I was first intoduced to Solarpunk in high school (2013-2017), and in the early 2020's i was re-introduced by way of Andrewisim's Youtube Channel and I've been obessed ever since. Here I plan to post some of my thoughts and mini-essays about solarpunk, how we can achieve a solarpunk future right now, and maybe some book reviews as well? I guess we'll see! As you might have noticed this is going to be a more casual space for me.
Solarpunk is commonly described as a:
"Solarpunk is a literary, artistic, and social movement, closely related to the hopepunk movement, that envisions and works toward actualizing a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community. The "solar" represents solar energy as a renewable energy source and an optimistic vision of the future that rejects climate doomerism, while the "punk" refers to do it yourself and the countercultural, post-capitalist, and sometimes decolonial aspects of creating such a future."
-Via Wikipedia
The thing that really draws me into solarpunk is the the fusion of politics and art. While fighting for a future that is more sustainable, egalitarian, and enjoyable, it's important to actually envision that future, how it might look, how it would function, and how do we actually achieve that. On that same note, solarpunk lends itself really well to prefigurative politics*; wether it's someone growing their own food and sharing with their neighbors, thus creating a small localized supply chain and fostering a local gift economy**,
*"'Prefigurative politics’ refers to how activists embody and enact, within their activism, the socialities and practices they foster for broader society."
Source
**"A gift economy or gift culture is a system of exchange where valuables are not sold, but rather given without an explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards. Social norms and customs govern giving a gift in a gift culture; although there is some expectation of reciprocity, gifts are not given in an explicit exchange of goods or services for money, or some other good or service."
Via Wikipedia
While some people describe Solarpunk as utopian, I personally veer away from using that word; instead choosing to describe it as "egalitarian", "sustainable", or "Positive". Utopias typically have "perfect" societies with little to no struggle. But realisticly, this would be impossible. People will always struggle- that's a part of life. We want to eliminate unessary suffering, create a more equal world, and improve living conditions for flora and fauna, but there will still be struggle and imperfection.
