I'm always looking for things to add to my RSS reader! I loved the Hundred Rabbits site that was posted here recently and thought others might have some nice submissions.

I recently found Sunshine and Seedlings which is substack, alas, but has some great content.

I'm also a fan of Low-tech Magazine.

>The Solarpunk Pioneers Fund is a private funding initiative with the goal to kickstart and fund solarpunk projects that develop solutions for a good and sustainable livestyle within the planetary boundaries.

>We do this with private money that our family wants to invest into a better future, and we do this in our free time next to our day jobs. Hence, we want this project to develop organically, step by step, in exchange with the broader community.

>n her 2016 Edward W. Said lecture, Naomi Klein examines how Said's ideas of racial hierarchy, including Orientalism, have been the silent partners to climate change since the earliest days of the steam engine, continuing to present day decisions to let entire nations drown and others warm to lethal levels. The lecture looks at how Said’s bold universalist vision might form the basis for a response to climate change grounded in radical inclusion, belonging and restorative justice.

Adam's podcast is just straight-up low-key solarpunk at this point. Like half the videos feel relevant.

Here is the audio-only version, too: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/factually-with-adam-conover/id1463460577

Piped mirror: https://piped.video/watch?v=UVlBmdvIC6s

This channel is about architecture, and this video (from Nov 2023\*) is about Solar Punk and covers some of the history and real-life attempts.

I was amused that shortly after talking about Solar Punk's rejection of consumerism she did the sponsor section, but that's Youtube for you.

\* it's been posted elsewhere on Lemmy but not here that I can see

After writing Solarpunk Creatures, I decided to join forces with my co-authors to create a workshop at the Solarpunk Conference: Decentering Humans in Solarpunk. How would you create a society that sees other creatures not as things to be exploited or marginalized into extinction but valuable independent of their use to us?

I loved the Movie 2040 by Damon Gameau. It’s really hopeful and shows us it’s possible to have a better future, the most important message today. I especially also like the focus to be on kids, because those are the people that will be living in and shaping the future. So watch this movie, show it to your kids and anyone who could benefit from a little more hope and Ideas!!

Be it on YT or just blog posts from a website, please do share any low-tech focused content creators :)

There is a decentralized YouTube alternative.

Video hosting is notoriously expensive. PeerTube circumvents this problem, because videos aren't stored on some single server, which would cause high bandwidth cost for the server operator, but largely by the users after they watched them, similar to BitTorrent. This way, the cost of video hosting is distributed among the clients, by using their internet connectivity for sharing.

I believe that PeerTube is an interesting project, and I'd ask you to check it out. It's cool.

Similar to Lemmy, it's not a single running server, but rather a software that can be used to set up a server. So there's many instances. I'm still exploring which instances are interesting. If you have any recommendations, I'd like to hear them.

I don't think I've seen any solarpunk art (much less real world construction) with transparent wood, so I wanted to share

Not only is transparent wood real but apparently it has been around in labs for a bit. Take a look! (And let me know if this is old news for you)

Article: https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/12/why-scientists-are-making-transparent-wood/

Wikipedia with video: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparent_wood_composite

Original paper publication: https://45-79-48-20.ip.linodeusercontent.com/s/trDsHKKWwsHsQZ5

I cannot explain why but I feel that this belongs here.

What is shown is some kind of re-interpretation of the "princess and the pea" saga. Instead of showing the princess' over-sensitivity to small things, it displays the princess' love for plants and nature. In this way, sensitivity is interpreted and seen as something positive, which I can appreciate.

geteilt von: https://lemmy.ml/post/16677826

> Watercolors and colored pencils

The Yippies were a counter-cultural group from the US-Vietnam war era, and were famously prosecuted by the state as part of the Chicago Seven after experiencing a police riot during the protest against the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Not sure how popular this is. I really like their content, fits perfectly in here.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10182171

> Mutual Aid: A Factor of Evolution by Pëtr Kropotkin

Canonical YouTube link

> We've arranged a society based on science and technology, in which nobody understands anything about science technology. And this combustible mixture of ignorance and power, sooner or later, is going to blow up in our faces.

!science@slrpnk.net

Edit:

This is not intended as "how to grow all your food you ever need at home".

It merely provides the vegetables.

You still have to get your grains (and therefore the majority of your calories) from somewhere else.

geteilt von: https://lemmy.ca/post/22193783

> - > - Author: /u/well-made_innocence > - Link Shared on Reddit > - Original Reddit Comments >

>In this revelatory work, Ruha Benjamin calls on us to take imagination seriously as a site of struggle and a place of possibility for reshaping the future. > >A world without prisons? Ridiculous. Schools that foster the genius of every child? Impossible. Work that doesn’t strangle the life out of people? Naive. A society where everyone has food, shelter, love? In your dreams. Exactly. Ruha Benjamin, Princeton University professor, insists that imagination isn’t a luxury. It is a vital resource and powerful tool for collective liberation. Imagination: A Manifesto is her proclamation that we have the power to use our imaginations to challenge systems of oppression and to create a world in which everyone can thrive. But obstacles abound. We have inherited destructive ideas that trap us inside a dominant imagination. Consider how racism, sexism, and classism make hierarchies, exploitation, and violence seem natural and inevitable—but all emerged from the human imagination. The most effective way to disrupt these deadly systems is to do so collectively. Benjamin highlights the educators, artists, activists, and many others who are refuting powerful narratives that justify the status quo, crafting new stories that reflect our interconnection, and offering creative approaches to seemingly intractable problems. Imagination: A Manifesto offers visionary examples and tactics to push beyond the constraints of what we think, and are told, is possible. This book is for anyone who is ready to take to heart Toni Morrison’s instruction: “Dream a little before you think.”

OK I haven't seen the whole thing yet but I'm at the point of the video where I think she's going to say "Solarpunk" and I'm excite!

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10045103

> >The vote to elect a new chair of the Pacifica Grid closes in four days, and an auditor thinks there's something suspicious going on. Records of an incident for the lead candidate's past have been destroyed in a cyberattack, and the manager responsible for the files is being mysteriously tight lipped. Keeping power in the right hands requires answers, and it's going to take a few determined problem solvers to get them! > > After releasing the core game manual a week ago, we've now released our first playable adventure. It's a concise little one-shot that can be played in 2-4 hours, written specifically as an easy entry point into the game's world and rules. > > Like the game itself, it's FREE! So check it out, tell your friends, and if you like this weird little story of hard-science sci-fi intrigue, please leave us a rating and review!

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/482551/fully-automated-a-demonstration-of-power

in three years [the solar panels] generated enough savings to transform the district’s $250,000 budget deficit into a $1.8 million surplus.”

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.blahaj.zone/post/12660948

> Deceleration: Notes on anarchism and degrowth

Text reads:

I'm sure you may have seen a lot of "how to inoculate yourself against climate disinformation" posts, but we're experiencing a huge amount of content paid for by Fossil Fuel Interest's to put pressure on the internet. And it's been really concentrated for a few months.

The funding is pushing for a cultural shift for people who are undecided in the climate conversation and are possibly more easily swayed. And it's important to remember, fossil fuel interests wouldn't pay for it if they didn't need it.

Most of the disinfo looks like "yeah climate change is real but we can't possibly do anything to fix it" or "these solutions simply don't work." about solutions that are tried and true. They look a lot like nuanced takes, but specifically are trying to motivate inaction.

So if you wake up today and ask "what can I do today that makes a difference?" is honestly post a lot to tip the scales regarding the presentation climate solutions. Silly or serious, for example posting about renewables getting you excited, community food forests that are feeding people, cool solutions to targeting methane, etc. Post about a climate book or show you liked, or whatever. Just make sure it's clear to an onlooker that there are people who believe climate change is anthropogenic, it was mostly caused by extractive practices and fossil fuel use, and that we can still demand rapid action to fix it. And all of this is true, because the science supports it.

Archive link

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/9827132

> Guess what? > > WE'RE LIVE!!! > > Fully Automated RPG is now available for "purchase" on DriveThruRPG! > > https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/481979/Fully-Automated-Solarpunk-RPG > > If you haven't yet had a look, check us out now! The book is free as in speech, and free as in beer! And if you like what you see, please rate us, review us, and tell your friends! (or foes!)

Hi everyone! A bit over a month ago I made a survey about Solarpunk and shared it here. Now, I finally present you the findings of the survey! I am adding a few pics here for a preview and if you are interested, go check the link where there is a full description of the findings!! !

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full findings: https://thesolarpunksurvey2024.carrd.co/

We’re about to begin Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer. Set in the year 2454, the Earth of the Terra Ignota quartet has seen several centuries of near-total peace and prosperity.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/9709038

> https://cohost.org/roguecache just made a new solarpunk logo; i think it's very well designed and keeps the simplicity while still keeping sun, nature and technology meanings

Went to a town called Sutton's Bay in Michigan, USA this last weekend. Definitely solar Punk leaning. Solar: a lot of people drive EVs, bike paths throughout the town and connecting other local towns, rain gardens are interspersed throughout the town, some business stops nearby from the local intercity bus network. Punk: residents are encouraged not to mow their lawns until the end of May, the only gas station in town looked pretty closed, their groceries is a mom and pop shop. Obviously, the town has a long way to go (economy is largely tourist/consumerism based, no public ev chargers, housing does not appear affordable, no light rail nearby), but as far as USA cities in the "middle of nowhere" go, it's a speck of hope.

Pictures taken in local coffee shop. !

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Hopefully a blow to planned obsolescence

Am curious if Solarpunk music is a thing or not yet? If it is please do share some links to tracks to check out, am very cruious. If it isnt a thing yet, what type of music do you imagined it would be like? I found this on the Tubes, which is very relaxing, ambiance type of music. This is personally the type of music I have in mind when thinking solarpunk.

• Invidious; https://iv.datura.network/watch?v=rWEI9y6PElo
• Tubes; https://youtu.be/rWEI9y6PElo

This is one I’ve had on my list for months now, and I finally decided to just go ahead and make it. Back when I was researching solar cookers, solar concentrator, and solar furnaces, I ran into a few really interesting ideas around fresnel lenses. Look them up on youtube and you can find all kinds videos of people melting glass or burning skillsaw blades in half, but the ones that kind of showed me how useful a really-concentrated point of heat could be was this 3D printer for sintering sand into glass objects and this solar rig for smelting zinc or aluminum. Both used fresnel lenses, but were limited by the size of their portable builds.

So here’s my take on something bigger and more permanent, though hopefully still flexible enough to do multiple jobs using concentrated sunlight. The building’s tower houses an observatory-style dome with an irising shutter around a very large fresnel lens. This lens is meant to gather light, but deliberately doesn’t focus it too much, just directs it to another lens, which aims the light straight down. There, on a motorized rig which allows for some adjustment up and down, is the third lens which actually brings it to a searing focal point.

With that focal point reliable and known, the people at the workshop could move several different tools underneath it as necessary, from a crucible for smelting, to a firepot for solar forging, perhaps a glassblowing oven, a 3D sinterer, or the large CNC plasma cutter-style rig shown in the scene.

A set of computers would be set up with light sensors and control over the rotation of the dome, to allow it to track the sun, and the width of the aperture in the shutters, to allow it to regulate the amount of light. The upper limit on the light would be based on how bright the day is, but if they need anything less than full sun, then the opening and closing of the shutters should help with providing consistency. If it starts around half open in full sun and a cloud moves in front of the dome, it might open all the way, then close partially as the cloud leaves. With many minute adjustments, the overall amount of light could remain very consistent down on the ground.

As for the level of focus, I suspect the kerf while cutting would almost definitely be wider than with a modern plasma cutter, but like I said before, people have cut through skillsaw blades with just a lens from a rear-projection TV. So it's possible a larger lens could concentrate even more heat, allowing it to burn through much faster, with less damage to the surrounding material. The tightness of the point would mostly come down to the quality of the lens, as far as I know.

I’ve tried to include a number of controls, caution markings, and red emergency stop buttons, but the one thing I really don’t like about the design as drawn is that it’s not obviously fail-safe. I think ideally there’d be some kind of hanging weight or other mechanism so that when power is lost (not just to the building, as that probably happens fairly often on a less-reliable grid, but to the system’s control unit) the shutters or another light-blocking mechanism slams into place.

Other notes about the scene, I’ve tried to include a diversity of ways to use the sun, the photovoltaic panels for powering the electronics and perhaps some of the tools, a set of fiberoptic solar daylighting systems, which track the sun and pipe light down to the shop floor, along with the simplest version, large windows. This emphasis on daylight should help avoid the risk of electric lights strobing in sync with moving items (such as on a lathe or milling machine) which can cause them to appear stationary and safe to grab onto, though they likely have two sources of light on each just in case. I’ve also included a water wheel, either for power generation, or for the direct motion, to be connected to certain tools or machinery via axles and belts.

The energy system we have today does not match the solarpunk future we dream of. If we work towards the right energy system today, we may just have a solarpunk tomorrow