Congratulations to Permaquest, the winners of the 2008 LIB Greenest Campsite Contest! Ray and Andrew of the Permaquest camp are pictured above as I pose with them and their solar cooking dish.

They won two tickets to LIB 2009 and a gift basket full of organic goods from our sponsors, including a Bogo Solar Light, Smart Wool socks, Dr. Bronner’s soaps, and raw organic energy bars.

When I walked into their camp they had french fries cooking on their solar cooker and a mixed berry cobbler cooking in the ground, made from organic fruit brought from the homes of all the people in the camp. They also showed me their pedal powered bicycle smoothie blender, a wood burning stove for heat, and a stove for heating their water. I definitely want one of their rotating compost barrels to easily make compost in my backyard.

The cobbler tasted amazing, very impressive!

It’s all coming together folks… can you feel the excitement in the air? One more week and we’re back on the playa, errr, woods, back in the woods yes yes…

First we’d like to thank all the renegade filmmakers out there that took the time to send us a copy of their work. It was heartening to receive such an enthusiastic response to our call for submissions and we enjoyed the process of reviewing them all, one by one. We’ll be showing a selection of these original shorts along with the usual random bits and bobs throughout the weekend - AND we’ve got some funky monkey live acts joining us this year, not the least of which includes Helios Jive (heliosjive.com) and Scott Beibin of Lost Film Fest (lostfilmfest.org)

… so come visit us during the wee hours of the night when your feet are sore from walking, but your eyes and ears are still hungry for more and plant that ass on the grassy knoll in front of the Workshop Stage (between the Cabbage & Rutabaga patches) and (cue old timey song) let- us-entertain-yoooooouuuuuuuuuuu……

also help us spread the word to the lil ones that Kid’s Hour starts at 8pm Friday/Saturday/Sunday. Bring your inner child (or a real one!) and your favorite blankie just after sunset for classics such as the Muppet Movie, the Rats of NIMH and cool, neat-o, eye-poppin’ shows like Planet Earth in Hi-Def.

See you out there!!! can’t wait!!!!!

Please be aware:
~ There are no “early” arrivals ~
The festival grounds will not be open to the public before 4pm on Thursday. More gate hours info HERE.

~ Car camping and RV passes are now sold out ~
If you do not already have an RV pass please do not arrive at LIB in an RV. We do not have the space to accommodateRVs in the parking lot. You will be turned away.

~ Lockers are available to rent ~
If you do not have a car camping pass and need a way to rest assured about the security of your valuables while you’re having fun, we have lockers available to rent. We recommend sharing lockers with friends to split the cost.

~ CARPOOL! ~
You know road-trips are way more fun with friends anyway!  Check out the rideshare board to add fun passengers or find a ride: Rideshare Board

Other fun Stuff:

New Interactive Art Zone info

Greenest Campsite Contest:
We want to see how off grid you can get out in the forest. Show us your most creative environmental camping endeavors, and you can win free tickets to LIB 2009, solar gear, and other eco prizes through the Greenest Campsite Contest! We’ll be strolling the camping grounds with our video camera looking for conservation, innovation, creativity, and all around eco-friendliness. Check out our contest page for ideas and resources.

The Lost Film Festival is coming to LIB + More Renegade Drive-In Movie Theatre info

Congratulations to JULIE, the LIB08 Music Contest Winner!

PLUS… Next week we’ll be letting you know about what to expect during the LIB entrance process, the event map, shuttle stops and schedules, ice vending schedules, free water locations, and everything else we think you need to know.

Just one weeek till LIB! You excited yet?

For your convenience and for the safety of your valuables, there will be lockers available to rent at LIB. They are available in medium and large sizes, and ready to reserve on a day to day basis or save some dough with a weekend package! So, be at ease that your valuables are stored safely and get ready for more fun!  We suggest reserving them online as they may sell out!

Reserve yours here.

So much good stuff!  Don’t miss a thing!

We welcome these Culver City musicians to the LIB line-up. They won the LIB music contest. Look for them Friday on the Bamboo Stage at 2pm to kick off the festival’s music programming.

Waking up to a solar heated mug of organic tea, tunes scream from the wind powered portable radio hanging on a tree nearby, while you power up your lights through a portable solar unit throughout the day. The neighbor across the way sips down his morning smoothie mixed with a pedal powered bicycle blender and a group of children run by collecting recyclables to create art around their campsite.

…You Smile. Welcome to a Greener LIB camping experience.

As you adventure through the green oak groves of LIB, solar powered lanterns lead you to your homemade tent where your new best friend is grubbing down on some greens he just picked from the edible wild foods workshop, and organic sautéed veggies cooked in his solar oven. You’re a bit sweaty from dancing all night so you jump under your solar heated reusable shower with biodegradable shampoo, grab a beer from your thermoelectric cooler, and get cozy under your homemade quilt.

LIB and the Greenest Campsite Contest are actively working to make this the greenest festival around. This spring green your campsite and win tons of prizes, free goods from our sponsors, and even tickets for LIB 2009. Be creative, inventive, and use your sustainable skill to impress our judges as they peruse the grounds with our Greenest Campsite documentary video camera.

Make the camp your own and let your green imagination run wild. At the most essential level:

· simplify! think consciously about what you bring onto the grounds

· remove all packaging before coming

· place your compost into a separate bucket

· separate your trash from recyclables

· take your waste with you when you leave

· leave your site looking pristine

Lets work together to keep our campsite beautiful and enjoy the benefits of a “leave no trace” mentality.

Winners will be chosen based on the following criteria:

Reduce/Reuse/Recycle:
How clean is your campsite?
Are you recycling or composting?
Are you using biodegradable or reusable plates, cups, utensils?

Eco-Friendly Gear:
What kind of tent and sleeping bag are you using?
Is it new or used?
Is it made with eco-friendly materials?
Are you working with nature?
What kind of stove or cooking equipment are you using?

Power:
How are you powering your camp? Solar? Reusable batteries?
Do you have solar lights/lanterns, alternative flashlights, or hand powered green products?

Transportation:
How did you get to LIB?
Did you carpool, use alternative energy, or carbon offset you journey?

Creativity:
How did you make your camp different than all the others?
DIY techniques?
Can you brag about your innovative tents, energy use, solar showers, or cooking practices?
Any art from trash?
Show your Green light!

Created by: Levi Felix

Some ‘How-To’s on having a green campsite:

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Use unbreakable and reusable dishes, cups, utensils
- Avoid disposable cups, paper, and Styrofoam alternatives
- Avoid bringing items that you know will be thrown away
- Used gear: old tents, blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags- don’t buy new gear just for this festival- borrow from your friends or family, buy used gear, or rent. (www.gearx.com)

Go Solar
- Solar Ovens/Cookers (www.solarcookers.org)
- Solar Tents (www.eurekatent.com)
- Portable Solar Battery Charge (www.gosolar.com)
- Solar Camping Lanterns (www.sollight.com/uses)
- Solar Shower (www.sundancesolar.com)

Green Goods
- Wind up or pedal powered blender (stop by our pedal powered smoothie vendor!)
- Crank/hand powered flashlights- avoid unsustainable batteries (www.gaiam.com/retail/product/06-9402)
- Eco-sleeping bags
- Thermoelectric Green Cooler
- Biome EcoCamping Kits (www.biomelifestyle.com)
- Biodegradable Shampoo (www.drbronner.com)
- Non-toxic, biodegradable, phosphate-free soap to clean your dishes (Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, www.pristineplanet.com)

Food
- Organic, home grown through permaculture methods
- Separating compost
- Food from the wild (attend our Edible Wild Foods and Urban Food Forest workshops!)

Transportation
- Carpool or take a bus through our online carpool forums (attend our Sustainable Transportation workshops and panel, featuring Chris Paine – Director of Who Killed the Electric Car, Nick Baggerly – Drive Around the World, Rev. Gadget – Cheshire Cat, BM)
- Offset your emissions by upgrading to a green ticket through BeTicketing
- Use a vehicle with low mpg and alternative fuel sources (attend our Biodiesel workshop and learn how to make your own fuel)

Tents/Sleeping Bags
-Avoid synthetic waterproofing which emits polluting VOC’s and dioxins in production
- Avoid Backpacks and sleeping bags coated with TEFLON PFOA, PTFE (Gore Tex), and Vinyl flooring (PVC)
- Buy used cotton army tents
- Use cotton sleeping sacs (www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/cf-be-dreambag-sleepsack.html)

DIY (Do it Yourself)
- Solar oven plans (attend our solar cooking workshop and learn how to make a solar oven!)
- Make your own tent (www.hufsoft.com/bsa51/page0004.html, www.backpacking.net/makegear/jones-tent/index.html)

Note: Our contest team will be roaming the grounds checking out green campsites. If they have not passed by and you want to make them aware of your campsite, you can drop off information about the location of your camp at the Information Booth.

Content created by: Levi Felix & Shena Turlington