Hi all!

Long time lurker here on slrpnk.net and just signed up to participate more. I have myself been moving on a fairly slow but steady trajectory towards a life aligned with solarpunk values (although not with zeal or even the knowledge of solarpunk for most of this time). I still have a good distance to go, but I also have some concrete ideas in mind going forward.

So I thought I’d make this post where people could share their stories to inspire each other to take bolder steps: what steps have you so far taken and what do you plan to do going forward to live more true to a real solarpunk? What turned you onto these ideals in the first place? If not all ideals speak to you, which do and why? etc. etc. Anything goes!

I’ll post my story in a separate comment.

  • reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net
    3·
    4 days ago

    I enjoy reading theory so I do (my partner is a philosopher for work) but I actually don’t think it’s super necessary. This is one reason I like the solarpunk framing. The principal is very simple, everything we do both individually and collectively should be in balance with the environment. We should exercise the bit of us that is often atrophied living under a liberal bureaucratic way of organizing where we 1) notice things our communities could use and 2) come up with ways to achieve them. I’ve actually been working on a kids coloring book along these lines where it offers worksheet pages for kids along this theme. For ex. search your neighborhood for 3 things that need to be fixed (presented a bit like a scavenger hunt). What are some ways we could accomplish this? I think if more of us treated our surroundings as somewhat more self-determined like this we would be better primed to attack the bigger things too.

    Definitely agree that the parallel social structures approach thing is only realistic to a certain point. There are things like power distribution to dense areas and water distribution to most people that would require a major and collaborative shift (there are only so many waterways). And agreed it all feels too slow, and would be (is already) too slow for many. Unfortunately I think this is the nature of the beast and we won’t arrive at the kind of transformation we need without a true transformation in how people think about their place in society and a refocusing of our priorities towards sustainability and cooperation. This just is a much slower and difficult sort of process than getting angry people to follow a well spoken dictator (which is fast but not transformative in the right ways).

    Anyway I think the things you’re already doing with your family are already helping contribute to this mindset and I’m optimistic that it matters. Perhaps too optimistic but I think some blind hope is important when you’re between a rock and a hard place and the solarpunk dreamers are taking the first important step; imagining something better.

    • thorwiththehammer@slrpnk.netOP
      2·
      1 day ago

      I’ve actually been working on a kids coloring book along these lines where it offers worksheet pages for kids along this theme. For ex. search your neighborhood for 3 things that need to be fixed (presented a bit like a scavenger hunt). What are some ways we could accomplish this? I think if more of us treated our surroundings as somewhat more self-determined like this we would be better primed to attack the bigger things too.

      Nice, way to go! I think kids these days have enough bad influence from society, so we need them to be exposed to more of this good stuff.

      Anyway I think the things you’re already doing with your family are already helping contribute to this mindset and I’m optimistic that it matters. Perhaps too optimistic but I think some blind hope is important when you’re between a rock and a hard place and the solarpunk dreamers are taking the first important step; imagining something better.

      Where are all the optimistic HBO dramas showing what kind of future we should strive for? :(