Floating gardens, #CleanEnergy, and #CommunityFirst: Why '#solarpunk' #architecture gives us #ClimateOptimism

Dec 12, 2025

"Imagine floating towers teeming with lush greenery that look out over clean waterways overflowing with wildlife. As you glance down, you realize pedestrians outnumber cars — which fly on renewable energy — and people mill about in community gardens and meeting spaces as plants and solar panels alike drink in sunlight.

"Welcome to the dream world of a 'solarpunk' city.

"Solarpunk is derived from #cyberpunk, a genre of speculative fiction that was coined by author #BruceBethke in 1983 with the release of his sci-fi short story of the same name, which follows a group of young #RebelHackers.

"From there, cyberpunk spawned a slew of futuristic aesthetics, ideals, and stories. But solarpunk — a term which first sprang up online in 2008 — goes a step further than cyberpunk, and its fantastical subgenre steampunk, by encapsulating not just a style or genre, but an entire #SocialMovement.

"#JaySpringett is the co-administrator of solarpunks.net, a website that curates articles, stories, and artwork that are representative of the movement. Spend a minute scrolling on the site and common themes will emerge: #rewilding efforts, #gardening methods, #rainwater harvesting, #VisibleMending practices, and so much more. [Hey, that sounds a lot like what we cover on #SolarPunkSundays!]

" 'I have always considered solarpunk to be focused on the practical as opposed to the wishful thinking,' Springett told Built In, a Chicago software company. 'And it’s a discussion that’s becoming more and more prominent.' "

Read more:
https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/solar-punk-green-architecture-futuristic-design

#SolarPunkSunday #Decentralize #BuildingCommunity

Floating gardens, clean energy, and community first: Why the internet loves 'solarpunk' so much

In the face of climate doom, more and more people are dreaming of a future full of “solarpunk” architecture.

Good Good Good

That's my wonderful British editor Cressida Downing and me last October in Kent where she promised to help me make my books (plural!) fit for the international market. My first fiction #book is out now in English! 🎉 Please have fun reading my utopian #novella "2042 – The Forbidden Library", a #ClimateOptimism book about wild animal help and #UrbanGardening in a post-war Europe in 2042. #Utopia #ClimateFiction

https://www.zotzmann-koch.com/buecher/2042EN/

https://www.waterstones.com/book/2042-english-edition-softcover/klaudia-zotzmann-koch/9783903324725

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/2042-klaudia-zotzmann-koch/1147337351

A video on How much progress have we made on climate change?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1jOqyjcO4g

#climatechange #climateoptimism #goodnews #climate

How much progress have we made on climate change?

YouTube
Is #climateoptimism misinformed? This is the impression I received browsing r/OptimistsUnite. Seems to me like there’s a heavy bias towards consumerism and the general business-as-usual approach. Maybe it isn’t a paradox at all that a subreddit that’s so heavily future inclined, is inclined towards the same modus operandi.

@AnnaFeatherstone

I so, so agree with all of this. Yes, yes and yes
It is the way we need to go
Thank you for publishing this and so publicising the issues involved

#hopePunk #solarPunk #climateOptimism

Happy Clean Air Day everyone. I just managed a cycle to Lidl for a big shop!

I know some people do this all the time, but I'm still proud of myself. Also, I'm pretty unfit, so if I can do it, anyone can!

https://www.actionforcleanair.org.uk/campaigns/clean-air-day

#CleanAirDay #CleanAirDay2024 #ClimateOptimism

Clean Air Day | Action for Clean Air

Clean Air Day is the UK's largest air pollution campaign. Clean Air Day has helped increase levels of air pollution busting behaviours.

Action for Clean Air
Finally found some time to start reading #HannahRitchie : "I don't think we're going to be the last generation. The evidence points to the opposite. I think we could be the *first* generation [...] that leaves the environment in a better state than we found it." #ClimateOptimism #ClimateChange #Sustainability #Positivity
The mighty benefits of 'tiny forests' | CBC News

In vacant lots, neglected parks and patches of land along busy stretches of road, residents are gathering to plant trees — lots of them, close together. Here's a look at what's behind the trend.

CBC

It's great to read about all the progress being made in #solar technology lately, and the huge increase in capacity. In 2024 I want to hear more about grid-level storage. What projects are underway? What technological advancements are there? What's going to make a big enough difference that we can start decommissioning gas power plants?

#ClimateCrisis #ClimateOptimism #EnergyStorage #EnergyTransition