The popular arts festival, the one that torches a big effigy as its finale (hence the name), has a new theme this year. Yes, it too is going green.

Yay? Not so fast.

There's some controversy surrounding the week-long event. It appears that gassing up all those vehicles -- including the many art cars -- and making the trek to Black Rock, Nevada will pump tons of carbon into the air. Not to mention, the generators to keep things going out in the desert. Plus, it doesn't help that Burning Man is expected to set a new attendance record this year.

Nonetheless, this year's art theme is The Green Man. And here's some of what the organizers have planned:

This year our art theme will express the immanence of nature in our lives in a variety of ways. The Burning Man will stand atop a structure that resembles green mountain peak. Nestled at its base will be the Green Man Pavilion, 30,000 square feet of shaded exhibition space for the display of interactive artistic, scientific and educational models, a “World’s Fair” of emerging technologies. Artists and inventors are invited to contribute. This pavilion will be surrounded by the "Mangrove" made from simulated 'trees' fashioned from recycled industrial materials. These artificial trees will not be burned: they will survive to subdivide the blue of other skies.

But we will do much more than this. In 2007, we will calculate the amount of climate changing gases that are released into the air by the construction and the burning of the Man and its pedestal. This is called a carbon footprint. Then we'll sponsor projects in the outside world that will efface this imprint. Such actions might include the planting of trees or the development of non-polluting energy resources. Having played with fire, we'll take care to cleanse its atmospheric playground.

A pavilion at the base of the Man will be powered by solar panels and the planners are offsetting the CO2 that escapes into the air when he meets his end.

Will you be in attendance?