So one of my grad school classes is a 8 week long group project to essentially come up with an artistic solution to a problem. Of course, my pitch was solarpunk in nature, and my group actually really liked it! Basically, the concept is to design a series of solar panel-powered community fridges, to help address food insecurity and build community in different areas without having to rely on a specific host building to provide power. What better time to show my concept art than Solarpunk Aesthetic Week?
Originally, I was just drawing up ideas with what usually comes to mind when I imagine fridges--upright fridges. Here's my concept art!
In these sketches, my main concern was imagining how these fridges would fit into the community alongside their power sources--I didn't want them to be too bulky, but I also wanted them to be available for easy access. I also figured they'd need shelter for the fridge's longevity, as well as to protect any users from the element. It'd also be nice to have them alongside other mutual aid sources like little free pantries, little free libraries, the like. One of my favorite designs is the sheltered community space on page 2, with the fridge, the seat, the pantry, and the library all in one protected structure with solar panels on the top. Having a table near the community fridge would also be nice to give people a place to rest as well.
However, around this time, I started trying to find out just how big of a solar panel would be needed to power a fridge like this, and the results were... a bit discouraging. Until! I was informed that chest freezers use way less energy to keep cool--cool air sinks, so opening an upright fridge releases most of the cold air that's been building up and makes the machine work harder to keep cool, whereas a chest fridge doesn't lose nearly as much cold air. In addition, some people have converted chest freezers into chest refrigerators for as little as ~$30 USD. Due to the insulation in a chest freezer, converted chest fridges use way less energy than their upright counterparts to keep cool, making it way more feasible to power them with solar.
So of course, I had to get to drawing again!
Since I'd already concepted a variety of structures for upright fridges, for the chest fridges I mostly focused on their design and possible convenience/accessibility concerns I had been worried about, one of the main being having to reach inside vertically instead of horizontally--several of my family members have difficulty bending, so I was worried having a chest fridge would make things more difficult for others like them. There are likely other ways to address this concern that I haven't thought of, but for now I've concepted putting a grabber tool inside of every fridge so people with trouble bending can still get things. How well it'd work in reality, I'm not sure...
Buuut these are my concepts so far! I hope you like them, I hope they're cool? Let me know what you think! I think these would be cool to have in a solarpunk future--whether they're entirely possible today or will have to wait until a somewhat-distant, 'solar panels can generate more energy with less size and fridges are also way more energy efficient' future I can't say, but it's cool to think about!
[Image 1: Pencil sketches of refrigerators connected to solar power. The annotations on them are as follows. An arrow points to a magnet caddy on the freezer door with markers and stickers, saying "Markers + labels for dating donations". An arrow points to a battery-structure at the base of a solar panel system saying "Doubles as charging station for phones & stuff". An arrow points to a slanted roof structure over a fridge saying "Bus stop-esque structure." An arrow points at a glass door grocery store-style fridge saying "any kind of fridge, any size."
Image 2: Pencil sketches of refrigerators connected to solar power. The annotations on them are as follows. An arrow points to a fridge under a slanted roof structure, saying "Paintings on the fridge itself." Over a portion of a brick wall is written "Murals can be on accompanying walls or on the shelter structure for the fridge." An arrow points to a wheel-mounted solar panel saying "solar panel". A community space is named at the top "The Free Community Space: Open 24/7" An arrow points to the outside wall of a community space structure saying "mural on outer walls". Items inside are labeled 'Freedge, Little free Library, Seeds, Pantry'. An arrow points to a couch, saying "Maybe a bench instead?" Written on the inner wall is "mural inside." An arrow pointing at the space says "Community built space w/ lights, solar panels, little free library, freedge, seed library, little free pantry, couch (???). Solar battery stored behind or on top. Plastic magnet door to protect from elements? Like those magnet curtains?"
Image 3: Pencil sketches of refrigerators connected to solar power. The annotations on them are as follows. An arrow points to a slanted structure over a mini fridge, saying "Solar panel on roof?" Another arrow points to the side saying "Chalkboard paint--anyone can art here." Underneath says "variety of sizes/energy needs mean wider availability". At the top of a curved shelter on a pole is written "solar panel", along the sloping sides is "curved solar panels" and "Or solar voltaic glass?" On the underside of the structure is a label saying "Could be in a park or smth (something)". An arrow points to a box at the base of the structure, saying "charging station" and another arrow labels a table and chairs.
Image 4: Pencil sketches of refrigerators connected to solar power. The annotations on them are as follows. Along the top of a slightly-curved roof structure is an arrow saying "curved solar panel roof. renogy curved 4ft x 2ft for example". To the side of the roof is written "4 panels each side, 0.45 kWh x 8 = 3.6 kWh/h". A chest fridge is labeled "converted chest fridge", and a glass-front box is labeled "Old cabinet/case now Little Free Library". A box sitting between them is labeled "I hear car batteries are good solar storage for cheaper?" A standalone chest fridge has the following labels: "Could paint on fridge exterior" "solar panel on top of fridge?" "most chest freezers are 22-28 in wide &24-38 or 54-68 in long. The longest wattage panel needed would be ~50 in long & ~26 in wide"
Image 5: Pencil sketches of refrigerators connected to solar power. The annotations on them are as follows. The inside of an open lid has an arrow pointing to a grabber object saying "Grabber for accessibility for those w/ trouble bending". A label points at a strap fastened to the inside of the lid saying "straps to help shorter people pull the lid closed." A variety of arrows point to a drawing of an open, decorated chest fridge saying the following: "Counter-balanced lid" "Baskets/crates for storage -> can slide or be removed to access underneath" "Murals on front & sides (not back)" ]
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Hey friends, Benjamin Maldonaldo reached out to us on Instagram and asked us to share his post about a SOLARPUNK SURVEY which is super awesome!! He wants to take the temperature of what solarpunks are thinking/feeling about solarpunk itself as a movement/genre for his bachelor's thesis, and we think it's a rad concept. Here's the link:
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"Dear Solarpunks, my name is BenjamĂn Maldonado, a Chilean 21 year old Solarpunk enthusiast that throughout the last few months, has tried to learn as much as possible about the movement and genre. This personal passion led me to choose Solarpunk as the subject of my thesis for the Bachelor of Cultural Anthropology at Leiden University.
The following survey will be part of that thesis, where I will ask you about your thoughts on different matters like the Solarpunk movement, Solarpunk content, Solarpunk communities and some basic demographics. Based on the time I have spent in Solarpunk forums, it is very likely that you are also curious on what other Solarpunks think. Given this, after I close the survey I would like to share my findings with you all, hopefully contributing to the ongoing debates within the community.
Your participation in this survey is entirely voluntary, and all responses will be kept confidential. Your personal information will not be divulged, and your individual responses will remain anonymous. The data gathered from this survey will be used solely for research purposes related to this research, supervised by Assistant Professor Rodrigo Ochigame and Assistant Professor John Boy
Although I am sure there are a lot of underage Solarpunks who have a lot to say, I sadly will not be allowing people younger than 18. This is solely a legal matter. Your understanding and cooperation on this matter are greatly appreciated."
This week I went back to visit the discussion in the notes on @seaweed-solarpunk’s post on solarpunk fashion. I collected all the suggestions in reblogs and tags and tried to find common themes to organize into a concept map. This is just my interpretation, but I think the three most important tenets of solarpunk fashion are eco-friendliness, inclusive design, and personal significance.
[image ID: a colorful branching concept map where the central idea is Solarpunk Fashion, and the three main branches are in primary colors. Where the branches connect and overlap, the color changes to a secondary color between the primaries. All text in the bubbles is listed in the text to follow. End ID]
Eco-Friendly
• Local sourcing
• Biodegradable textiles
• Durable
• Closed-loop production
• Biomimicry
- Integrated biotechnology
- Upcycled electronics
• Heirlooms and Secondhand
- Thrifted
- Hand-me-downs
- Dumpster-dived
- Clothing swaps
Inclusive Design
• Body-type inclusivity
• Accessibility
- Decorated disability aids
- Physical comfort (including for those with sensory issues)
Personal Significance
• Radical authenticity
- Genderfuckery
- Rejection of mega-corporations
• Handmade/modified
- Small practices
- DIY
- Visibly mended
• Culture
- Religious symbols
- Pride flags
- Traditional dress
I’d love to hear what the solarpunk community here thinks of this framework, what you’d keep, remove, or change.
Ecuador’s Project Iche houses a culinary school, restaurant and food lab that aims for social good
The initiative aims to impart ancient culinary traditions to a new generation of Ecuadorian chefs and curious diners, while also empowering the local community and creating a stronger economy.
Ask any Ecuadorian about their country's favorite local cuisine, and the answer is almost always the same without exception: ManabĂ, a coastal area known for its traditional cuisine. In 2016 the ManabĂ region was devastated by an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. More than 650 people were killed, over 16,000 injured and more than 35,000 homes were leveled.
Project Iche began as a response to rebuild Manabà by using food as a catalyst for growth. If there is one thing that brings together the Manabitan people, it’s food. And at Iche, they are bringing together tradition and innovation. The project touches on food in a myriad of ways: from growing vegetables and fresh herbs in the garden, to serving dishes in the restaurant. From product development in the laboratory, to teaching young chefs new skills and ancient cooking techniques, the project captures ancestral knowledge and recipes that until now, have primarily been conveyed by oral tradition. At Iche, students are taught the fundamentals of sustainable food production, and how to acknowledge their responsibility in upholding patrimonial food traditions. Lessons focus on how food provides a means to develop a strong economy that is built around ecotourism and gastronomy.
“Food can be a powerful tool to reactivate the economy, increase people’s self-esteem and unleash hope and creativity.”
Iche was founded in 2021 by Orazio Bellettini, a ManabĂ native. Bellettini was the executive director of Quito-based Grupo FARO, a think tank conducting research on how to build a more inclusive society. When the 2016 earthquake struck “the local economy was completely destroyed, and people were left without homes or hope. I felt a strong responsibility to help” Bellettini explains in an interview for National Geographic. He invested heavily into Project Iche, a one-stop-shop for developing and preserving ManabĂ cuisine.Â
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The Importance of Different Goals in the Solarpunk Movement
Focusing on too many things at once is a problem I face personally, couple that with the need to take everything upon myself and low stress tolerance and you have a disaster waiting to happen. If you face the same problem as me, I'd highly suggest making a group of specialized people and solve small problems locally, whether that be growing food, hooking up satellites for free WiFi, setting up a Food Not Bombs chapter in your area, or even cooperation in local to state government. We all have our talents, honing yours can change a life, but it takes all of us to change the world in a significant way. To rebuild a structure, parts must be torn down, the more you tear down periodically, the better the structure is going to be, however it must be reinforced. You cannot expect a house to stand without a plan for a structure, we are the supports that make the wall, the roof, and the floor. The foundation is what we believe in, and what the foundation is, is hope. Hope for a future that can be, with action, collaboration, and resistance against the hierarchical, overbearing, and exploitative power structures that currently exist.
This has been my first post in a while, so I’ll see ya’ll again in probably a month to commemorate my first post on this site “A Beginner’s Guide to Solarpunk” which absolutely blew up my account, to be truthful I’m proud of how far we’ve all come with our small internet based movement reaching new heights and our voices getting louder in the ears of politicians and capitalists alike. We’re here to stay, don’t forget about it.
This has been @punkofsunshine, have a good one and stay safe. Â
While we’re still talking about the 10 year challenge, the state I live in hasn’t raised minimum wage in 10 years.
Right now it is 7.25 and economists guess that minimum wage needs to be 15.50 for people to be able to have a living wage.
I’m a college student living with my significant other. We wonder how we’re going to pay rent sometimes on top of text books, school supplies, feeding ourselves, toilet paper and laundry detergent, and my medical bills.
If the shutdown delays our income tax then both of us are going to be withheld money that could have really helped us.
I’m not going to ask for anyone to send me money but sometimes I just need advice from someone who is also in my situation. I’m considering going to the university food pantry but at the same time I don’t want to take a resource that another person could use if they’re in a worse situation than me.
I’m running out of ideas for cutting costs. I clip coupons, I try not to buy text books unless I have to, I stretch my meal plan as far as it can go, but this is something I worry about on a daily basis.
I don’t mean to spread negativity but I just need to vent. If you pray, then please pray for me. If you believe in energy, send good vibes my way, and if you’re in a place of power please raise minimum wage, expand food stamps, and give us more affordable medical care.
