Next month in the Mojave Desert is the annual “Rise” Lantern Festival. The gathering is a ritual like experience where attendees write personalized message inside of the burning lanterns before letting them go into the sky. According to the festival’s statements, each lantern takes two to three people to launch, thus making the experience very driven by community and sharing. Though it seems as if the event might somehow produce pollution, 98%-100% of the lanterns are said to be retrieved and are 100% biodegradable. Each vehicle is also equipped with a carbon offset. Rise’s message is very focused on giving people an ethereal experience while being completely sustainable. Tickets for RiSE Lantern Festival 2014 are available for purchase at www.risefestival.com