I realized a few months ago that several of my interests turn out to be united under the banner of “solarpunk”:
- Hope that leads to positive change (especially to navigate the climate crisis)
- Biking instead of driving whenever possible
- Gardening (somehow it’s the only way I don’t mind getting dirty)
- Walkable, community-oriented urban planning
- Durable, repairable technology (the buy-it-for-life subreddit is always fun reading)
- Art Nouveau art and architecture — the Como Conservatory was one of my favorite places in Minnesota, but I think I’ve been a fan of the style ever since Myst III: Exile.
Essentially, solarpunk is about working toward a positive future where humanity and nature are supported by sustainable technology — check out The Solarpunk Manifesto (it’s about a 3-minute read).
Since I live in New Haven, I thought I’d highlight some of my favorite solarpunk institutions in the city:
MakeHaven
We have a pretty amazing community makerspace! It has a woodshop, metalshop, and areas for 3d printing, textiles, stained glass, even biotechnology. I just took a MakeHaven class called GEMS to learn the basics for safely using several of the equipment areas, and there are so many projects I want to do there!
Bradley Street Bike Co-op
This member-owned shop doesn’t just sell bikes, it’s a community that offers lessons in riding and doing your own bike maintenance. We got my daughter’s “big-girl” bike there and I’m looking forward to getting more involved soon!
Edge of the Woods Market
Fresh organic produce, bulk dry goods, allergy-friendly ingredients, grind-it-yourself peanut butter, refillable olive oil, and a vegan bakery. It’s a little past where we normally go, so I’m working on shopping there more regularly!
Urbanscapes
We’re gradually turning more of our house’s grass-and-privet yard into a garden that’s better for the local ecology, and Urbanscapes is a native plant nursery right here in New Haven. The plants we’ve gotten there are hardy and doing well, and were not expensive!
Possible Futures
This “neighborhood bookspace and beloved community” bookstore opened a few months after we moved here, and we’re so happy it exists. Located on one of the major bike boulevards between our home and downtown, it curates a set of books in all genres by authors (and illustrators) from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the book industry. It’s a wonderful place to browse, and the front room is used for events and community meetups.
New Haven Free Public Library
I can’t leave off the public library — they’re fine-free, offer not just books (and audiobooks, and movies) but also events for kids, help for adults with taxes or other life admin, and even have a seed library. Plus the librarians are all amazing human beings.
New Haven Reads
If the public library isn’t free enough, there’s also New Haven Reads, which has a huge community book bank in which all the books are free for the taking. I’ve picked up some great finds there myself! They also run free one-on-one literacy tutoring for children, which is just the best.
The Sun-Soaked House
Okay, so this is just what we dorks call our house, but we’re really trying to be a solarpunk institution of our own! We have a little free library out front (when we set it up, it was the only one in our part of the city, but it happily has a buddy now a few blocks away!), and we’re gradually turning our home inside and out into a place more in harmony with the natural world around us.
I’m sure I missed some solarpunk hotspots in our town, so let me know in the comments! Always on the lookout for more.