#solarpunkbooks

IT’S HAPPENING Y’ALL

https://www.reddit.com/r/solarpunk/comments/87i4vl/spotted_in_powells_bookstore_portland_oregon/

part 1 http://brightblackbird.tumblr.com/post/137584589975/building-a-solarpunk-world-non-fiction-with                                                                           part 2 http://brightblackbird.tumblr.com/post/138058166075/building-a-solarpunk-world-non-fiction-with

I’m sorry that I missed a post last week, family and school meant that I had no time. Anyway, I’ll try to get back to regular posts this week.

The best way to describe this book would be an environmental coming-of-age story for a middle-aged man. I’m talking about No Impact Man by Colin Beavan. I’ve read this book multiple times over the past year. This book really speaks to me, in that the author and I are both White, middle-class, North-americans who are watching as our lifestyles cause climate change and environmental damage. 

But in Colin’s case, he decided to actually do something.  For one year, he decides that he will attempt to live without any impact on the environment. This means producing no trash, no CO2 emissions. As he lives in Manhattan with his wife and child, this is pretty difficult. He tackles this problem with humour and honesty, while exploring just how to reduce our impact on the environment. 

 part 1 http://brightblackbird.tumblr.com/post/137584589975/building-a-solarpunk-world-non-fiction-with

To start with, thanks to anyone who’s sent in ideas! My messages are not allowing me to view them (?) but I’ll try to fix that.

A book I’ve just been reading is The once and future world: nature as it was, as it is, as it could be, by J.B. Mackinnon. As its title suggests, the book deals with the natural past and the terrible loss of animal and plant life caused by humans. But this isn’t a sad or hopeless book. Instead, the author looks at why humans cause this type of ecological collapse in a way that isn’t condescending or panicky. He deals with the idea of ‘change blindness’, the fact that humans can easily adapt to new situations and quickly forget old ones. Change blindness is why we don’t notice the diminishing of a species, and why we easily forget how abundant our ecosystems use to be. The idea of Re-wilding areas is something I’ve seen a few times, and here the author details several plans for re-wilding/restoring areas, as well as bring back almost-extinct species.

I really enjoy how the book is written, the style is poetic and descriptive, and sometimes moving. Ideas are mostly illustrated through anecdotes and the author’s own experiences, which some people may not like, but I liked it.

This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I’ve seen a lot of lovely solarpunk fiction recommendations, but fewer books with instructions or ideas that are related to Solarpunk. I love fantasizing about floating cities and solar powered dragons; but I also like reading about permaculture, and sustainable design, and ways to change our lives for the better. Because Solarpunk as a genre is relatively new, I expect there will be more non-fiction books in the future, but I’d like to make some recommendations right now.

First on my list is Happy City by Charles Montgomery. This is the book that got me into Urban Design, and I love it so much. The blurb on the back reads : 

After decades of unchecked sprawl, more people than ever are moving back to the city. Dense urban living has been prescribed as a panacea for the environmental and resource crises of our time. But is it better or worse for our happiness? 

The writing is accessible and clear, and the overall tone of the book is hopeful. He explores what truly makes us happy with where we live, and how we can change our cities for the better. The ideas about social connections and the importance of nature struck me as very Solarpunk.