I have a friend who has been going to Burning Man for years. It is a real culture. He spends the year socializing with other Burners, planning and creating the artwork for the following year. He is very libertarian, somewhat conservative-leaning engineer and software developer. I have learned there is also a strong libertine streak throughout the event.
From their principles: “Leaving No Trace”— “Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them.”
My friend has told me that it really is left clean every year. You can find out a lot more from their website.
Our #2 son would LOVE to go to Burning Man. He has a lot of friends in that ‘subculture’.