• More durable: all else equal, a device lasting decades would cost more upfront than one lasting a few years. Even if planned obsolescence is entirely unintentional per se, today's resources simply aren't being spent making things as durable as can be. An obvious solution would be taxing shoddy devices to subsidize durable ones.

• More repairable: Mandate public schematics, remove corporate liability for third party repairs, etc. I'm sure screws cost more than glue, but again subsidies.

• Interchangeable hardware: May require more technical overhead and open hardware standards. Imagine being able to install third party extra storage in an iPhone. I'm confident even today's companies could adapt and thrive in this new normal by selling parts, and once the ball gets rolling a handset that can't accept third party parts would be no more profitable than one without open wifi or Bluetooth standards. This would also lower the market entry to new makers since they can just make parts for existing smartphones.

• Fully open source?: Even smartphone parts are very hard to make, requiring chip fabs and distant mines. It's hard to imagine a non-corporate, non-State "people's phone" short of next-gen nanoprinters that can make electronics from everyday rocks and air.

I'm playing a solarpunk tabletop RPG with friends, and during a gameplay session last week my character left a message on the Wood Wide Web for some local wildfolk. I was just improvising in the game, but I love the concept and I think it’d be nice to develop and document things a bit to make it easier to use in games going forward.

The concept of the Wood Wide Web is currently understood strictly as a naturally occuring mycorrhizal network for coordinating interactions between fungal communities and plants across forests, but within the game I’d like to establish that these existing networks are used as a backbone for sending messages across forests by humans.

I don’t want to go too deep, but what should the player experience of using this be like?

In my head, I’m imagining this as an organic version of a wireless ad-hoc mesh network. One project in particular, diaster.radio, is designed to set up a system for Twitter-like microblogging that is geotagged across a decentralized mesh of nodes. I think this is a good framework. Users access the Wood-Web by plugging a small electronic spike into the dirt, and it lets them browse recent posts like you do on Mastodon, but perhaps with low character limits and no multimedia. Does that sound good? What do folks think of this interface?

Also, I’d like a basic overview of how it works. It doesn’t need to be highly technical. But if folks want to hack a local network in a game, we all basically understand what a WiFi router is. Similarly, I’d like for there to be a basic understanding of how the wood-web system is able to operate. I’m thinking that it’s primarily based on the naturally occurring mycorrhizal networks, but with a series of low-power router nodes that allow humans to interface with it from a certain distance away.

What do folks think? As a player, if you went into a forest and plugged in to this, what would you expect to see? How fast and far do you think messages should go? What kind of maintenance would you imagine sysadmins needing to perform? Thanks!

Just a thought I had recently. Maybe it's obvious.

That the four main aspects of the universe (Energy, Matter, Time, Space) to correspond to main aspects of the economy (Power, Resources, Intelligence, Labour) that seem to be gaining the potential for abundance in the next 10 years. Opening up the way for a Solarpunk future, assuming the corporate Cyberpunk future is avoided.

-----------------------

Energy - Power

Primary: Renewables

Secondary: Energy Storage

Tertiary: Nuclear- Advanced Fission/ Fusion

Time - Intelligence

Primary: AI

Secondary: Quantum computing

Tertiary: Distributed Systems and Blockchain

Space - Labour

Primary: AI Robotics

Secondary: Autonomous Vehicles

Tertiary: 3D Printing

Matter - Resources

Primary: Autonomous Mining/ Farming

Secondary: Nanotechnology

Tertiary: Asteroid Mining

-----------------------

These things seem to reinforce each other. It also doesn't include advances in biotechnology, like Gene-Editing/CRISPR, cybernetic implants, and Longevity research. It seems like the technologies for abundance are almost here.

What do you think?

Hi everyone,

For the past five years, I’ve been working on a project called Siavashgerd, inspired by ancient Persian wisdom and modern technology. My goal is to create sustainable, connected communities that honor the environment, foster human connection, and integrate cutting-edge solutions like AI and regenerative design.

This is more than just an idea—it's a plan to build a future where urban living is harmonious, adaptable, and truly sustainable. I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas about what a community like this could look like.

If you’re interested, you can check out the full vision here: Siavashgerd Vision: Building the Future of Sustainable Communities

Just watching this great interview and thinking that there needs to be more rail in Solarpunk - it's so the future and delivers on lots of Solarpunk values! Anyone know of any really good Solarpunk material featuring rail?

https://novaramedia.com/2024/11/24/trains-are-better-than-cars-heres-why/

Hey guys,

I followed your suggestions and started brainstorming. Here is my canvas I started making in Miro and also some pictures I tried to make with ChatGPT (which didn't go exactly to plan...). I realize it seems pretty unhinged at the moment, but I would love some input from the community.

I am building on the ideas of communalism, permaculture and so on. For now I envision a world of smaller communities dispersed throughout the world and all connected with a rail system, with a central bigger city with a university and so on. I want the communities to be as self sufficient as possible and I want there to be wilderness in between the communities (like in Psalm for the wild built). Also the communities would produce their own medicine with mushroom extracts, herbs. I also love the artworks by Luc Schuiten, Hundertwasser and Dustin Jacobds as an inspiration... The end goal here is to envision a solarpunk world, make maps, artworks, write stories that take place in it and so on.

Please shoot any ideas that come to mind :) What would you like to see in a solarpunk world? What would it look like?

https://preview.redd.it/1bewzhjpzd4e1.jpg?width=3691&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=28889fada89e4a90d7a6355d99b643a9baf90f92

https://preview.redd.it/2o9jr1731e4e1.jpg?width=1792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=340b6f8113291bcf9d937867df2fd06d77c66f12

https://preview.redd.it/owlxi1731e4e1.jpg?width=1792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=79d0f8e2124f6fa4d149086d5aca6260649078a0

https://preview.redd.it/yk2zzcnl1e4e1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0a70557044b2e707ad0a07df55b2c9bbe418ee88

https://preview.redd.it/lhvxednl1e4e1.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5134b6d36332b49faac1bd9c5f94d44fd11aacbc

I'm taking part of a workshop where we have to repurpose Kärcher pressure washers, vacuums and other products into Solarpunk solutions, adding new parts to the original design and arranging something new out of them, I'd love to hear from the community some new ideas and recommendations.

By government, i really mean a hirearchal structure of power consolidated into the hands of a few. As seen with corporations.

Solar punk requires sustainability, and there shouldn't be any room for practices like planned obsolescence. Right to repair should be a total given as well. So my question is, how long could say, a smart phone last with minimal repairs, if it was built to last as long as possible with reasonable specs? Same for large appliances or vehicles, or even small objects like hair brushes, and clothing.

What if you factor in both current technology and perhaps future advances that are realistic or not far off from today? Would the availability of energy affect the ease with which high end materials could be manufactured? (Let's say it's a post energy scarcity future filled with nuclear and renewables).

My 14 year-old niece has developed a very pleasing interest in collectivism and left-wing politics; a proper teen communist. I'd like to introduce her to solarpunk but I'm not looking for YA science fiction. Any recommendations on theory and practice for a serious-minded young woman?

Create a grid structure made up from city blocks no bigger than 300 meters in length for each four sides of the blocky squares. Each square making up this grid should contain exactly one building no taller than 6 stories tall. Each of these square shaped buildings within this block should contain or house a green courtyard within its center. Therefore, it is to be made from four united buildings that create an opening within the center of the city block. This central region from within the city block shall remain free from any construction in order to form a spacious courtyard at the center of each and every city block. Within this courtyard shall be a feild which is filled by cultivated plantlife capable of growing food for the residents of each block while also serving as a public space for leisure and socialization, thus, it shall be equipped with water fountains or other decorative ornaments.

At each block, the first floor shall always be reserved for some sort of third space appropriate for individuals to interact with publically. Every other floor above shall be used for housing individuals. Additionally, the roof of each building must come equipped with some form of green space or leisure space.

Libraries, schools, and other public services shall remain abundant throughout the city. The notion of personal vehicles will be outlawed and forbidden unless strictly for public utility purposes or public services. The automobile will be outlawed as a form of transportation in favor for public transit/transportation. The architecture style must take inspiration from nature and intelligently use color to convey certain emotions such as peace, joy, freedom, spirituality and harmony with the environment.

Streets will be made from stone, buildings must be made sustainably from locally sourced materials. Ornaments will be encouraged, and minimalist design shall be outlawed in favor for aesthetics and style. Each block being populated by buildings of unique styles and design.

While most blocks shall be constructed upon. Many blocks must also serve as larger public parks, characterized by gardens capable of growing food forests, and structures of cultural significance scattered across the region.

Most forms of public transportation must be red. Trains, trams, or trolleys must be a shade of red. The color red is known to ground individuals and contrast well with natural colors and earthen tones.

The city main city streets separating each block must be wide enough to posses two distinct lanes divided by a row of trees alongside two additional rows on each of the far sides facing the buildings. These two lanes divide the street for the offchance that a vehicle is ever required to be used. Or simply rather for bycicles to flow more effectively.

Cities must be ran like smaller nations. Each city should have its own local community governance not owned by private entities. Any labor institution must be collectivley owned by the workers, and all forms of hierarchy must be rejected.

TLDR:

1. Urban Grid Layout:

• Grid of 300m x 300m blocks.

• Each block contains a four-sided building enclosing a central green courtyard.

• Buildings are no taller than 6 stories.

2. Courtyard Design:

• Central courtyards remain free of construction.

• Used for food cultivation and leisure.

• Equipped with water features and decorative elements.

3. Building Use:

• First floor: Public spaces (e.g., cafes, community centers).

• Upper floors: Residential housing.

• Roofs: Green spaces or leisure areas.

4. Transportation:

• Personal vehicles are banned.

• Public transit (trains, trams, trolleys) in shades of red.

• Streets paved with stone and designed for pedestrians and cyclists.

• Two-lane streets with tree rows for separation.

5. Public Amenities:

• Libraries, schools, and cultural services abundant.

• Larger public parks with food forests and cultural structures scattered throughout.

6. Architecture:

• Inspired by nature with expressive use of color (peace, joy, freedom).

• Sustainable materials and locally sourced resources.

• Richly ornamented, rejecting minimalist design.

• Each block features unique designs.

7. Governance and Economy:

• Cities operate autonomously, akin to small nations.

• Community governance free from private ownership.

• Worker collectives own and manage labor institutions.

• Hierarchy is rejected in favor of freedom, unity, and harmony.

8. Philosophical Principles:

• Prioritize aesthetics, sustainability, and community well-being.

• Balance individuality with collective harmony.

• Foster direct human connection through design and governance.

I will be illustrating this soon.

I have a Vax commercial backpack vacuum cleaner I picked up when I had a cleaning business a couple of years back. Up until today we still used it at home, but the old girl finally stopped working.

I was about to put it in the rubbish pile when I realised there's probably a lot of ways to reuse most of the parts - the motor is dead but all else is fine, a vacuum cleaner isn't too fancy, it's mostly plastic

Just for fun/thought experiment - how would you repurpose parts of the vacuum cleaner?

I’ve found a bunch of cool solarpunk videos that I want to post here. Mods, what’s the problem?

More specifically, TikTok video links always only end up working half the time. I would like to just upload them onto the sub.

Why does the sub not allow video uploads?

edit: more specific

I’m looking for phrases short enough to projec,t to inspire people to investigate solarpunk.

Since i discovered the concept of Solarpunk i fell in love with it, envisioning a green future instead of the depressing cyberpunk themes gives me a sense of direction to the possibility of a better future for humanity. And coming from a place where i got to grow with constant contact with nature, makes me fery fond of Solarpunk.

Anyways, currently I'm not living in the countryside anymore, instead i came to a high density population and urbanization metropolitan area for the sake of completing my university studies.

I just found this sub, and I wanted to learn from you on what are the ways to promote Solarpunk, to live in a lifestyle that aligns better with it, and how does someone start on Solarpunk, what kind of projects can someone start with. I'm a CS and Science and technology student (this includes but not limited to natural sciences and math)

I'm aware of the resources listed in this sub about section, but honestly i found it pretty overwhelming, but i will definitely explore. Since i haven't really found a comprehensive section of resources for beginners i think this can be very helpful for people in my situation as well. With enough answers i can compile and create a post around it.