The politics of solarpunk societies (2)
Solarpunk solutions for the transition to better political systems. Part 2.
This post continues the previous post where we discussed the problem with capitalism and the solarpunk bet for community-based living. Today, we will be exploring how we can transition into such a decentralized political system.
As a reminder, this transition to a solarpunk (and thus anticapitalism) world must happen globally. Otherwise, capitalist countries will stop this transition using brute force, as has happened in the past. For this reason, sharing the solarpunk mindset with others is crucial so we can have global coverage. A simple way to do this is, for example, by sharing this newsletter with your friends, which of course, would be nice 😉. However, involving yourself with community projects, and demonstrating to others what solarpunk initiatives can accomplish, instead of just telling them, is even more powerful!
Let's get into a couple of solutions to transition to a solarpunk society.
Maker spaces
As described on makerspaces.com, a makerspace is a collaborative workspace. It can be built inside a school, library, or separate public/private facility. They serve to make, learn, explore, and share using high-tech to no-tech tools. These spaces are open to kids, adults, and entrepreneurs. They usually have various maker equipment, including 3D printers, laser cutters, CNC machines, soldering irons, and sewing machines. However, it doesn't need to include all (or any) of these machines to be considered a makerspace.
Thus, maker spaces allow the community with access to it to learn the skills necessary to build or fix new products via DIY. This, in turn, permits this community independent of capitalist mass consumption. In addition, maker spaces are great agoras, where people can meet to discuss their ideas and community needs. They can also serve to promote local entrepreneurship.
In a makerspace, there can be regular workshops where local people can teach their skills to others from the community. This enables more people to engage in such aptitudes and thus making the community more resilient. These workshops are not limited to teaching how to use the machines available in the makerspace. They can be about virtually any craftwork, from knitting to drawing.
Some maker spaces also include biological labs (to teach biotech) or computer labs where people can learn to code.
Permablitzing
Permablitz, a contraction of permaculture and blitz, seeks to practice the principles and designs of permaculture onto the local landscape through quick, direct, and collective action.
Permaculture is a practical method of developing ecologically harmonious, efficient, and productive (plant/garden) systems. This means to get much more out of life by using less. It is accomplished by carefully considering how resources are used - food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs.
Permablitzing can mean gathering your friends or community members to build a community garden over a day. It can also mean moving through the streets and planting edible flowers and plants in vacant lots or sidewalk greenways. This second option is also called Guerrilla Gardening, and I'll make a dedicated post about it in the future.
In essence, permablitz is like a maker space for gardening. But instead of learning to create DIY projects, people can learn about horticulture, animal husbandry, land surveillance, systems thinking, beekeeping, composting, food preservation, invasive species management, biology, ecology, and much more.
To ensure all this knowledge is taught correctly, permablitzes are usually guided or assisted by someone with a permaculture design certification, which can be obtained online for free.
Both maker spaces and permablitzes focus on decentralization and empowering local communities. They also pave the way toward the end of capitalism by providing people the resources needed to stop buying new products and stop depending on the global market (superfast) trends.
This concludes the introduction to solarpunk politics. In future posts, we will debate other topics like the economy or education in solarpunk societies. If you are interested in such issues, do not hesitate to subscribe to the Solarpunk Words newsletter!
Sources:
https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-a-makerspace/
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/what-is-permaculture
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLge-w8RyhkLbaMqxKqjg_pn5iLqSfrvlj