solarpunkmaybe

[solarpunkmaybe]

I WANT MORE OVERGROWN RUINS TO EXPLORE AND IF I HAVE TO MAKE THEM MYSELF THEN SO BE IT

[solarpunkmaybe]

wrap your house into a greenhouse

[solarpunkmaybe]

If global warming is inevitable, then I’m gonna fight for every tenth of a degree. If fascism is inevitable, then I’m gonna save as many people as I can. This world is turning into a horror movie? Then I’ll become the final girl.

I’m done being worn down by reality. It’s time for reality to take some wearing from me.

[solarpunkmaybe]

One of the things I find most helpful about solarpunk is that it gives me a positive ideal to work towards. Of course solarpunk is at its core about dismantling capitalism, averting the worst consequences of climate change, and fighting systems of oppression, but always focusing on the negatives we are trying to end is a lot harder on my mental health than looking to a positive ideal to reach for.

The world we live in is already rough on mental health. People are isolated from each other and from nature, overworked, underpaid, locked in hierarchical systems, and facing social problems that are massive in scope and well-entrenched. Imagining a positive eco-socialist future is already a radical and punk action.

[solarpunkmaybe]

youtubers to watch if u are interested in sewing!

withwendy for step by step projects and beautifully made garments, she has a whole series on how to set up a sewing machine and “how to clone your clothes” and make clothes from other clothing you have

kenandrewdaily for unique men’s design and complex structural concepts. ken makes stuff from SCRATCH and will go in depth on how he builds a garment. he also shows you how to make stuff for cheap!

madebyaya if you want to learn how to make the most beautiful garments slowly and understand how a garment is built. in my opinion she has some of the most difficult to find methods displayed on her channel, like working with chiffon and making balloon sleeves, structured wraps, even hats. she has a bunch of videos where she makes clothing out of men’s shirts

annika victoria for BEGINNER stuff, understanding structure and how to build a garment. she will teach you about methods and language, like “ruching, lettuce hem, serging, bias tape, foldover elastic”

birabelle anytime i want to make thottie clothes & remake an already existing piece, not make stuff from scratch 👀 she shows you how to upcycle that top from forever 21 into a really cute new garment, or how to make your jeans fit better

[solarpunkmaybe]

For SPAW I’m sewing patches onto my twin-sized baby blanket that is now 20 years old.

[solarpunkmaybe]

Hey solarpunk community! In light of several posts that have been going around, I was thinking it would be worthwhile to talk about the real, physical things we can do to make this world a more solarpunk place. Because speculation and aesthetics and thinkpieces are awesome, but a movement isn’t a movement without real action behind it. So what are things we can all do to make the present closer to our solarpunk future?

[solarpunkmaybe]

How much longer until the utopic Solarpunk future where Capitalism is dead and we all live in ecologically sustainable high-tech forest cities? Asking for a friend.

[solarpunkmaybe]

Solarpunk Caravan Seed funding Call to action

Long story short: I dropped out of college to take care of my grandfather while juggling part time work. Got tossed out 6 months prior to agreed plans and was left homeless before I could get the funds to rent my current home (thanks to the initial $750+ raised from initial fundraiser for down payment). After a year of working paycheck to paycheck keeping me from directly working on my plans aside from brainstorming different concepts. Then I got fired so they could hire someone for less and because I was trying to unionize with my co-workers for better work conditions as the only condition. (due to constant workplace injuries/overwork in extreme weather conditions) Today I want to raise the funds to start an official organization. We will be working to setup public events that will eventually host the “Solarpunk Caravan” a mobile makerspace/learning center for educating the public on sustainable living while having fun games/events that further educate. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AVy2d7PcPB6BpXgykKyFf3FhFfqrV5XrPY317JSXEmg/edit?usp=sharing

While we don’t hope to get enough to make the bus, we do hope to get enough to keep a roof over our heads, file for the appropriate permits/licences, and begin organizing for small booths at other events when possible.  If this fund gets interest we will host a larger fund on Chuffed for funding the caravan itself. https://www.gofundme.com/solarpunkinvention If you are interested in helping with this effort join the discord. Link is limited and only grants temporary membership until you ask to introduce yourself, ask for @innovator role, and from there will be granted additional roles based on what you help with. Let me know if this is an event you would like visiting you and send a message!

[solarpunkmaybe]

my main criticism of solarpunk is why isn’t it happening

[solarpunkmaybe]

finding pdfs online

this post is mostly dedicated to texts about oppression, activism, politics, & theory. the general process is applicable to pretty much anything, though.

process:

pick out a title. some books just aren’t available online for free, but if they are, you need to identify their information to make sure you’re getting the right edition/the right text period. also sometimes texts that masquerade as leftist/progressive etc. are really just bullshit! so. keep that in mind.

find a site with the book. my #1 is library genesis, which has ALL KINDS of stuff; just make sure you’re searching in the right area (fiction vs. comics or whatever). here are more sites, too: 

 sci-hub: basically unpaywalls scientific texts/articles (also consider directly emailing the author; they might just send you the article for free!)

readings: this is someone’s personal collection of texts; subjects range from diasporic trauma to pop culture analysis to socialist theory. it can be good to just browse to get started

activists & organizers: systematic activism works; if you want to start a nonprofit or community program this is a good starting point 

“leftist leanings”: another (fairly extensive) personal collection; has both ebooks & pdfs; is leftist-focused)

project gutenberg: older lit. with expired copyright; lots of classics!

your local library: a lot of libraries have ebook checkouts on their websites! go look    

(not always necessary) also, if you only found the download in epub form & don’t want to deal with All That, put the file into an ebook converter & you can change it into a pdf. 

(optional) save your pdf to a flash drive or somewhere else that’s safe, & consider uploading it yourself for others to read. sometimes the hosts of these texts are forced to take the work down, but knowledge should be free! take care not to lose it. :-)

PLEASE add sites or resources to this post if you have em! & have fun

[solarpunkmaybe]

Basic Homesteading Skills

Crafts

quilting

embroidery

cross-stitch

knitting

crochet

sewing

Cooking and Baking

homemade bread

homemade butter

homemade extracts

dandelion jelly

Canning

26 canning recipes

canning jars 101

60 canning recipes

Gardening

edible trees to plant

what to plant to save the bees

cure and braid garlic

save seeds for next year

braid onions for long term storage

build a greenhouse

Animals

homemade chicken feed

raising mealworms for chickens

why to raise nigerian dwarf goats

Outdoors

starting a fire with sticks

trail signs

knotting

find true north without a compass

Medicine

homemade neosporin

all purpose healing salve

[solarpunkmaybe]

First off I want to say that you dont have to do a lot all at once. For some its easier to be ecofriendly than other (if you dont have a lot of money buying some items that are “green” might not be in your budget, and some tips might be unreasonable). Just do your best,  be aware and work on it. There are also other things you can do, I suggest further research.

TIPS

-cut down on single use plastics, like plastic bags

-get rid of cling film, see bee’s wrap below

-instead of a incandescent  light bulb try  florescent/ led one

-if you can leave your car at home, use a bike or walk instead.

-Reuse your shopping bags. In California they actually charge for bags, to avoid the charge you can bring in paper bags for your past trip, or reusable ones

-Recycle electronics

-cloth diapers

-dry clothes on a line

-use natural cleaners (buy or diy) For Diy do your research first some might be better to use than others

-turn off lights when not in use

-use up cycle rags (old clothes) instead of paper towels

-Unplug & turn off electrical appliances when not in use – the standby button still uses energy, make sure you turn your computer off as well!

-Recycle

-don’t use plastic straws at restaurants, use the reusable one you brought instead

-invest in products that last (if you have the money to) 

-public transit

-reusable coffee cups

-avoid receipts

-pick up trash

-donate/ swap clothing

Products

water bottles

cloth diapers

bar soap

biodegradable trash bags

Reusable food Storage Bag

reusable straws

travel cutlery

reuseable grocery bag

dental lace

eco friendly feminine padseco friendly pads also dont have certain materials/ chemicals that have the potential to be harmful to you fyi

shampoo bars

reusable cotton pads face

bee’s wrap

dryer balls to replace dryer sheets, if you use them

mesh produce bag

coffee filter/ keurig cups

eco doggy poop bag

badger sunscreen biodegradable and reef friendly

Seventh Generation cleaning products

Dr. Bronner’s soap organic, vegan, no synthetic detergents or preservatives, multi-use cleaner, cruelty-free, RECYCLED PACKAGING. 100% biodegradable in a 100% post-consumer recycled wrapper. Dr. Bronner’s is committed to environmental protection, ethical sourcing, and fair trade practices. 

like I said this is only a small list of things you can do.

[solarpunkmaybe]

K

no, listen, when I say I want to integrate more specific solarpunk stuff in my life, i don’t mean to ask for yet again new “aesthetic” clothes that now you have to buy or make to show your support of the movement (screw that i’m consuming enough as it is), or more posts about impossible house goals, or whatever, I’m asking you what my options to build a portable and eco friendly phone charger are, im asking you viable tiny-appartment edible plants growing tricks on a budget,  im asking tips to slow down when my mind and society tell me im not fast enough, i don’t need more rich art nouveau amateurs aesthetics or pristine but cold venus project, okay, i know i should joins associations where I am tho i’m constantly on the move, thanks for that, just, you know, can we get a bit more practical ??? how do I hack my temporary flat into going off the grid for the time i’m here

[solarpunkmaybe]

Hey Goblins, uh

Did you know, that you can make an AWESOME journal for your adventures ALL ON YOUR OWN from a cereal box and paper/scraps that you likely have at home/can get from friends or family/you may find around your environment?

They’re called Junk Journals and they’re my entire life.

Im gonna do my best to walk you through how to make one! First, get you a mini cereal box! I use boxes from those cool multipacks of cereal that you can find at Walmart!

And then cut it out so it looks like this! (I already had one cut, so I’m gonna use that)

That “nutrition facts” side is gone become your spine!

Next, find some paper to use to decorate your cover! I was lucky enough to be gifted a bunch of scrapbooking paper, so I’m gonna use that, but you can also use newspaper, paper from books/magazines, junk mail, napkins, paper towels (excellent texture), etc!

Go ahead and glue that paper to your box (to cover the cereal logo) and cut it out! It’ll look like this;

Next you need to find your pages! Again these can be anything! Junk mail, envelopes, receipts, food wrappers, magazine/book pages, scrapbook paper, computer paper, construction paper, ANYTHING. Just grab a whole bunch!

You’re gonna want to fold them in half and cut them to the size of one of the covers of your box, and layer other pages inside of it to make your signatures, like this!

Each signature should be about 7-10 pages. You don’t want them too thick, otherwise the inner pages start sticking out when folded in half. You’re gonna have a LOT of these signatures, as you wanna fill the area in the spine as best as possible. For this one I’m using 7 page signatures. Here’s a pic to show just how much paper you’ll need

Each of these signatures are 7 pages, 6 signatures have only filled about half of the spine, so I’ll need probably 6 more.

Next you gotta figure out how you want them in your journal. Personally, I like to sew them into the spine, but you can also keep them in the spine with rubber bands, so you can have removable pages! (Be weary that rubber bands may break over time! So you may want to always keep extra bands near it to replace in case one snaps. This is why I prefer sewing them in) I find it best to look up on YouTube how to sew in signatures, just because having someone walk you through it where you can see what they’re doing is easiest. If you can’t access YouTube, there’s plenty of text tutorials on how to sew in signatures online, or you can message me! I’m not gonna go too into detail, but here’s the jist;

Okay so I’m a forgetful gob and I hecken forgot to take pictures as I was going along kahshshshsh

But essentially, I sewed in the pattern similar to the one I drew. The dots are where the needle goes all the way through to the back. I also like to use rubber band as an extra mode of support but you can do one or the other. I also like both cuz I can tuck stuff in em between the pages. Since I didn’t take more pictures; I’d really recommend looking up a how-to on YouTube or w/e if my badly drawn diagram isn’t clear enough (heh sorry about that)

Next, I glue fabric to the spine. It spruces it up quite a lot and holds the rubber bands in place, plus it give more support to the spine since there’s gonna be a lot of strain on it.

Only 10 photos per post, so I gotta post this and reblog it with the rest.

[solarpunkmaybe]

Micro Seed Bombs

For a while, I lived in a city with a lot of industrial wasteland and unloved patches of urban ground. So I made these. They’re gel capsules filled with a mixture of indigenous wildflower seeds and dry compost.

Simply throw a few of them onto any patch of unloved ground. The capsule protects the seeds from environmental damage or hungry animals, and keeps them clustered together. Whenever it rains, the capsule will dissolve and, all going according to plan, the seeds will start to germinate a couple of weeks later.

Those are the same kind of gel caps you might use for vitamins or herbal supplements, and yes you can buy vegan ones.

[solarpunkmaybe]

I WANT MORE OVERGROWN RUINS TO EXPLORE AND IF I HAVE TO MAKE THEM MYSELF THEN SO BE IT