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Beiträge, die mit solarpunk getaggt sind


Must say there is something beautiful and healing about seeing a bunch of strangers in a #repairCafe helping each other fix their rice cookers, format their laptops, sew their teddy bears, patch up their clothes, figure out ways to solve problems with what they've got right there and each other.

Highly recommended activity to restore faith in ordinary people when we see so much cruelty from the top.

#solarpunk #hopepunk #RightToRepair


I love this
#solarpunk #GreatGreenWallOfAfrica
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfiH9T-iR3E


Which modern, capitalist things support/nudge/afford a lifestyle that's much more connected to nature and our stone-age brains? In a positive manner, so I don't mean "endless scroll = intermittend dopamine hits" or such ilk.

I wonder about for examples:

1. hourly-flexible electricity metering = aligning daily life with the sun (and winds) #SolarPunk #Tibber

2. Steep discounts on supermarket products that are near their sell-before date = hunting & gathering plus avoiding #foodwaste


I didn't set out to purposefully learn how soon the rain will be here based on the sound of it coming, but after living here for a while, I can do that.

It's very place-specific. I'm sure that if I went somewhere else with different rain patterns, I'd be way off.

This is my favorite kind of learning: the kind you get just from hanging out with nature long enough. 💚

This is the foundation of a lot of indigenous knowledge: being in a place, living with it, being a part of its cycles, and gaining that knowledge. Now, multiply that by many many generations of people who purposefully shared that knowledge with the next generation. This is not knowledge that can even be gained in a single generation because some of these cycles span many many many generations. This is the kind of knowledge that enables living with the land. And for those of us in the "modern world" who have been totally cut off from that knowledge, tossed far from where our ancestors lived, think of the disadvantage we have when it comes to starting to live with the land.

This is why it's so important to listen to indigenous folks when it comes to living with the land - because a lot of the rules they've got around how to relate to the land have been hard won over generations, despite hundreds of years of colonizers trying to sever people from ancestral knowledge and sever people from their lands.

#nature #JungleLife #offgrid #ForestLife #solarpunk #environment #indigenous


Die Solaroffensive Köln macht im März wieder zwei Abendveranstaltungen zu „Packs drauf“: Infoveranstaltungen zu #Solarstrom

13.03.25 – 19 Uhr – Rolshover-Str. 588 A, 51105 Köln-Poll

18.03.25 – 19 Uhr – Albert-Schweitzer-Straße 3-6, 50968 Köln

https://koelle4future.de/blog/2025/03/11/packs-drauf-im-doppelpack/

#Solarpunk #Solar #Koeln

@koeln


Some more sweeeet #SolarPunk vibes. This time from Hans Christian Andersen Museum. https://hcandersenshus.dk/en/
#OWGF #Architecture #Denmark
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.
Photos of the Hans Christian Andersen’s House Museum. Featuring green roofs, organic shapes, snaking green bushes, organic architecture. Built very nicely into an old neighborhood.


"A really cool sight I stumbled upon yesterday in Salthill... A solar-powered park bench serving as a phone charging station and offering public WiFi!

*Very* #Solarpunk! 🌞"

h/t to @VallescuraRule, copied from his BS account

I love this. I love big, grand, multi-problem-solving / #accessibility solutions in #UrbanPlanning - but sometimes, just a single bench can do so much. 🎉
A bright yellow park bench where the seat is also a large solar panel (and offers charging ports for portable devices as well as public WiFi). Text is printed on it in Irish and in English. English text reads: "The sunlight that powers this bench travelled over 149 million km to charge your phone" (Irish text is a translation of the same). Also shown is the logo of Galway City Council.


Small anecdote regarding Food Rescue in our town.

We have a bakery that we've started working with. They bake fresh each day and at night they would have to throw away anything they didn't sell.

So we partner with them every evening and pick up the baked goods that they would normally throw away and either take it to another org that makes hot food for folks or to the free fridges in town for people to pick up on their own.

They call us each evening before close to let us know if they have any food for pickup. If they don't call, it's generally because they sold out that day (yay for them!).

An interesting pattern emerged though. We would get regular calls on some days and other days were completely silent. We would never receive calls on those evenings. Week after week.

So I asked about it one time when doing a pickup and the baker told us that those days were staffed by a woman who had experienced a lot of trauma. She specifically would not call even if they had food to pick up because she never wanted to be in a position where she was alone with a man after close.

That seemed very prudent, reasonable, and safe of her given her circumstances and experience.

We took the time to learn about our neighbors and worked with the woman to meet her needs for safety and comfort. We found out that she was much more comfortable with another woman or femme presenting person doing the pick up. We found a couple of gleaners that were willing to do the pickup and they went over during business hours when it was slow and just got to know the baker.

They built trust and established safety guidelines and now we have regular calls during these evenings as well.

The lady was very very very happy that she could help feed people and was very happy that we were willing to work with her to find a solution that brought her comfort, peace of mind, and actual safety.

I thought y'all might like to hear that. We'll find a way to take care of everyone.

#solarPunk #mutualAid #foodRescue


"Ich bin mir recht sicher, dass künftige Historikerinnen und Historiker über das Jahr 2025 schreiben werden, damals hätten sich die fossilen Thymokratien geschlossen gegen die Ukraine und die Europäische Union gewandt. [...] Wer wirklich etwas für den Frieden tun will, übe sich nicht in Unterwerfung, sondern im Solarpunk." #Trump vs. #Selenskyj #USA #Ukraine #EU #Europa #Militär #ErneuerbareFriedensenergien #Solarpunk https://scilogs.spektrum.de/natur-des-glaubens/der-us-thymokrat-trump-wendet-sich-gegen-die-ukraine-und-gegen-die-europaeische-union/


#ExeterSeedBank's #SeedSwap will be on Sunday 2 March, 11 – 2pm, at the Positive Light Projects, Sidwell St, #Exeter, EX46RD https://www.exeterseedbank.co.uk/events/exeter-seed-swap-25

Booking links for individual talks in the following post.

#Permaculture #SeedSovereignty #Solarpunk #Devon #SeedSaving #OpenPollinatedSeed #SeedLibraries
A flyer for the seed swap with line drawings of seed saving and plants growing and photographs of the speakers. The text reads:

Exeter Seed Swap 2025! Now in its third year! 

Sunday 2 March, 11 – 2pm, Positive Light Projects, Sidwell St, Exeter, EX46RD
FREE ENTRY (Suggested donation: £2) bring cash. Children welcome.
Featuring: Hands-on activities, demos, yummy café treats, plants to buy, stalls and more!
Talks Programme: Talks held at Sidwell St Bakehouse, Sidwell St, EX46RD. General admission: £5 + booking fee. Limited free tickets for under 25s with valid ID.


A successful tri-town Repair Café

by Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter

"According to the Christian Science Monitor, 'It was 15 years ago when Dutch #environmental journalist #MartinePostma was finally moved to action over all the appliances she saw being thrown away in her Amsterdam neighborhood . . .on Oct. 18, 2009, she arranged a local event where volunteers skilled in repairs would try to fix broken devices that community members brought in, free of cost.'

"Holding a local repair café can help reduce waste in a community and enable people to save money by continuing to use their household items and forgoing the purchase of new ones. A repair café is also an opportunity for people to get to know their neighbors, share a snack, and admire the #fixperts as they work. Repair cafés are now a trend being held throughout the world.

"At the #WestwoodMA Senior Center, a large group a people arrived at the #TriTownRepairCafé earlier this month before the opening time of 2:30 pm. The event was organized by the Westwood #EnvironmentalAction Committee, The Dover Recycling Committee, #SustainableMedfield, and the Medfield Transfer Station and Recycling Committee. The items people brought with them to be fixed included a blender, lamps, a coat, an air conditioner, sewing machines, a folding table, a chair, and a clock, among many others.

"After entering the Senior Center, attendees briefly waited in line and chatted until it was their turn to register for the event. After that, they were called by name to enter the repair rooms where approximately 12 volunteer repair people or 'fixperts' worked intently on the broken items at their workstations while the owners watched. There was no charge for the repair service, and the repairs were not guaranteed. Item owners were responsible for purchasing any parts needed.

"Fixpert Bob was presented with a sewing machine that needed the bobbin assembly to be put back into place after falling out. Bob was delighted at the word play of 'Bob working on a bobbin!' The owner of the 1987 Brother sewing machine wanted to avoid purchasing a new one, but she couldn’t figure out how to put the bobbin assembly pieces back together. Bob got right to work, studying a few pages from the original manual that the owner brought. One could see him thinking as he looked back and forth at the pieces of the bobbin assembly he held in his hands. Though Bob had no prior experience with sewing machines, he soon had the three pieces of the bobbin assembly put together and seated back in the machine.

"The other fixperts chatted with 'customers' while fixing their items, consulted each other on repairs, and used a variety of tools. A fun atmosphere prevailed in the room, with people showing each other what they brought to be fixes and happily announcing, 'He fixed it!' and showing their restored items to others.

"The next time you see a Repair Café being organized locally, you might want to give it a try."

Source:
https://hometownweekly.net/westwood/a-successful-tri-town-repair-cafe/
#RepairCafeMA #RepairCafes #RightToRepair #SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #Massachusetts


Auzina: Don't just buy #Canadian. Visit your local repair café too

Opinion by Aija Auzina, February 19, 2025

"We are living in unpredictable and shifting times. If we want to support Canadian businesses and not buy American, don’t buy the culture of complacency, greed and waste either. Change must be embraced with courage and responsibility.

"#Environmentalists are optimistically realistic. Members of the #Ottawa South Eco Action Network , #OSEAN, embrace doing what we can with what we have and finding friends to do it with. So if we can reduce waste by hosting a repair café, or teach people to mend the rips in their clothing, or help people plant a native pollinator patch in their garden, we will act on it. And finding friends in community, government and businesses helps us stand up to the wind that is no longer at our back, but in our face. Strength is in numbers.

"#ClimateChange is a part of the chain of the choices we make. Let that bracing wind in our face help us find the courage to do better. Come to the #RepairCafe or a #MendingCircle. Fix your personal items as a responsible owner does. It takes effort, work and a bit of courage. We can do this. We can do really hard things too.

"Another word for courage is political will. We need more of it. With provincial and federal elections looming, now is the time to know your own values and live by them.

"Ownership is a responsibility that the Feb. 22 Repair Café and the specialists from the #OttawaToolLibrary (#OTL) can help you with. Sign up on-site to have a 30-minute slot at one of the repair tables that will be set up in the Jim Durrell Recreation Centre’s Ellwood Hall. Enjoy a mug of coffee or tea while you wait, in the pop up café.

"OSEAN, a group of volunteers, is helping organize the event with Alta Vista Coun. Marty Carr, and the good people of the tool library have the starring role. Come meet these influencers.

"How do we influence change? Be the example for others to follow. And where are we going? Toward a deep responsibility to our #nvironment. One step can be at the repair café, for instance with that toaster that stopped working.

"But we can’t stop working! Individual people and systems need to pivot toward responsible ownership, responsible living.The gale force wind gusts that rattle your windows and house over the last years show we have been negligent toward that responsibility. The fires in Los Angeles are also burning with that same message.

"We have not been living up to our responsibilities. Individuals, governments, industry, businesses big and small, still have not clocked the fact that we have our backs against the wall. We believe someone else will clean up after us. But mom will not come to your rescue. #MotherEarth is depleted and we did this to her. "

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/society-culture-and-history/social-issues/auzina-don-t-just-buy-canadian-visit-your-local-repair-caf%C3%A9-too/ar-AA1zlqXB
#RightToRepair #RepairCafesCanada #RepairCafes #SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #OttawaSouthEcoActionNetwork


#Austria: What are #Vienna’s #RepairCafés and how can you find them?

by Amanda Previdelli - 17 Feb, 2025

"Across Vienna, residents are finding ways to extend the life of everyday items rather than throwing them away. One of the most practical initiatives is the Repair Café.

"Hosted at 48er-Tandler Margareten, these events offer people a chance to fix broken appliances and mend clothing for free. More than just a money-saving opportunity, they’re part of a growing effort to reduce waste and promote a culture of repair over replacement.

How to participate

"Advance registration is required for electrical repairs, and spots tend to fill up quickly. However, textile repairs do not require registration; participants can simply show up with their items.

"Registration details and availability can be found on the 48er-Tandler website.

When and where are Repair Cafés held?

"The Repair Cafés take place at 48er-Tandler Margareten, located at Siebenbrunnenfeldgasse 3, 1050 Vienna. In 2025, six events are scheduled, with upcoming dates including:

- Wednesday, 24 April 2025
- Wednesday, 26 June 2025
- Additional dates in August, November, and December

All events run from 14:00 to 18:00."

Source:
https://www.thelocal.at/20250217/what-are-viennas-repair-cafes-and-how-can-you-find-them

Register, FMI:
https://48ertandler.wien.gv.at/repaircafe/

#RepairCafesAustria #48ErTandler #RightToRepair #RepairCafes #FixIt #SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk


#Alabama: #RepairCafe Returning to #Tuscaloosa #PublicLibrary After First Event's Success

"After great feedback praising the wealth of knowledge and repair skills available at no charge, #TPL has announced plans to bring the event back next month, on Saturday, March 22nd from noon until 3 p.m. at the TPL Main Branch on Jack Warner Parkway.

"The library is seeking volunteers with practical repair skills to make the event work! Anyone interested can contact Kayla Sikes at 205-345-5820 ext. 1255 or email ksikes@tuscaloosa-library.org.

"'We believe in the power of community collaboration,' Sikes said. "The Repair Cafe is not just about fixing things; it's about building relationships and promoting a more sustainable way of living. We invite everyone in Tuscaloosa to join us and be part of this inspiring event."

FMI: https://tuscaloosathread.com/tuscaloosa-public-library-repair-cafe-2/#google_vignette
#RepairCafesAL #RightToRepair #RepairCafe #SolarPunkSunday #SolarPunk #BuildingCommunity


I am excited to announce that https://homestead.social is officially open for signups! If you're passionate about sustainable living, getting back to the land, or exploring self-sufficiency, this is the place for you. 👩‍🌾 🚜

Whether you’re an experienced hand at homesteading or just starting out, our community is here to support you with tips, advice, and camaraderie. We’ve got spaces for every kind of homesteader—permaculture enthusiasts, animal keepers, off-grid dreamers, DIY lovers, and everyone in between.

So come on in, find your new homestead family, and let's grow together. From gardening and DIY projects to the joys of farm life and everything in between, we can’t wait to see what you bring to the community!

#HomesteadSocial #Homestead #Homesteading #OffGrid #Permaculture #Gardening #Sustainability #SolarPunk


Living on the water strips a home down to the essentials: shelter, coziness, a space to go about one's daily business. It doesn't appeal to everyone, but it sure does to some.

#FernRiverArchive #canal #harbor #HouseBoat #BoatLife #sailing #solarpunk #sea #travel #TinyHouse
A color photo of the hand-built interior of a small canal boat. The structure and furniture is all made of wood shaped into flowing, organic forms. Welcome.
A small, single masted sailboat with deep red sails raised. Three people are onboard. Surely there's room for a few more?
A color photo of a small two masted sailboat docked in a harbor. The ribbed mainsail is bright yellow and the other is candy pink.


Does anyone know any good documentaries on the Black Panther party - specifically ones that cover their mutual aid programs.

I'm searching online for some but I'm interested in any that you have seen yourself.

#mutualAid #solarPunk #anarchism #blackHistory #blackHistoryMonth #blackPantherParty


@PerspectiveDaily Bei so viel schlechten Nachrichten verbreite ich mal eine gute (https://perspective-daily.de/article/3555-erstes-jahr-ohne-tote-fussgaenger-diese-stadt-zeigt-was-tempo-30-kann/GGVlsnEa?pk_campaign=mstdn-user):

Die Stadt #Bologna hat vor einem Jahr auf fast allen Straßen Tempo 30 eingeführt (und dazu auch Radwege und Fußgängerzonen gebaut).
- Das Resultat ist, dass es im letzten Jahr zum ersten Mal seit 1991 keinen einzigen für Fußgänger tödlichen Unfall gab.
- Die Zahl der Verkehrstoten insgesamt hat sich letztes Jahr halbiert.
- In Bologna gibt es jetzt 11.000 Autos weniger und 10% Fahrräder mehr.

Ich hatte nicht gedacht, dass Fahren über 30 km/h so gefährlich ist.

#Fahrrad #Radfahren #Verkehrswende #Natenom #Solarpunk


THEY DID IT!!!!

My local library built the seed library!

The local Master Gardeners provided a lot of the intitial seeds (oh my gosh we are stocked!!!). They used an old card catalogue to store them. Today's the kickoff!

The idea is you "check out seeds" from the library, plant/grow/harvest, let some go to seed, then "return the seeds" back to the library!

Free seeds for everyone!

Editing to add my library's Seed Library web site: https://www.librarypoint.org/seed-library/

#solarPunk #postScarcity #gardening #mutualAid #seedLibrary #earthDay
An old card catalog is used to hold seed packets.
A closeup of one of the card catalog drawers entitled "beans" with a seed packet with information.
Books on seed libraries, harvesting seeds, and various fliers announcing the seed library.
Various fliers announcing the seed library and other programs.


Update on the local Seed Library (see previous posts in this thread for background)!

We've got official approval to start building it out!

We'll start the official planning, building, and then community awareness initiatives and concurrent programming and training!

Yay free seeds for the town!

Yay free classes on gardening and hydroponics!

Gardening is one thing. Community is another thing entirely.

Build community. Feed each other.

#solarPunk #hydroponics #indoorGardening #gardening #urbanGardening
Email states: Regarding Setting up a Seed Library. Hello! I am happy to confirm that our Library Administration approved starting a seed library at the Fredericksburg Branch. Out Adult Services Programmer has expressed interest in starting a seed library previously and she is excited to work with you on this project. I am including our Assistant Branch Manager / Adult Services Department Head in this response so that you may begin planning together. We do feel that we can set this up by next spring in our third floor card catalog. The team is also excellent contacts for any Adult Services Programs that you would hope to plan with the branch. They are currently finalizing Spring 2024 classes and events. Thank you again for reaching out about this excited opportunity. We are looking forward to collaborating with you!


Great news! My library got back to me!

They're interested in building out a seed library as well!!!

YAYAYAYAY!!!!!!

I'm developing some basic classes on how to do low-budget, simple, indoor (in any space) hydroponics. I'm also building out some starter kits to give away.

I'll see if the local library would like me to give these courses and kits when the seed library gets built as a way to promote it and get word out to the local community.

#solarPunk #seedLibrary #postScarcity #libraryEconomy #indoorGardening #urbanGardening


Alright, sent an email to the head of my local library about setting up a seed library there.

Seeds libraries are places you can go and "check out" seeds. Grow the seeds. Let one of the grown plants go to seed. Harvest the seeds. Then "return" the seeds back to the seed library!

Free seeds!!!!

Check and see if you have a seed library near you: https://www.communityseednetwork.org/map/

Or connect and share seeds with folks online:
https://exchange.seedsavers.org

#solarPunk #seedLibrary #libraryEconomy #urbanGardening


I need AT LEAST $250,000 USD for nearly 30 acres of land along the Canadian border (accessible only by boat) in Minnesota to start our #Solarpunk commune before things go full Handmaid's Tale. Oh! And a house-boat.
#CultOfRamenCatholicism

https://www.landsearch.com/properties/elm-pt-warroad-mn-56763/3952349


Well this is brilliant! 💚🌱

Details my brain adds:
USE WHAT YOU HAVE: repair, reuse, upcycle
BORROW: BuyNothing, friends, neighbors
SWAP: clothing swaps, seed/tool libraries
THRIFT: BuyNothing, craigslist, thrift stores, free stores
MAKE: craft, garden, create
BUY: local, non-corp, co-op, farm share

https://www.sarahl.com/
#solarpunk
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/buyerarchy_of_needs_using_what_you_have_borrowing_and_swapping
The Buyerarchy of Needs (with apologies to Maslow) by sarah lazarovic

Colorful pyramid like Maslow's with the following layers, bottom to top, going from largest to smallest (in quantity):

Bottom
Use what you have
Borrow
Swap
Thrift
Make
Buy
Top


Solarpunk kreativer Schreibtreff/Workshop

am 11.2.25 im Neruda in Augsburg

Solarpunk ist ein Science Fiction Genre in einer utopischen Zukunft, in der der Klimawandel von der Gesellschaft überwunden wurde. Wir lassen das gegenwärtige klein, klein hinter uns und lassen uns von einer besseren Zukunft faszinieren.

Bisher entstandene Texte finden sich hier:

https://paper.wf/solarpunxaux/
#solarpunk #writersclub #ClimateJustice #Augsburg
Wir schreiben Solarpunk
philosophieren
träumen
Neue Fiktion schaffen

jeden 2. Dienstag monatlich
Augsburg Neruda


In Finland, there is a Housing First approach which provides homeless people with housing and support services to help individuals rebuild their lives.

By using this approach, there has been a reduction in homelessness, plummeting from over 20,000 homeless people to less than 4,000 in just a decade.

While Housing First was invented in the USA, Finland has embraced it.

📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jt_6PBnCJE&t=54
📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbEavDqA8iE
📰 https://pulitzercenter.org/stories/look-finlands-housing-first-initiative

#solarpunk #community #goodnews #homeless
Silta’s community space, where tenants go for gardening or group BBQs
VVA ry’s dining room, where meals are prepared and where events. such as painting classes or group discussions, are offered.


Greetings Fediverse, I'm Gooch (they/them). I'm a 28 year old Appalachian who is passionate about environmental sustainability, art, and leftist politics. I'd love to make some friends on here so don't be shy :bongoCat:

#introduction #intropost #leftist #solarpunk


... and 2) #solarpunk #tabletopgames are not simply escapism. We're not *hopeful* for an ecosocialist revolution. We're planning it.

Telling stories about the world we want is a core element of movement building. That's been a weaknesses of the left in the past.

Fortunately, that's changing :)


Resource Share: Seed Savers Exchange 🌱

"Whether you’re new to seed saving or want to brush up on the time-honored practice, these seed-saving basics are a smart place to start."

They also have a section where you can swap seeds with other people. USA only, I believe.

https://seedsavers.org/learn/seed-saving/

#Solarpunk #gardening #seedsaving
A photo of jars filled with various seeds.


Ok, I need to think about different things.

Are there folks out there who can explain to me the difference between #hopePunk and #solarPunk - both in the genres and the tag use in the fedi. Plus any other defiantly optimistic tags and ideas going on out there. (I for one am delighted by #rewilding )

I am unlikely to have the cog to engage but will be lurking and pondering.

*waves arm expansively*

Invitation to infodumps and tangents.

I wanna explore this space, listen and dream.


So Richmond, Virginia USA recently lost clean water due to the winter storm.

The RVA Community Fridge network (a network of 14 Free Fridges and Community Pantries throughout Richmond) used it's free fridges as distribution nodes for emergency relief!

In one run alone, they distributed over 300 gallons of water.

In addition to addressing food security throughout the year, Free Fridges are an important part of the resiliency of a town during emergencies.

TikTok Video: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8FBRWrc/
Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/rvacommunityfridges/p/DEkV7k8O86g/

RVA Community Fridges Website: https://www.rvacommunityfridges.com/

#freeFridge #mutualAid #solarPunk
Water bottle packages packed into the back of a delivery truck headed to free fridges.


"No front porches. My uncle says there used to be front porches. And people sat there sometimes at night, talking when they wanted to talk, rocking, and not talking when they didn't want to talk. Sometimes they just sat there and thought about things, turned things over. My uncle says the architects got rid of the front porches because they didn't look well. But my uncle says that was merely rationalizing it; the real reason, hidden underneath, might be they didn't want people sitting like that, doing nothing, rocking, talking; that was the wrong KIND of social life. People talked too much. And they had time to think. So they ran off with the porches."

--#RayBradbury, #Fahrenheit451, 1953

#urbanism, #permaculture, #solarpunk


I got a worm farm! Since I started trying to grow my own food and composting I've wanted one but with moving it was just one more thing to move.

So now we've moved and I have one!

Big thanks to @Uselessgeneration colleague who passed on his old worm farm.

Pretty sure I'm more excited than the average person to have pet worms now! They're mainly going to be used for composting my dog's poop - will definitely report back on how that goes!

#Vermicompost #Compost #SolarPunk
Alexis sitting outside on a pink onesie with TiLi on her lap. Behind her by the house wall is a round, black worm farm with the lid off. On the floor in front of her is a coffee.
A view into the worm farm, some worms are visible along with some veggie scraps and lost of bedding for the worms.


I'm starting up a Food Rescue program in my town.

The idea is that restaurants and stores throw away good food every night. Food rescue (also known as "gleaning") is where a person (Food Rescue Hero or Gleaner) goes to stores/restaurants and takes the good food that would otherwise be thrown out and provides it to hungry folks (either distributed centrally through a food pantry, decentrally through a free fridge / community pantry, or peer-to-peer directly to a person or family).

I'm currently researching tracking and coordination apps (such as foodrescue.us and others) but in the process of doing this I found myself at a local donut shop asking if they had 5-gallon food safe buckets that they could give away for hydroponics (i had received a tip!). They said they did and we started talking about food rescue. They said they had tried to donate their unsold donuts to a couple of pantries but no one could ever pick them up. I told them I would.

...and look what they provided!!!

My first food rescue, y'all!!!

3 dozen donuts!

I ran them straight to the free fridge! They can do this every night!!!

So cheers to Freddy Donuts in Fredericksburg, Virginia!

#foodRescue #freeFridge #communityPantry #foodSecurity #mutualAid #solarPunk
Donuts provided for food rescue from Freddy Donuts
Close up of the donuts. Glazed donuts, apple cinnamon, cookies and creme, I'm salivating
3 dozen donuts placed in the free fridge!


The Mystery Finally Solved: Why Has #RomanConcrete Been So Durable?

January 20th, 2023

"Rome may not have been built in a day, but it was built to last — or at least its concrete was, given that the pieces of the Roman Empire that have stood to our time, in one form or another, tend to have been built with it. That material has proven not just durable but enduringly fascinating, holding a great deal of not just historical interest but technical interest as well. For ancient Roman concrete appears to outlast its much more technically advanced modern descendants, and the complex question of why is one we’ve featured more than once here on Open Culture. Just this year, researchers at MIT, Harvard, and laboratories in Italy and Switzerland have found what seems to be the final piece of the puzzle.

"'For many years, researchers have assumed that the key to the ancient concrete’s durability was based on one ingredient: pozzolanic material such as volcanic ash from the area of Pozzuoli, on the Bay of Naples,' writes MIT News’ David L. Chandler. 'Under closer examination, these ancient samples also contain small, distinctive, millimeter-scale bright white mineral features.'

"Previously assumed to be nothing but imperfections in the process or the materials, these 'lime clasts,' in light of this most recent research, constitute evidence of 'hot mixing,' which involves heating to a high temperature ingredients including quicklime (or calcium oxide), a purer and more reactive form of lime.

"Undergoing hot mixing, 'the lime clasts develop a characteristically brittle nanoparticulate architecture, creating an easily fractured and reactive calcium source' that 'could provide a critical self-healing functionality.' In practice, this means that 'as soon as tiny cracks start to form within the concrete, they can preferentially travel through the high-surface-area lime clasts. This material can then react with water, creating a calcium-saturated solution, which can recrystallize as calcium carbonate and quickly fill the crack, or react with pozzolanic materials to further strengthen the composite material.' Here we have a convincing explanation of the reactions that, in ancient Roman concrete, 'automatically heal the cracks before they spread.'

"No such self-healing happens in modern concrete, the production of which has not involved quicklime for a very long time indeed — but perhaps it could once more. During their research process, writes Dezeen’s Rima Sabina Aouf, the team 'produced samples of hot-mixed concrete using both ancient and modern formulations, cracked them, and ran water through the cracks. Within two weeks, the cracks had healed and water could no longer flow through, while identical concrete blocks made without quicklime never healed.' Such findings 'could help increase the lifespan of modern concrete and therefore mitigate the notorious environmental impact of the material,' and the researchers 'are now working to commercialize their more durable concrete formula.' Even in the twenty-first century, the building industry could well benefit by doing as the Romans did."

https://www.openculture.com/2023/01/the-mystery-finally-solved-why-has-roman-concrete-been-so-durable.html

#AncientTechnology #Buildings #Architecture #SolarPunk


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#solarpunk #climatefiction #climatechange #climatecrisis #scifi #books @bookstadon
Two boxes of books, one containing Halfway to Better by Susan Kaye Quinn and the other containing When You Had Power by Susan Kaye Quinn


Placing solar panels over crops protect them from hail and tempersture variations such as frost in the morning. This experiment saw a significant increase in yield of grapes.
Earlier I saw a similar result with raspberries.

https://www.pv-magazine.com/2024/11/29/agrivoltaics-can-increase-grape-yield-by-up-to-60/

#GoodNews #agriculture #solarpower #photovoltaics #solarpunk