people traveling to a remote desert, tons of RVs, generators, burning shit, etc.

Your new age ideas have nothing to do with Burning Man.

(And it's the federal Bureau of Land Management that limits ticket sales, as they determine what the allowable population is.)


Comments are closed.

    Author

    I'm Dr. Yes. I run this site,  lead a theme camp called Friendgasm, and make Burning Man videos. Just say yes, folks, and help keep Burning Man weird!

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    September 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014

    Categories

    All

Please like the Burn.Life FB page to get BM info, news, opinion pieces, and more.
I'm Dr. Yes, a fan of Burning Man, Burners, and Burner culture.

Burn.Life is a non-commercial, hobbyist website  and no commerce, ads, paid endorsements are involved.  Any products mentioned or linked to are done so because I or people I trust have used them and I view them as reasonable recommendations. You can email me here: yes (-at-) burn (-dot-) life.
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Year by Year HIstory
    • 1986 -1990: The Early Days
    • 1991-1996: Hypergrowth
    • 1997-2000: Maturation
    • 2001-2010: Graceful Aging
    • 2011-2015: The Age of Scarcity
    • 2016-2020: The End?
  • Preparing/Attending
    • Getting Tickets
    • Preparing >
      • Tents and Shade
      • RVs
      • Food and Water
      • Clothing & Costumes
      • Bikes
      • Cameras
      • Lag Screws 101
      • Burning on a Budget
      • Packing List
    • Getting to Burning Man (Entry)
    • Being There >
      • Adventuring on the playa
      • Art
      • Music
      • Poopin' on the Playa
      • Leave No Trace
    • Leaving Burning Man (Exodus)