Cognitive Awakening Festival 2012 Survival Guide

You Must Read This!

   The Cognitive Awakening is not your everyday festival. Following in the steps of Burning Man, it is held in sometimes extreme conditions and participants agree to take personal responsibility for their own health and safety while at the event. The people who attend Cognitive Awakening are no mere “attendees,” but rather active participants in every sense of the word: they create the festival, the interaction, the art, the performance and ultimately the “experience.” Participation is at the very core of Cognitive Awakening, and there are many ways to participate.

Things to look out for:

• Dehydration.
• Cliffs. The mountains can be dangerous. Always stay on the path, especially at night!
• Rattle Snakes. Rattle snake bites are poisonous. There have been rattlesnake sightings on the site before. Open toed shoes are not suggested for this reason. Watch where you step.
• Ticks. They hang out in the bushes and tall grasses, so again, stay on the trail and you will be fine.

Things you must bring:

• A drinking water container. Water is free and delicious so fill up your container frequently! There are two filling stations providing fresh well water for free. CamelBak style bladders are best, but a Nalgene or even a gallon jug will do the job. Whatever you do, do not forget to always carry water with you and drink often.
• Shade structures, umbrellas, parasols, sheets; something to break the midday sun. Pop ups or carport style structures over a tent works well.
• Flashlights and spare batteries (headlamps are useful) to be sure you can see and be seen at night

We Strongly Suggest You Bring:

• A bicycle (mountain bike or cruisers with balloon tires are best) with a light (for safe nighttime travel); a lock. Tag your bike with name, email address, and contact info.
• Squirt Guns and misters , the midday temperature can exceed 100° F.
• Enough food/beverages for your entire group.
• A good camp tent and sleeping bags.
• Garbage bags, and tools to clean up your camp site.
• Any required prescriptions, contact lens supplies (disposables work great), or anything else you need to maintain your health and comfort in a remote area with no services.
• Sunscreen/sunblock and sunglasses
• Fire extinguishers, Fire Hazard is High

·         Common sense, an open mind, and a positive attitude!

·         An extensive First-aid kit

·         A wide brim hat (a chinstrap is useful in the wind).

·         A cooking stove if you expect to heat food or liquid.

• Tire repair kit, spare parts and extra tubes for bikes Portable shower
• Earplugs! (Not everyone is going to want to sleep when you do).
• Lotion / lip balm to treat cracked skin
• Smokers: portable ashtrays (e.g. mint tin that doesn't leak ashes, or film canister)
• Costumes, musical instruments, props, banners, signs, and anything that might make the experience more fun for you and your neighbors.
• Camp marker (flag, flasher, distinctive marking).
• Plastic bottles or tennis balls to top and protect dangerous rebar stakes.

Helpful Things to Bring:

• Sewing kit
• Rope and/or string
• Ribbons, Mylar, etc., to flag tent ropes/guy lines
• Handy wipes
• Duct tape
• Spray bottle (for misting)
• Rugs to keep dust down in your camp. Duct tape the edges to stop fraying.
• Gifts to give to new friends

Your Body Vs. The Elements

Daytime temperatures routinely exceed 100ºF and the humidity is extremely low, which rapidly and continually wicks the moisture from your body. Because the atmosphere is so dry, you may not feel particularly warm, but you’ll be steadily drying up. Sunscreen, lip balm and skin lotion are your best friends. Put on sunscreen every morning and repeat as needed during the day.

Don’t be surprised if you spend your first day feeling a bit queasy and cranky. Begin drinking more water as you approach the desert. To stay healthy and enjoy the event, drink water all the time whether you think you need it or not. Drinking up to one gallon of water per person per day is the rule of thumb.

Remember to eat proper salty foods to prevent electrolyte imbalance. Users of alcohol, caffeine or other drugs are particularly at risk for dehydration, and should pay careful attention to their water intake. Dehydration can cause headaches, stomach cramps, abdominal pains, constipation, or flu-like symptoms. It exacerbates both heat-related and cold-related conditions (i.e. heat exhaustion and hypothermia), and makes it difficult for the body to mend itself. If someone you know complains of these symptoms, or shows signs of either severe overheating or (worse) a case of chills under the mid-day sun, get them to shade immediately and seek prompt medical help. In case of emergency, go to the Medical Clinic in the Meadow camping area or at the main stage area. Medical staff are always on duty and evacuation is available.

Some signs that you may not be drinking enough water:

• You don't carry a water bottle with you at all times.
• You wait to drink until you're thirsty - too late!
• Your urine is anything but clear and abundant.
• You become cranky.

Beating the Heat (and the Cold)

Make sure you bring some kind of shade for your camp and try to lie low during the hottest part of the day (save your strength for the night). Use sunscreen, sunglasses, a hat, and water. If you don’t take a few basic steps to protect yourself, the desert’s midday sun will cook you in no time. However, when the sun drops over the horizon, temperatures can quickly plummet fifty degrees. Overnight lows in the 40's can seem exceptionally cold after extensive daytime sun, so you’ll want to bring warm clothing, and a good sleeping bag as well.

Culture and Community at Cognitive Awakening

Because many people only know a world shaped by institutions, service workers and commercial transactions, they may not even recognize the signs of a community. Here are a few of its indicators:

Capacity

Communities are built on the recognition of the unique abilities of every member. Commerce and the public service sector outside of Cognitive Awakening define us on the basis of deficiency and need.

Celebration

Community activities incorporate celebration, parties, and other social events. The line between work and play becomes blurred. The human nature of everyday life becomes part of the way you work. You will know that you are in a community if you often hear laughter and singing.

Collective Effort

Community is cooperative uniting us as varied members of one body. By contrast, when we consume a service, we’re made passive. Fifty million people may view a television program or consume a beverage in complete isolation from one another.

Informality

In the community, transactions of value take place without money, advertising, or hype. Care emerges in place of structural service.

Stories

In universities, people know through studies. In businesses and bureaucracies, people know by reports. In communities, people know by stories.

Children, Families and YOU

We are a family friendly event.
We encourage everyone to know where the kids camp, named “Indigo Hive”, is located on the map. If you are not a family friendly camp, please place yourself far away from it. If you are a family camp yourself, consider camping between there. For more info, contact Sophia@cognitiveawakening.com

All parents should attend to their children and are responsible for their safety and well being at all times. Parents not behaving responsibly with regard to their children may be asked to leave the event.

If you encounter a lost child, alert a High Rock Security member immediately. Always be respectful and aware of the presence of children at Cognitive Awakening, and be considerate of their needs.

Never Let it Hit The Ground!

   There is garbage collection service at Cognitive Awakening, however every camp is responsible for its refuse. We are ALL responsible for trash in here. Trash is EVERYTHING you bring here: tent stakes, bottle caps, ashes, wood debris, orange peels, cigarette butts, pistachio shells, rope fibers, sequins–even abandoned bikes. Use a tarp under construction areas, kitchens and other areas with small and potentially loose materials. Do not put trash in the portable toilets. Even small trash will clog the cleaning hose for the potty. The toilet will fill and can’t be emptied. When you see trash on the ground, pick it up and take it with you! Better yet, prevent trash from happening. MOOP attracts more MOOP. Observe these simple rules: Never let it hit the ground and clean as you go.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• Use greener, more sustainable products such as salvaged wood and materials for your structures, alternative fuels, energy efficient lighting, and wind and solar energy.
• If it wasn’t made by your body, don’t put it in the potty: NO TAMPONS, TRASH, CIGARETTE BUTTS, ETC.
• Secure your load! Pack carefully and make sure your trash and other items do not come loose on the ride home and litter our highways.
• Please join your neighbors on Sunday and Monday and schedule two hours on your own during your stay to help clean up The Cognitive Awakening.  Rake your own camp and conduct a MOOP sweep to inspect your space. Make sure that you’ll be green on the MOOP map.
• Bring your own mug for coffee and tea. For your other beverages, don’t forget that there are recycle bins. If you bring your own bottled or canned beverages, please recycle.
• Do not dump grey water on to the ground.

Waste Reduction and Recycle Resolutions:

• Practice the 6 R's: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Respect & Restore!!!
• Choose non-glass containers. Never throw glass in fires. It will shatter and create a miserable pickup chore.
• THINK AHEAD! Remove unnecessary product packaging before you leave home. Choose less messy menu items (finger foods). Avoid leftovers (feed your neighbors and make friends). Bring pre-cooked food (store in zip-type bags for easy-to-eat food on the run). You can use your car’s front dash as a solar cooker to heat cold or frozen foods.
• Reuse containers. Bring water in large containers and mix drinks on the playa. For example, concentrated juice may be purchased in 12 ounce plastic bottles or in powdered form. Mix this into a gallon water jug and use the original concentrate bottle to drink out of over and over again. 
• Choose crushable aluminum cans over plastic and glass. 
• Bring your own reusable beverage container–ideally one you can attach to your outfit wherever you go. A mug with a loop handle works. You can use your own clean, reusable cup if you purchase coffee and other beverages.

Most Importantly:

Have a good time!

Sincerely, The Cognitive Awakening Crew