Why does it seem like so many solarpunk forums and posts focus on hypotheticals, what governments and politicians should do, and wishing for big things, but dont include real world, small scale personal experiments?
There seems to be a huge opportunity for hacker like, actual DIY punkrock communities, but i dont see many.
why? is alot of this a LARP? where are the people taking action? sincere question…
I see lots of people working on small scale personal experiments here. We have artists working to research and envision a solarpunk future, writers doing the same thing but in a different medium, folks setting up personal websites and self-hosting internet servers to bolster the Small Web, people growing gardens wherever they’ll fit like in their backyards or on balconies attached to tiny apartments, people experimenting with different methods of gardening (such as hydroponics) to make them more accessible for everyone, folks helping each other research their purchases to ensure they’re making ethical choices with their money + buying something that will last as long as possible, people making zines, people making tapestries, people foraging and experimenting with food preservation methods…
The list goes on. My own personal projects include a small apartment balcony garden, monthly events with my close community, mending/repairing my family and community’s clothing, learning to sew and thrift the things I need, peakbusting on hot summer days, learning to sew clothes from unusual materials to prove that solarpunk fashion can include unique and cute modern styles, and teaching myself how coding and cybersecurity work so that I can set up my own personal website and local server,
I noticed you mocking the idea of someone who hasn’t physically touched a solar panel. Solar panels are extremely expensive to purchase and my income is less than 12k a year. I am also extremely disabled (hence the small income) and lack the kind of physical ability needed to climb up a ladder and install a solar panel… or study for an electrician’s license, given that there’s, y’know, some prerequisite knowledge necessary for this kind of project. Do these things apply to everyone? No, of course not… but the people to whom it doesn’t apply are definitely posting about it here.
I recommend you toss the slop AI image (there are few things less solarpunk than GenAI) and spend some time looking around and connecting with others. Please post your own projects freely! I want to see your DIY punk rock ideas c: we do have a lot of news articles posted around here rather than personal discussions, so why don’t we work together to share more with others?