Solarpunk Visions: A Call to Action

Solarpunk is a somewhat newer subculture inspired by science fiction, most notably steampunk and cyberpunk, and environmentalism. It is a media genre that has produced amazing works in the fields of video games, animation, film, television, literature, and music. It also exists as a real life movement which has influenced areas of society such as fashion, architecture, and technology, while pushing towards a more ecologically sustainable technologically-enhanced future.

While the movement as a whole does not subscribe to any particular set of political or economic values, many in the community subscribe to some variation of social ecology, eco-socialism, green libertarianism, or environmental anarchism. As such, they envision a world where the pursuit and implementation of green technology is equally as important as permaculture and gardening and they see their goals as real, grounded, and sustainable, even while inspired by speculative fiction.

It is this idea that has spawned Solarpunk Action Week.

Solarpunk Action Week will take place every six months in accordance with the planting seasons with dates announced before each planned Week of Action on their official Tumblr and Mastodon. The next Week of Action is from March 8th-14th, 2020 and is a week of independent decentralized and autonomous actions all undertaken with the goal of helping to create a solarpunk society.

So what can you do to participate? Well there are plenty of options. Start a food garden using techniques such as permaculture, vertical and rooftop gardening, guerrilla gardening, and responsible GMO use. Install solar panels or a wind turbine on your property. Hop on the SolarCoin train or even invest in FairCoin. Build one of Precious Plastic‘s four machines to help recycle your plastic waste. Make changes to work towards a zero waste lifestyle. Use the heat generated from your crypto-mining operation to help grow more tropical plants in your greenhouse or to heat your home during the winter. Weatherproof your house to prevent unnecessary energy use. Support green tech projects such as the Fairphone. Properly recycle your electronics. Create a community meshnet, tool sharing shed, hackerspace/makerspace, bicycle repair cooperative, lending library, science lab, free store, clothing swap, and/or seedshare. Start composting. Start spreading the idea of using Cell 411 over Lyft or Uber. Join a group such as the Environmental Unionism Caucus of the Industrial Workers of the World, Earth First!, or Fight Toxic Prisons. Take action to help stop the rollout of 5G until privacy and health concerns are properly addressed. Utilize sharing platforms such as Freecycle, Shared Earth, and OLIO. The possibilities are nearly endless if you put your mind to it.

So participate however you wish to and are able. The limit is only your imagination and resources. And be sure to post your action ideas using #solarpunkweek on Mastodon and Tumblr to share with others around the world doing the same. Hope to see you back there every six months until we’ve achieved our solarpunk utopia.