SolarPunk Wikia

Welcome to SolarPunk!

Solarpunk is a newer genre, loosely in the area of science fiction. Since collective individual involvement is part of how we define ourselves, starting a wiki to support us seemed like a natural idea. And here you are, so please let us know what you'd like to do and however much you know about how to do it.

## What \*is\* SolarPunk?

SolarPunk starts with a shining, rosy vision of a positive future, that starts from the world we have now, and emphasizes environmental sustainability and social justice. Our immediate predecessors, the Steampunks, faced a world so grim the only way they could figure out to address it was to turn history back a century and take a do-over on the Industrial Revolution; \*their\* predecessors, the Cyberpunks, couldn't see any way to have positive visions at all, and so only generated dystopias. When we get back to Silver-Age science fiction, we get back to positive futures, but that worldview fell apart with the collapse of American integrity that went with the Vietnam War.

The technology and engineering-based fascination with toys that went with the Silver Age is still here, but it's not our primary focus. We're more centered on social change and environmental action, as the big problems we have to deal with are the ongoing human refusal to engage in self-governance and our destruction of the environment.

Vision is not all of what we're here for, we also want to *create* that world we want to live in. So there are areas here for projects for you to pursue to build our world. If you see a project you want to participate in, please do; if you have an idea for a project you'd like to add, add it. If we can find a way something relates to solarpunk we'll add it and help you connect with others who can help.

## Engineering

Because solarpunk is very new, its aesthetics are still varied. Some typical elements include:

* **Efficiency and practicality**: an emphasis on DIY and decentralized production of energy, food, and personal items. Solar panels and wind energy powering the scratch-built automation controlling one's backyard garden. Hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, and any other space-saving food production crammed into every available corner. Items designed to be used and upcycled indefinitely.
* **Community and the Commons**: Neighborhoods working and living together, leveraging each other's complementary strengths to lift everyone up collectively. Communally maintained and accessible gardens, kitchens, workshops, schools, parks, with walkways, public transportation, and skybridges providing safe travel between if not all in the same arcology (or "building city").
* **Natural motifs**: Artistic depictions of plant life, the sun, beehives, flowing water, rainbows, and the like on or even carved into every available surface
* **Biomimicry**: adopting lessons learned from studying biology and the environment to artificial architecture and product design, by integrating such systems into their greater context. For instance: basing a building's ventilation off of that of a termite mound to allow better air quality without as much energy consumption as a typical ventilation system.
* **Art Nouveau**: an aesthetic featuring the curved, swooping, branching lines of natural branch and vine growth in warm, golden colors.

## Greening

Everything. JK you shouldn't overuse it. You can make beautiful art with tor by overusing it you just made a jungle. You should also use vertical farming on your buildings to show more sustainability.