Hi all!

Long time lurker here on slrpnk.net and just signed up to participate more. I have myself been moving on a fairly slow but steady trajectory towards a life aligned with solarpunk values (although not with zeal or even the knowledge of solarpunk for most of this time). I still have a good distance to go, but I also have some concrete ideas in mind going forward.

So I thought I’d make this post where people could share their stories to inspire each other to take bolder steps: what steps have you so far taken and what do you plan to do going forward to live more true to a real solarpunk? What turned you onto these ideals in the first place? If not all ideals speak to you, which do and why? etc. etc. Anything goes!

I’ll post my story in a separate comment.

  • Global_Liberty@lemmy.mlEnglish
    1·
    24 days ago

    Here are the steps in our journey over the past five years:

    • Subscribed to solar power for 100% of my electricity
    • Drive an electric car when I have to, but bike exclusively within a two mile radius
    • Bought a laundry line and line dry clothes
    • Eat a mostly whole food, plant-based diet with lots of legumes to maximize my health and wealth while cutting my climate impact
    • Slashed my single use plastics consumption as well as durable to reduce microplastics breathed and consumed
    • Visit a library once a week
    • Grow simple plants (green onions, basil)
    • Keep air conditioning to a minimum (live in Florida)
    • Buy used/refurbished preferentially
    • Pesticide-free outdoors to encourage native insect predators and now my backyard is filled with butterflies
    • Recycle maximally following all guidelines and produce less than 1/10th the waste stream of my neighbors for a family of four with two pets
    • Replaced older, less efficient air conditioning with newer, high efficiency

    I’m proud of what we’ve achieved, but there’s still more to do. In the next five years we will:

    • Replace our other, less driven ICE vehicle with an electric
    • Transition to full pesca-vegetarianism
    • Install balcony solar as hopefully it will become legal (or I will smuggle a system in from Utah or Vermont)
    • Plant fruit/shade trees
    • Paint our home a lighter, high albedo color
    • Blow in additional insulation in the attic
    • Install a home car charger
    • Replace the last of our plastic clothing with natural fibers

    2 tonnes CO2eq/person without carbon offsets for everything but travel is our end goal.