Solar Punk - Blog Posts

no, listen, when I say I want to integrate more specific solarpunk stuff in my life, i don’t mean to ask for yet again new “aesthetic” clothes that now you have to buy or make to show your support of the movement (screw that i’m consuming enough as it is), or more posts about impossible house goals, or whatever, I’m asking you what my options to build a portable and eco friendly phone charger are, im asking you viable tiny-appartment edible plants growing tricks on a budget,  im asking tips to slow down when my mind and society tell me im not fast enough, i don’t need more rich art nouveau amateurs aesthetics or pristine but cold venus project, okay, i know i should joins associations where I am tho i’m constantly on the move, thanks for that, just, you know, can we get a bit more practical ??? how do I hack my temporary flat into going off the grid for the time i’m here

an introduction to solarpunk

artwork by Molly Costello (instagram)

what is solarpunk?

“Solarpunks cherish nature, progress and science; the individual and the community.

They believe in a world that is green, colourful, and bright. It can be described as a literary genre, an aesthetic, or a movement. The key points are:

An emphasis on renewable energy, especially solar power.

A demand for technology and society to re-centre around sustainability, longevity, and balance.

A focus on decentralisation, community activism, social justice and civic empowerment.

A recognition that economic, social, and ecological injustices are all deeply inter-connected.”

- Sunbeam City

“Solarpunk is a literary movement, a hashtag, a flag, and a statement of intent about the future we hope to create” - Ben Valentine

Solarpunk as a concept emerged from the imagination of authors and creators in the early 2000′s, and was shared freely throughout the internet. It originated as a genre of creative writing and artwork, but it quickly began to be implemented into decentralised left-wing spaces. Nowadays, solarpunk embodies a whole range of politics, activism, design and art; but at its heart it encompasses positive, grassroots community action and innovation as a way to prevent ecological crises. 

resources

non fiction books, essays and articles

Solarpunk: a reference guide

Solarpunk: notes towards a manifesto 

Solarpunk against a shitty future 

What is Solarpunk?

Solarpunk Resources

Designing Regenerative Cultures by Daniel Wahl

The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams  

Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology by Alexis Madrigal  

Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community by Karen T. Litfin  

Designing for Hope: Pathways to Regenerative Sustainability by Dominique Hes  

novels and fiction

Goodreads solarpunk list  

Solarpunk Press 

Solarpunk Story Exchange

Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation 

Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach

Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers by Sarena Ulibarri

Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology by Claudie Arseneault

Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation by Phoebe Wagner 

Twenty One Twenty by Jason J. Robinson

Winds of Change: Short Stories about Our Climate by Mary Woodbury 

Ecopunk! - speculative tales of radical futures by Liz Grzyb

videos

Sunbeam Cinema (my list of documentaries and films)

Imagining a Solarpunk future (TED talk)

podcasts

Adventures in New America 

The War on Cars

Climate One 

Future Perfect 

The Impact 

The Institute for Local Self Reliance 

It’s Going Down

The Shift Up Podcast

Solarpunk Press 

Strong Towns 

Team Human 

Occulture Podcast, ep. 122

(my list of podcasts and radio shows)

websites and blogs

Sunbeam City Wiki  Solarpunk Anarchists  Solarpunk Station 

tumblr

This is where I need your help - I would love to collate a list of Solarpunk-themed tumblr blogs. If you post about Solarpunk and would like to be included in this list, please comment or message me with your blog URL. Thank you! 

Relevant posts

my list of permaculture resources

my tips and tricks for disabled activism 

my post on gardening 

my post on community activism

post updated: 8/7/2019

My Favorite Zero-Waste Swaps

Metal/Steel/Glass Straws!!!- As everyone knows, straws impact the environment in a very negative way, so why not make the change? Plus, they’re fairly cheap! 

Cloth Produce Bags- Why take one plastic bag just to wrap up a few veggies or fruits? Cloth Produce Bags are a one time investment, and are way more convenient than grabbing the plastic bag! 

Re-Usable Grocery Bags- These are not the cheapest things in the world, but you can get a pack of three off of Amazon.com for around $30, and again, it’s a one time investment, and one that is way more convenient than making the people at check-out put everything in multiple plastic bags.

Reusable “Ziplock” Bags- Perfect for freezing fruit in the freezer, putting certain things in the fridge, taking snacks to school, and for storing your other perishable items! Another plus to these- They’re cheap as hell most of the time!

Metal or Steel Water Bottles- Pretty much everyone has these in their cabinets. There is no reason for all the plastic bottle that are being thrown away everyday, when the Reusable Water Bottles will keep your drink cold/hot for hours at a time, where as plastic will keep your drink cold for a good 1-2 hours? Cut down on all the plastic making it’s way out into the landfills! 

BUYING THINGS IN BULK!!!- This has to be a favorite within the zero-waste community! When you buy things, such as almond butter, pasta sauce, or anything in a glass jar..keep the jar!! You can bring your jars to most health foods stores or most any grocery stores in general and you can buy your items in bulk! None of all that extra waste! Just what you plan on using!

Bento Boxes/ Non-Plastic Lunch Box- These are a one time investment also! There is absolutely no reason that you should be eating out of PLASTIC containers that you will eventually throw away, these are so much more easier to clean than plastic is, and it is much better for the environment.

Portable Silver Ware!- There is not a lot to say about this one. Ditch the plastic forks and spoons, instead, take these! 

Hope you enjoyed my Zero-Waste Master Post :) I personally love all of these items, they have made such a difference with my life and how conscious I am of how I consume. 

Photography by Paulette Phlipot and Rebecca Vanderhorst

While I wholeheartedly support the movement to reduce plastic pollution, let’s not stop at straws. Fishing nets account for an estimated 46% of ocean plastic waste, so if you’re looking for a way to reduce your personal impact, boycotting commercial fishing and not eating seafood would be a great starting point.

2019 Temperature By the Numbers

The Year

2nd Hottest

2019 was the second-hottest year since modern record keeping began. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration work together to track temperatures around the world and study how they change from year to year. For decades, the overall global temperature has been increasing.

Over the long term, world temperatures are warming, but each individual year is affected by things like El Niño ocean patterns and specific weather events.

The global temperature is an average, so not every place on Earth had its second-warmest year. For instance, the continental U.S. had a cold October, but Alaska set records for high temperatures. The U.S. was still warmer than average over the year.

Globally, Earth’s temperature in 2019 was more than 2°F warmer than the late 19th Century.

The Record

140 years 

Since 1880, we can put together a consistent record of temperatures around the planet and see that it was much colder in the late-19th century. Before 1880, uncertainties in tracking global temperatures are larger. Temperatures have increased even faster since the 1970s, the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

10 years

The last decade was the hottest decade on record.

20,000 Individual Observations

Scientists from NASA use data from more than 20,000 weather stations and Antarctic research stations, together with ship- and buoy-based observations of sea surface temperatures to track global temperatures.

The Consequences

90%

As Earth warms, polar ice is melting at an accelerated rate. The Arctic is warming even faster than the rest of the planet. This northern summer, 90% of the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet melted.

8 inches

Melting ice raises sea levels around the world. While ice melts into the ocean, heat also causes the water to expand. Since 1880, sea levels globally have risen approximately 8 inches, although regional rates of sea level rise can be even higher.

100+ fires

As temperatures increase, fire seasons burn hotter and longer. During June and July 2019, more than 100 long-lived and intense wildfires burned north of the Arctic circle. This year also saw intense, record-setting fires in Australia.

46% increase in CO2 levels

This decades-long warming trend is the result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, released by human activities.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com

Ways to start becoming zero waste

1. Don’t go out and buy new products. Even though you think going out and buying a bunch of containers or food bags is a good idea. Its not. You have all this already. Start by going through what you have and how you can use it in multiple ways. Use old containers that have no lids to store things in your cupboard or fridge. Use canvas bags you have received from clothing stores for your shopping bags.  You can use a lot of what you already have, you just forgot about them.

2. Always carry a water bottle. This will stop you from buying unnecessary drinks while you’re out and producing more waste. Plus if you have a large enough bottle you can get stores to put their drinks into your bottle instead of using their own takeaway cups.

3. When you start to see your house becoming more zero waste, when you go for your next shop start by making one room in the house zero waste at a time. Maybe work on this per month. Here is a guide i found on pinterest that i think is a great idea. 

13.01.2017 I’m so proud of my little celery! She’s about a month old and grew from a stump leftover from cooking :) Let’s name her Cassia. 

low waste tips: student edition

choosing a low waste lifestyle can seem an impossible extra thing to juggle when you already have friends, assignments, exams etc. to manage. hopefully this post will inspire you to make some eco-friendly swaps and show you how easy it can be to live more mindfully

1. food shop with friends. food waste is one of the biggest ways we can create waste. shopping and cooking with friends is not only really fun but almost always works out cheaper and you’ll use up all your ingredients rather than having food left over. save leftovers for lunch the next day! 

2. go digital. if you have the option to type your notes and submit essays electornically then do so! you’ll save loads of paper. however, some people with learning difficulties find it easier to read with hard copies rather than on a laptop, and that is fine. just make sure you print double sided and recycle those print-outs after

3. ditch the car. travelling to and from uni via train is much better than using a car, if you can’t avoid the car then offer to car share. while at uni try and cycle, walk or use public transport as much as possible rather than driving (or ubering) short journeys. you’ll save money and the planet

4. second hand shopping/clothes swaps. there’s lots of pressure in student environments to wear the coolest clothes and to wear different things all the time. choose second hand rather than fast fashion.

5. sell your old clothes. selling your unused clothes on ebay or depop is a great way to earn a little extra cash. don’t let your old clothes be part of the 98% that are burned or go to landfill

6. borrow. there are always one-off events that you need a fancy dress/suit for. try and borrow or rent those items instead of buying something you’ll only wear once. 

7. choose your stationery wisely. do you really need 5 notebooks? could you use a wooden pencil instead of a plastic pen? can you find recycled paper? little choices added together make a big difference

8. choose your drinks. drinking culture is everywhere at university and what you drink and how much is a personal choice. try and opt for drinks that come in aluminium cans (beer or cider) or glass bottles (spirits or wine). mixers are hard to find without plastic

9. refuse the straw. when you’re out this is a simple way to save the environment. just say no

10. find the university’s eco societies. surrounding yourself with and learning from environmentally-minded people is a great way to make low waste living easy. they will also be able to give you university-specific advice (e.g. where to find plastic-free veg and which cafes give you a discount for bringing your own cup)

and all the usual low/zero waste bits still apply to students too:

have a look at this post for ideas for zero/low waste swaps

low waste living is great for a student budget too! have a look at this post to find out more

being a part of the forest feels good

for all of you guys getting anxious about the environment and pollution

y’all deserve to hear the good news too, and yes i fact checked these.

7 miles of habitat for bees will be planted in london

the biggest coal plant in north america has been converted to solar panels

roads in edinburgh will close once a month to help pollution

maine has banned styrofoam

new york city and los angeles have both made “green new deals”

The london marathon replaced 200,000 single use water bottles with seaweed water pods

the bees in notre dame survived the fire, and the roof could possibly built in a more eco-friendly way.

the population of flightless kakapos (a cool bird) is rising

the carbon emissions in the uk are the lowest they’ve been since 1998

Another large bee habitat (.5 mil acres) has been created

there is a robot that delivers young coral to help repopulate the great barrier reef

portugal plans to stop using plastic on fruit, vegetables, and bread by 2020

106 new species of bees have been discovered in australia since 2010

a group of Sikhs plan to plant 1,000,000 trees as a gift to the earth

disney has made a mickey-shaped solar farm

Morgan freeman turned a 124 acre ranch in mississippi to a bee habitat

China plans on making a “forest city” to help clean up their air

An increasing amount of countries and states are beginning to ban single use plastics.

A couple replanted a whole forest in brazil (2.7 mil trees) in 20 years, and the animals have come back to live there

The hole in the ozone layer is repairing itself more each year

China plans on spending 360 billion dollars to improve renewable energy and has scrapped plans for coal powered plants that were going to be built.

A national park has been built in the amazon (3.3 mil acres in peru) to preserve the rainforest

Ireland and the uk have declared a climate emergency

The guy who played aquaman (jason momoa) has spent 31,000 dollars to help clean up plastic

South korea is now recycling 95% of food waste

There is a cleanup campaign being planned for mt. everest

Puerto rico wants to use all renewable energy by 2050 and is setting official goals for that

Some schools have special water bottle fill-up stations that encourage you to use refill and reuse plastic bottles rather than throwing them out after one use, these are becoming more common.

9 endangered species are thought to make a comeback this year

20 countries in africa are planning to make a “green wall” of trees and plants that will span the width of africa to stop desertification

recently, a lot of volunteers and organizations are planting a ton of trees.

Awareness about the environment and climate change is growing super fast right now among people and countries, which will only help us

Most pollution is caused by like 100 companies, but a few of those (like pepsi) are trying to cut down on that.

if this stuff keeps happening things will get even better, and the only thing stopping us really are those big companies who don’t want to pay the money to switch to more eco-friendly energy sources. i know the media tends to cause fear and stress about this stuff for a lot of people, but there really is hope.

easy things we can do: 

Recycle 

Plant gardens in your yard for bees if you can

Participate in community volunteer things that plant trees and gardens

Theres this search engine called ecosia that plants a tree for every 45 searches you make, it has almost 2 mil users. 

Pick up trash if you see it when you’re at the beach or in nature

If you have a fair amount of money, consider donating some to trustworthy environmental organizations

Start using a reusable water bottle (like those ones at target) rather than relying on single use plastic ones.

Cut the plastic rings on plastic milk bottles. You know, the little spiky plastic ring near the cap. Birds get those things stuck around their neck and die, so cut them so that they can’t get stuck on a neck.

If you can afford it, get some of those reusable grocery bags and sue those. most grocery stores have them, and it saves a lot of waste.

Journey to zero waste #23 🌱💚

A good day!! Got coffee with my bud and did a little thriftin!

-the most convenient zero waste swap is a mason jar! Mason jars are perfect for storing things, used for take out, bulk shopping, and my favorite iced coffee

-did a little thrifting! It can be super tempting at times to but from fast fashion stores but a little thrifting and you can find just what you’re looking for and so much cheaper! I wanted woven sandals and if I had bought the ones I wanted they would have been $120 but I got these for $2.99!!!

-also working a lot harder to buy things from thrift stores I’ve either really been wanting if am most definitely going to wear! Just because it’s from a thrift store doesn’t mean you need to buy it!

“we’re ruining the planet” i’m sorry who is this we i don’t recall myself running a billion dollar oil business

Journey to zero waste #22 🌱💚

-homegrown blueberries!! They tasted so good and we were so excited to pick them (hence my little sisters thumbs up). Our garden is coming along too with peppers, cabbage, beets, and just about every other vegetable we could plant. Growing our own produce makes me so happy it’s so gratifying

-low waste farmers market meal 🌻 made this meal as low waste as possible using pretty much everything from the farmers market except some vegan cheese which I will make myself once I finish up what we have!

If every working-class person in the world decided this afternoon to install solar panels on their roofs and started biking instead of driving, the ice caps would still melt and the human race would still die off. It simply isn’t possible to end climate change while working within a system that sends all your products overseas in massive supertankers wrapped in unrecycled plastic that will be thrown in a landfill the moment it hits land - and practices like that aren’t going to go away because of your purchasing habits.

Nor are we gonna hit some magical point where using clean energy and reducing waste are suddenly the cheapest or most profitable option and so all the world’s big companies fall over each other to switch over. That has never been the case and never will be - the “free market” isn’t going to save us.

The fact of the matter is, this system needs to be torn down if our species is to survive. We don’t have time to delay the revolution anymore. Capitalism is extinction. 

Simple guide on how to create less waste

2025 corporate pride month: exxonmobil posts this pic and says oil is pro LGBT

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. 

The three R’s rule includes small changes in daily lifestyle that are really important in saving our mother Earth. It’s worth taking into consideration to reduce your carbon footprint. ⋆

Firstly, a lot of people consider recycling to be problematic and even unnecessary. But recycling is an effect of high level waste which causes serious environment pollution. The most publicized of them are soil pollutions and plastic soup. So if you aren’t a fan of recycling try to produce less garbage, but still it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t recycle your waste. ⋆ There are also a lot of things that are especially difficult to recycle such as styrofoam, silica gel, plastic bottle caps, paper plates, napkins and coffee cups, plastic bags, bubble wrap, jiffy bags, shredded and richy colored paper, toothpaste tubes and toothbrushes,  clingfil, pill packets, disposable razors, fruit netting, tires, electronics… and a lot of more stuff. ⋆

In solution try using material bags for shopping, cloth napkins, material towel instead of paper ones, bamboo toothbrushes, soaps, safety razors with replaceable razors, you can also try to make your own cosmetics and cloth pads etc., reusable is the keyword! You can save the planet and your own money at the same time, isn’t it worth it? ⋆

While on the subject, ask yourself if you need all those things in your house. If so, keep it, use it and use it up, try making something new out of it instead of buying new items, borrow it to your friends or relatives if you can and if it’s broken try to fix it. But if there are things that you don’t use (I’m sure there are) try selling it. I’m selling a lot of things online in low prices so I have more space and money and the items aren’t wasting but also exchanging things with someone is a good idea ⋆ 

Okay it’s all for today, gree(n)tings  ⋆

Gentle rain 🌱

Free ways to be more environmentally friendly/zero waste

Email companies about their packaging and role in sustainability. You can easily do any company you like to buy from - even encourage less packaging waste to organic environmentally friendly ones because sometimes it’s hard to get those products without plastic.

Pick up trash and properly recycle it if you can

Learn and spread that information. Online, in person, make a cheap zine or pretty picture to post online to get more attention. And don’t spread false info, you should check multiple sources especially since big companies may like to shit talk about options that oppose them.

Eat less. Eat less meat. Eat less packaged products. Eat out less. Eat less dairy and cheese.

Eat more in terms of what you already have so you don’t have food waste. Meal planning can help with this. And be sure to look up actual expiration times on foods you buy in order to keep track and because the sell by/use by date is more for actual stores vs you eating it. Just, you know, have common sense and make sure it’s not chunky, smelly or slimey.

Dumpster Diving. Some people live solely off the food they find in dumpsters. Just do your research, check local laws, and bring gloves.

Start a garden with your food scraps. 

Compost. You already have the banana peels, grass clippings, etc. Might as well try to compost it then add whatever compostable packaging you get after.

Buy less, that’s a given. First rule of zw is to use what you have. And focus on your needs vs feelings, “cheap deals” or aesthetic.

Recycle. That’s not free if you have to pay the trash company fees to be apart of their recycling program like I do. But there probably are recycling bins locally. It depends on your household number, location to the recycling bins, transportation but the easiest option would be to just collect it over a period of time if you have space at home then take it all to be recycled. Grocery stores like Walmart also have plastic bag recycling bins because grocery bags tend not be accepted at certain recycling programs. Here’s a good guide on recycling plastic.

Re-use. You really don’t need those aesthetically pleasing mason jars or fancy jars off Amazon. Use glass jars you already buy. Jam jars, pickles jar, sauce jars, spice jars, heck even wine bottles. You can even find or reuse the plastic bottle tops and put on the glass jars for instant shaker or squirt bottle. Plastic ones too. I put little craft stuff in my soy sauce containers. You can still reuse water bottles for a while before recycling it. Also try to re-use things your family or friends don’t use anymore.

Repurpose/upcycle/DIY. There are already a million different ideas out there on how to find new uses just about everything you already have. And sometimes DIY is better than buying. You can make underwear from t-shirts. Mesh curtains can become produce bags. Beewax wraps - and even vegan versions of this - seem to be cheaper and easy to make. You can un-knot old knit/crochet products and make something new with the yarn.

Use fossil fuels differently- which you’ve already been told. Cold water saves on energy used to heat it up. Wash clothing less. Turn down the house temperature a little bit. Turn off light and electronics. Car pool, ride a bike, use public transportation, make one trip a month to that one bulk store two hours away vs multiple in a shorter time span.

Free Stuff/Trading. Use Freecycle, find a local group for free stuff on fb, organize a clothing swap, look on the side of the road because people throw out perfectly good household stuff like chairs and appliances.

Choose slow shipping and less packaging. Two day shipping means trucks aren’t packed to full capacity which means more trucks driving back and forth thus more emissions. Vox did a good video about it here. If you shop at Amazon you know you can have your package wait and get all your items in one box. But you can do more! Shelbizlee did a great video about reducing Amazon packaging.

Consider, think and research. There are endless things to think about and consider your options. Easy stuff like buying secondhand instead of new, choosing a glass or cardboard option vs plastic in your grocery store, checking for local options. But there’s also having to consider if it’s more zero waste and sustainable to diy or purchase from an ethical company. And you might even want to reduce your recycling more since plastic can only be recycled a number of times so then you have to reconsider IF and how you can re-design your zw routines even more. These are things that are different for everyone but don’t get overwhelmed by seeing lots of problems and not being able to solve every one in your lifestyle. Doing the best you can is the goal.

Concept: I live in a tiny cabin in the woods. I dry my laundry on a clothes line. I wake with the sun, stay up late reading and nap during the afternoon in a hammock. I have a garden full of flowers, herbs, vegetables and berries. I go on picnics regularly by a nearby river. I rarely need to leave my beautiful home tucked away in the forest.

FYI

to help make a difference in climate change and to not contribute to human and animal suffering as much as possible i:

- am vegan in all aspects - do not have a car - walk and bike as much as possible - use public transportation when i can not - use reusable bags - use reusable water bottles - use reusable utensils - use reusable containers - refuse plastic at all opportunities - buy recycled/fair trade clothing as i can - try my hardest to be zero waste - throw away NO food - recycle everything i can - switched to having all of my energy come from renewable sources - appreciate all water i use - pick up trash - buy local produce when i can - forgo produce that uses many resources - donate money to vegan and environmental causes - live a minimalistic life - get furniture and appliances second hand if possible - sell and donate things i no longer use

does that make me better than you? of course it doesn’t. but i probably am doing better than you. what the fuck are you doing for the planet? do more.

Looking for blogs to follow

Reblog if you post about any of the following topics:

Environmentalism

Zero waste/minimal waste living

Eco friendly tips

Sustainability

Climate change

OR anything related

frankly? ban all plastics. require all public buildings to be solar powered. public community gardens in every neighborhood. ban all pesticides. ban fossil fuels. put wind turbines on every sky scraper. gardens on every rooftop. tax cars and fund public transportation. build bike lanes across every city. train/railroad infrastructure across the country (tear down highways). every state mandated to have a certain percentage of land be a wildlife preserve. local/organic farms get huge tax breaks. raise the minimum wage. aquaponics farms in every city. every family has chickens in their backyard. community composting. jeff bezos’s body for fertilizer. i have a clear idea of what i want the world to look like and i want it now. hire me

Image via/from the London UK School Strike

From the school strike outside Town Hall in Sydney. Look at all these amazing signs! Look at all these amazing people demanding a better future from our politicians! I’m so proud!

If ur highkey pissed off that eco-activism is constantly written off as reefer hippie bullshit so much so that even the lower class, who would normally benefit from it, are willing to push this false narrative of giving a fuck about the earth being bad or embarassing, all because the capitalists who brainwash them would sooner watch it die than lose a single dollar, and it all makes you sick to your fucking stomach, clap your hands

it’s so funny when capitalists are like Stopping climate change is TOO EXPENSIVE. like money isn’t even fucking real you know what is? Earth and you know what’s about to not be real anymore? Earth

I upcycled a few old shirts into makeup remover pads and o h m y g o d my hands hurt from cutting 56 of these with older, slightly dulled scissors.