Does solarpunk dream utopic dreams of clean, just, green cities that are great places to live in vibrant communities with other people? Or is solarpunk about getting back to the land, having your own chickens, being self-sufficient, and helping out your neighbors? City dweller Ariel, who dreams of life in the countryside, and countryside dweller Christina, who sees the advantages of city life, consider the pros and cons of trying to live urban versus rural solarpunk lives.

Here are links to some of the literature we discussed:

https://www.williamcronon.net/writing/Trouble_with_Wilderness_Main.html

https://archive.org/details/boston-hearth-project-by-tjwatson/mode/2up?view=theater

Connect with Solarpunk Presents Podcast on Twitter @SolarpunkP or Mastodon @[email protected] or solarpunkpresents.com

Connect with Ariel at her blog, on Twitter at @arielletje, and on Mastodon @[email protected]

Connect with Christina at her blog, on Twitter @xtinadlr, and on Mastodon @[email protected]

Support the show on Patreon or make a one-time donation via PayPal.

Ariel's note: this is a constructed debate, and not necessarily reflective of the opinions of all solarpunks everywhere, but a debate that Christina and I see fairly often in solarpunk spaces, so we wanted to duke it out in a fun and engaging way to provoke thought.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the changing climate increasingly disrupts our ways of life, we have three choices: do nothing, attempt to stop or even reverse climate change, and/or figure out how to withstand it. Option one is a terrible idea and the ship has (mostly) sailed on option two. But option three is how we learn to live—and maybe even thrive—in our changing world. Part of this is figuring out how to convey the information that climate researchers have gathered to the people—like farmers, water managers, and urban planners—who need to make decisions now—about things like what crops to plant, where to get water for everyone and how to allocate it, and where to plant trees—for both the near and slightly distant future. In this episode, we’re talking to Professor Lisa Dilling, of the University of Colorado, Boulder, about building networks of people through which information about regional climate predictions can flow to people and information about the needs, predicaments, and questions of people can flow to climate researchers.

You can follow Lisa Dilling on Twitter at @LisaD144, and the Western Water Assessment program at University of Colorado here: @WWAnews or visit their website at https://wwa.colorado.edu/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today’s episode, Ariel chats with Heather MacKenzie, Executive Director of Solar Alberta, about transitioning to renewable energy deep in the heart of oil and gas country - in a just and sustainable way. Join us to learn about the history of the Solar Alberta organization, from its grassroots beginnings in neighbourhood solar projects, to dealing with (government-funded!) trolls online, all the way up to being the leading non-profit solar organization in Alberta and providing worker upskilling in a unique market.

You can go to https://solaralberta.ca to learn more, or connect with and follow them on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You don't have to be a solarpunk—or a lunarpunk—to dream of bioluminescence, from twinkling phytoplankton to glowing lamps, phosphorescent fungi, and jellyfish lit up like space ships. To honor those dreams, we talked to Dr. Steve Haddock, Senior Scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) and leading expert on the things that glow, flash, and train headlights through the dark waters of the deep sea. Join us for this conversation about how bioluminescence works, what critters are capable of it and what they use it for, and whether or not our visions of bioluminescent street lamps stand a chance of coming true.

You can also follow Steve Haddock on Twitter @beroe and learn more about bioluminescence at https://biolum.eemb.ucsb.edu/.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Solarpunk Presents, nonfiction co-editor Ariel Kroon sits down for a virtual chat with Gabrielle Gelderman, an Edmonton, Alberta-based climate grief chaplain and climate justice organizer. They talk about what climate grief chaplaincy even is, the necessity of holding communal safe spaces for grieving especially for organizers, the necessity of feeling grief in order to feel more positive emotions, and climate despair as a corollary of solarpunk hope.

Links:

Gabrielle's Instagram: @theclimatechaplain

Gabrielle’s LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/gabthechaplain

Climate Justice Edmonton (CA)

Faith Matters Network (US)

Sunrise Youth Organization (US)

*Note: During the interview, Ariel mentions episode 4.30 of Secret Feminist Agenda; the name of the theorist she cites is Eugenia Zuroski.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Solarpunk Presents, Ariel sits down with John Okhiulu from the Decolonizing Wealth Project to talk about the role of philanthropy in addressing racial capitalism and reparations, and how the DWP is working to change the narrative around charitable giving and wealth-transfer. Also, John tells us about how he personally found himself in the world of philanthropy, as well as his vision of a solarpunk future.

To learn more, visit decolonizingwealth.com, read about its founder Edgar Villanueva on his site, or follow the organization for updates on their Twitter @decolonizwealth.

Download the full transcript here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/124123344

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.