I think this subreddit could use a more broad outlook.

In all of the above cases, it's 'not solarpunk.' People will happily post buildings with natural elements, only to be told that it's 'just greenwashing,' people will post natural photos only to be told that there's no tech, and people will post tech only to be told that it will exploit the environment. I've noticed that this sub is highly gatekeep-y. I think a lot of people are confused about what solarpunk is, and it's left the sub looking a bit exclusive. That is what brought me here in the first place - without my belief that for all the madness in the world things to turn out for the better I'd become interested in other dystopias and solarpunk gave me this anchor. Soalrpunk, for me, entails the cooperation between environmental practices (of whatever origin) and technology for good of all. But as the saying goes 'One can not make an omelt without cracking some eggs' I think it as sensible to reduce environmental impacts as much as possible - especially in regard to industry. May not be a related point but is a pet peeve that for all the ideals of solarpunk to outright reject technology or industry (both terms can cover a lot of ground) is not solarpunk - it is primitivism. And regardless of the future the internet already has become a major tool for exchanging ideas.Īlso note that the (total) energy required to recycle metal (alloys) is way lower than producing those in the first place. there is an XKCD strip about it and here shall be the explanation. any moderen technology really, because redundancies (for lack of a better term) add complexity which makes the whole thing even more prone to failure. passive climate control of a house through smart design leveraging thermal mass and the suns movements rather than a high tech digital inverter HVAC system.Īh, that is what you meant by graceful failure. People tend to jump to the newest shiny high tech solution, when there are often lower tech solutions for a given problem that may work as well or better and be more environmentally friendly. That may be the case, but it likely isn’t in many scenarios.Īlso want to add that the point of the rule of thumb (which always have exceptions!) is to combat the tech solutionism that’s so common these days. The point is to not go straight to the super high tech laser based solution first, but only when it’s necessary given your goals and constraints. If a backhoe won’t work maybe you actually do need some super high tech laser drilling machine. If that won’t work, we’ll maybe it’s time to rent a backhoe. If it’s really big or has to happen fast, maybe you need to call in friends with shovels. As an example: If you need to dig a hole, if it’s small ask yourself will a stick from your property suffice. That said, there are many, many ways that might come to life and I’m not interested in policing what counts or not.Įdit: To make this more clear, I think it’s helpful to think of this as a cascade. To me solarpunk should embody that ethos it’s about redesigning society in a way that is it it’s base incredibly sustainable and built in harmony with natural systems, and then adds tech on top when needed as an extension of this base to enhance and support it. Lots of reasons for this: tech depends on extraction and heavy industry, it’s more prone to critical failure than graceful failure, the resources may not always be immediately available, etc. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have tech, it’s just that it should be used to achieve things you can’t through more sustainable means. My permaculture teacher always said “exhaust natural solutions before moving to technological” and I personally think that’s a good rubric.

Jydge op combos