Our schedule had us arriving in Manchester this morning just after 5am, over 17 hours after every other Bonnaroo volunteer made it to town. Fortunately we found Chase and his all-access “Infinity” pass. With much fanfare, the Big Green Bus got a taste of the VIP treatment as we followed Chase’s Honda Accord through miles of traffic and hordes of people to a prime spot at the center of Pod 3, the “Green” Pod. With an EMS tent at our doorstep, a great view of the main stage from the roof, and most importantly, toilets a minute away, we couldn’t have asked for a greater location.

And our spot in the Green Pod fits the bus’s bill perfectly. This year, Bonnaroo is making a concerted effort to limit the festival’s effects on its location and the surrounding environment. Talking with Zach, one of Bonnaroo’s Environmental Directors, we learned that last year’s festivities produced over 600 tons of refuse. This year, they’ve adopted a system called WasteAway which mechanically separates and melts down the garbage produced into its basic components for recycling; WasteAway should reduce the overall waste output by 60%. There is also an increased emphasis on composting, recycling in general, and the development of community kitchen. In addition to our project, Pod 3 is also highlighting projects like Timberoo, a house frame made from a magnolia and two cypress trees downed in a storm and headed for the dump; instead, the logs were salvaged by Scott Banbury and the Midtown Logging & Lumber Company and made into the house’s supports and beams (check our links for their website). All in all, a pretty impressive site. Not to mention the makeshift river of water bottles and an aluminum can cactus in our front yard.

So far, Bonnaroo’s living up to expectations. We’ve met some great people, interviewed with a few papers as well as Channel5 Nashville, the music hasn’t even started. Definitely looking forward to whatever the next three days have in store.

- Forrest