The Regenerative Model
by Philia Beroud
Burning Man Project has set ambitious environmental goals for 2030: handle waste ecologically, become carbon negative, and be regenerative. But how do we collectively understand whether we’re making progress—and learn from what’s working across Black Rock City, Regional Events, camps, projects, and year-round communities?
That question sparked the )'( Regenerative Model, a community-led effort to create a shared framework for measuring, tracking, and learning from progress toward Burning Man Project’s 2030 environmental goals.
From Roadmap to Working Model
The idea grew out of conversations at Hive Sustainability Labs in 2021 and gained new momentum in 2025, when a group of Burners came together around a simple challenge: the network is experimenting with countless approaches to sustainability and regeneration, but there isn’t yet a unified way to see those efforts together.
During the first half of 2026, a working group began developing Version 0 of the Regenerative Model—a three-pillar scorecard designed around the goals of the Burning Man 2030 Environmental Sustainability Roadmap.
The goal isn’t simply to create another report. It’s to explore how broad environmental commitments can be translated into useful, measurable indicators that help communities understand where they’re making progress, where gaps remain, and what can be learned and shared across the network.
Ultimately, the team hopes the model can help answer an ambitious question: What would it take for Burning Man’s existence to be a net positive for the ecology of Earth?
Built Through Collaboration
Approximately 20 volunteers and advisors have contributed to the project so far, bringing perspectives and experience from across the Burning Man ecosystem, including BWB (Burners Without Borders), Burning Man’s Regeneration Department, RAT(Renewables for Artist Team) , BLAST (Burner Leadership Achieving Sustainable Theme Camps), Green Theme Camp Community, Black Rock Labs, Fly Ranch, DPW (Department of Public Works-BRC), and other community-led efforts.
That diversity is important. We believe that a useful regenerative model can’t be created by one person, project, or department. It needs to reflect the experiences of people experimenting with these challenges on the ground.
That’s why collaboration is central to the next phase.
What’s Next?
The second half of 2026 is about moving from an initial framework toward something that can be tested in the real world.
The team is beginning to:
- Gather feedback on the first prototype.
- Identify what data already exists—and what is missing.
- Explore who collects information and how it might flow into a shared framework.
- Test the model with community-led projects and events.
- Expand the project’s volunteer and advisory teams.
- Strengthen collaboration with BWB and the Regional Network.
- Explore funding opportunities, including the Green Regionals Grant.
The long-term vision is an open-source, replicable tool that can help Black Rock City, Regional Events, camps, projects, and other 10 Principled communities better understand their environmental impact while sharing what they learn with others.
Rather than creating a top-down measurement system, the project is exploring what becomes possible when the people doing the work also help define how progress is understood and measured.
An Invitation to Participate
The Regenerative Model is still an experiment—and that’s exactly why this is a good time to get involved.
The team is looking for volunteers, advisors, collaborators, data-minded Burners, sustainability practitioners, Regional organizers, camps, and community projects interested in helping test and improve the model.
They are also seeking in-kind support and potential partners who can help turn the early framework into a working prototype that communities can actually use.
There are four years remaining until 2030. The question isn’t only whether we can reach ambitious environmental goals, but what we can learn by working toward them together.
Interested in helping build the model?
Learn more about the Regenerative Model through the project’s website or connect with the team to join the working group.