Solarpunk

Solarpunk is a movement in speculative fiction, art, fashion, and activism that seeks to answer and embody the question “what does a sustainable civilization look like, and how can we get there?”

It’s been about 10 years since I first heard the word “solarpunk.” It came to me via Facebook feed, in the form of a link to Adam Flynn’s “Solarpunk: Notes Toward a Manifesto.” As a lapsed writer of SFF and one-time poli-sci major, this was a pretty irresistible title for me. So I clicked.

I’m racing-downhill excited to announce the release of my latest solarpunk novel, Neon Riders. You can discover the ebook on this indie site. It will be findable on other channels eventually.

China is on a mission, and it’s one that could change the face of its landscapes forever. The Gobi Desert, a vast and ever-expanding sandy expanse, has long posed a threat to the arable lands and communities on its periphery. But China has a plan—a colossal, audacious plan—to halt this relentless advance. Enter the Green Wall of China, a project as ambitious as it sounds. Similar to the Great Wall that once shielded the nation from invaders, this modern-day counterpart seeks to protect against a different kind of enemy: desertification. This living wall of trees stretches for thousands of kilometers, aiming to restore ecological balance and provide a green shield against the encroaching sands.

Dutch engineers are turning ordinary buildings into green, living ecosystems—literally. According to recent reports from the Netherlands, researchers have developed innovative “living bricks” that Support natural moss growth, transforming walls into vertical gardens that not only look stunning but help tackle urban Pollution and climate change.

I am new at this, but I have been trying to create a wiki/encyclopedia that focuses on teaching about the common topics of Solarpunk, while also having a focus on how to DIY where possible.

Professor Ada Palmer, a well-acclaimed historian of ideas, set the action of her science fiction series “Terra Ignota” several hundred years from now. The world she imagined presents vast societal and cultural changes, but the topic of climate change is treated much more implicitly. Within the context of professor’s books - and the now growing genre of climate fiction - let’s discuss why it’s so hard for us to imagine and describe the climate change of the XXI century.

So, when people ask me for one thing they can do to bring about a more positive future, I suggest they seek out stories of real change that are happening right now. I’m talking about local food projects, renewable energy projects and neighbourhoods coming together to create their own solutions.

The article discusses the links between traditional sacred practices and care for the environment and the world, and then asks about modern secular societies:

Up Top Acres Is building Farms Above Our Heads

Might not fit perfectly with the theme here, but thought people might be interested anyway.

Thermal insulation is a cornerstone of policies aimed at reducing the high energy consumption for heating and cooling buildings. 1 In many industrialized countries, building energy regulations require new and existing buildings to have insulated walls, floors, and roofs, as well as double- or triple-glazed windows. In cold weather, insulation slows down the heat loss from the interior to the exterior, reducing the energy use of the heating system. In hot weather, insulation delays the transfer of heat from the outside to the inside, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

Good discussion of two types of social movements: Inclusionary (building a wide coalition by appealing to many different groups) vs exclusionary (building group solidarity through us v them strategies). The challenges to both, and the ways the elite try to capture and appropriate inclusionary social movements to maintain the status quo.

The AI focus is a bit odd, but ok 🤷

Given fascist, authoritarian takeovers in the US and heightened action against the people by the fascist-in-chief, I offer ways to resist. This is an update of what I sent in a recent newsletter.

The rise of doomers, preppers, and antinatalists on the Left reveals something deeper than the hollow posture of rebellion: a collapse of belief in tomorrow. A Left that chants “No future” isn’t just demoralized — it’s unserious, misanthropic, and bound to lose.

Tldr: go forth, imagine shit! Lest the doomerism fungus consume us!

People just need to get used to paying for the web. Monthly subscriptions for Spotify or Netflix are widely accepted, so a fee to fund the rest of the net doesn't seem beyond the realm of possibility. It could even be made part of the ISP fee (perhaps this could be forced on all ISPs by govts under the guise of 'supporting local websites').

Archived link of the article

Gardening offers insight into biodiversity, soil health, and sustainability, fostering a deeper connection with nature.

Insects come out at the crepuscular times Between two extremes, hot and bright, dark and cold The sun rays cast through an ocean of motes Dust, pericarps, insects, hummingbirds, bats Even in concrete suburbs I am reminded of the ocean we live under This atmosphere would suffocate me I am a masked intruder in the toxic jungle

Anyone else going? Going solo and happy to tag along with other soloers! Not going to take tent (I don't have equipment) so would love to get a small group for the nearest accomodation. See ya there

This past DC Climate Week, we linked up with founders, artists and visionaries who are reimagining how we move, grow, create, and care for our world. We talked, biked, toured rooftops, and reflected on how far we’ve come—and where we’re headed next. This issue is a preview of what’s bubbling beneath the surface of the DMV’s solarpunk movement.

What's more solarpunk than using old hardware destined for the dump to host a cool website?

The German - French TV Broadcaster is doing a documentary series about sustainability of cities.

Mass timer buildings are prefabricated structures made of (hopefully renewable) wood. The pieces are made in a factory and then able to be quickly constructed together on-site.

Just finished the stellarbook, by James Arbib and Tony Seba (from RethinkX). They make a very interesting case on how we can move from our current extractive societies to one of abundance. It touches on many themes that are well known in the solar punk community, still it brought together a clear overview and model of where we are now and how to get to a better world.

Sod is the upper layer of soil held together by (usually grass) roots. It was used as a building material, in a similar way to soilbags.

Welcome to the 2025 edition of the collaborative solarpunk art project! This year’s theme is Life of Learning, focusing on education, teaching, mentorship and research in a better climate future!

Among the flood of AI-generated content all over the Internet it’s hard to imagine a coherent vision of a better future, especially one hopeful in the face of the Climate Catastrophe.

At Panchsheel Inter College in Uttar Pradesh, students now study inside a new school wing built not from concrete or traditional brick, but from sugarcane. The innovation was born at the University of East London (UEL) and its creators argue it could reshape how buildings are made and how the planet pays for it.

I commissioned Seth Rutledge to make concept art for a Solarpunk neighbourhood and I think it is just right. Walkable and bikable streets. Solarpanels on the roof and places you can just sit and chill.

Time and place

Source

Do you know the "Future Histories" podcast? It aims to expand our concept of the future by discussing a broad range of themes like alternatives to capitalism, degrowth, commons, cybernetics and much more. In every episode the host Jan Groos talks to interesting guests, who are activists, scholars or experts on their fields. I linked one of the recent episodes but I would recommend to check them all out. Sadly many episode are in german, but you can find the English episodes by searching for "Future Histories International".

On this server we are often victim of this stuff, i hope we can all improve

Are you an introvert but still want to make a difference?

Work is under way to create a mine water heating system which will supply hundreds of homes.

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/122308

Indigenous futures thinking brings the expertise built up by Indigenous communities over many years into the plans needed for the world to adapt to climate change.

Vision is the most vital step in the policy process. If we don’t know where we want to go, it makes little difference that we make great progress. Yet vision is not only missing almost entirely from policy discussions; it is missing from our whole culture. We talk about our fears, frustrations, and doubts endlessly, but we talk only rarely and with embarrassment about our dreams. Environmentalists have been especially ineffective in creating any shared vision of the world they are working toward — a sustainable world in which people live within nature in a way that meets human needs while not degrading natural systems. Hardly anyone can imagine that world, especially not as a world they’d actively like to live in. The process of building a responsible vision of a sustainable world is not a rational one. It comes from values, not logic. Envisioning is a skill that can be developed, like any other human skill. This paper indicates how.

Hey solarpunks!

You are one of the passengers on a ship that has crashed onto an uninhabited island and have been given a section of the island to turn into your habitat. You have to start from scratch and build it in a way that respects nature and keeps all your necessities within a 15-minute walking distance.