#50 - Serve in the Way that Feeds You Most | 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: [email protected] 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