Serve in the Way that Feeds You Most
Life is a Festival #50: Christopher Breedlove (Burners Without Borders)
Burners Without Borders (BWB) is a community organization within the Burning Man Project that works in disaster relief and civic works projects in communities around the world. From building composting toilets at Standing Rock, to permaculture action at Hoover Elementary in West Oakland, to building a Youth Center in the Calais refugee camp, BWB is Burning Man at its finest.
Christopher Breedlove is the Director of Civic Activation at the Burning Man Project where he oversees the Burners Without Borders, Regional Network, and Civic Arts programs. Hailing from Chicago, he is an also an artist, educator, and an inspiring public speaker.
On the show we talk about Hurricane Katrina and the origin of BWB. We get into the technicalities of how a theme camp became an NGO. We talk about Standing Rock, Calais, and Uhuru Land, a refugee camp in Uganda. We discuss the Burning Man Sustainability Road Map for 2030 and an initiative to create an asset map for Burning Man infrastructure around the world. The through line of this conversation is the value of service: how to get involved, how to support each other, and how not to burn out. Above all, how can we weave service into our lives for the betterment of our communities, our friends, and our own mental health.
Today’s episode is dedicated in loving memory to Affinity Mingle. Affinity, was a beloved member of the Burning Man community, a dear friend, and a huge supporter of this podcast. It is fitting that an episode about service would be dedicated to Affinity, as she was so committed to volunteerism that Burning Man’s first award for volunteers was named after her and awarded to her at the Artumnal Gathering in 2012. Thank for for your wonderful big heart, mentorship and inspiration Affinity. We all miss you deeply.
LINKS
Christopher Breedlove: http://www.mrbreedlove.com
Burners Without Borders: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org
GET INVOLVED: bwb@burningman.org
Volunteer for BWB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/volunteersBWB/
BWB Newsletter: http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/joinus
BWB Eco-Sprints: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BWB-EcoSprint-OnePagers-v01-11072019.pdf
BWB Spring Summit 2020: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/projects/bwb-spring-summit-2020
BWB Resource Partners: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/resource-partners
BWB Feast: https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/projects/borderfeast
Burning man Theme Camps in the World: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H13n8vZeHU8
From Burning Man to Standing Rock: https://realitysandwich.com/321039/from-burning-man-to-standing-rock/
The Jungle: A Refugee Camp Served by the Burners of Calais: https://journal.burningman.org/2016/03/global-network/burners-without-borders/the-jungle-a-refugee-camp-served-by-the-burners-of-calais/
Burning Man Sustainability Road Map: https://medium.com/@burningman/burning-man-project-2030-environmental-sustainability-roadmap-c79657e18146
LAGI 2020 Challenge: https://lagi2020flyranch.org
Chiditarod: https://www.chiditarod.org
Burning Man Chicago: http://www.burningmanchicago.org
Katrina Documentary: https://vimeo.com/8057642
Communitere: https://communitere.org
Give Love: https://givelove.org
Human Centered Design: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human-centered_design
Permaculture Action Network: https://www.permacultureaction.org
Shrine (artist): http://www.shrinetheworld.com
Uhuru Land: https://www.habitas-rise.org/project/uhuru-land
Opportunigee: https://www.facebook.com/opportunigee/
Global Coralition: https://www.globalcoralition.org
Footprint Project: https://www.footprintproject.org
Sail Relief: https://sailrelief.team
Ecosystem Restorations Camps: https://ecosystemrestorationcamps.org
PARTICIPATE
CONTRIBUTE
TIMESTAMPS
:10 The origin story of Burners Without Borders during Hurricane Katrina in 2005: Listening for gaps in services and creating a cultural first response
:18 The name “Burners Without Borders” and intellectual property right
:20 How Breedlove got involved and how the Burners Without Borders theme camp became part of the Burning Man Project
:26 Is BWB more like a large NGO or does it still do scrappy relief work?
:30 Breedlove’s personal call to service from growing up in the Church to Wookiefoot festivals to Chiditarod in Chicago
:40 Why did the Lakota ask Burners Without Borders to come to Standing Rock to help create a more permeant settlement?
:49 How to serve in an environment like Standing Rock
:54 Examining your reasons for getting involved in service and then serve in the way that feeds you most
1:02 Permaculture Action Network and principles of social permaculture
1:07 Calais in France, Uhuru Land in Uganda
1:17 How to prepare yourself for a crises in your local community / BWB Corpus Christi and Hurricane Harvey
1:23 The Burning Man Sustainability Road Map for 2030
1:30 Asset map and database for Burning Man infrastructure during the rest of the year
1:33 Honoring Affinity Mingle for her dedication to service
1:37 How you can get involved?
1:45 How’d the podcast go?
Graphics Designed by Andy McErlean
Theme song ““Peculiar Colors” [Manjumasi]“ by dj atish