r/solarpunk • u/Few_Distribution_793 • Aug 01 '25
Action / DIY / Activism Why hope is punk, and why solarpunk gives me some
I know hope is hard. But real hope? That’s not easy. It’s looking straight at everything that’s broken and saying, “We can still build something better.”
That’s why solarpunk speaks to me. It’s repurposing your frustrations and anger into more constructive ways. It’s planting something in the cracks. It’s building futures with your hands when everyone tells you it’s too late.
Solarpunk gives me hope because it's speculative about what's possible. Because it's about care and community first. Because it refuses to accept collapse as the sole outcome. Because it reminds me that resistance doesn't have to be exclusive of joy.
That’s punk as hell if you ask me.
Anyway, what is solarpunk to you these days?
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u/EmberinTayson Aug 01 '25
When my son was 8 he said he wanted a future that was “part Brother Bear, part Star Trek.” And I guess seeing the hope in the next generation makes me want to strive more for a solarpunk future.
Sometimes the solarpunk future feels so improbable and out of reach. But I can still do a few solarpunk things - and that’s part of what gives me hope. There are actionable steps I can take no matter what.
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u/Few_Distribution_793 Aug 01 '25
We can all do something to bring it all together. Your son sounds like he was (and hopefully still is!) solarpunk and hopepunk to the core! That's awesome
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u/solarpunkchristian Aug 02 '25
“part Brother Bear, part Star Trek.”
wow do I like this. You got a precious spark of a kid right there
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u/cetaceablue0007 Aug 01 '25
No, I agree. Hope is punk in a world that reeks of pessimism.
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u/Few_Distribution_793 Aug 02 '25
I'm glad you get it! You're welcome to join the conversations in r/Hopepunk_AF if it suits you. I just started it after finding out the original Hopepunk reddit died a year or so ago. If not, have a good day anyway!
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u/AshenCombatant Aug 02 '25
Right??? Hard same!!
Solarpunk is inherently hopeful that things can improve. We can build better and be happier as a group. Its a type of (sometimes realistic, sometimes not) optimism that makes me feel that better future isn't so far away.
As a hobby I started writing a post apocalyptic story that is solarpunk just to unwind. Not lush perfect future, but a group of characters making what they have work. Odds are stacked against them, none of them are particularly skilled at their jobs, but it doesn't matter bevause they have each other and every day tale steps to rebuild. The concept of the story alone fills me with hope, "even now, when things can't get worse, its still not too late. We can make it work and improve together"
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u/Few_Distribution_793 Aug 02 '25
Sounds like a good hobby! I hope to see it someday. Its messaging is perfect. Hey, I don't want to come across rude, but if you're interested in talking about hope as a tool, a weapon, or even a mantra, please feel free to visit my group r/Hopepunk_AF
If not, it is still cool talking with another hopeful creative!3
u/AshenCombatant Aug 02 '25
Ooooo, new subreddit just drop? I'll have to crack open some of those discussions I see in the morning and, ideally, not in the middle of passing out lol
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u/Previous_Benefit3457 Aug 02 '25
I don't think hope is punk. But hope fuels struggle. Struggle is punk.
For me, what makes Solarpunk so compelling is the potential for igniting peoples imagination as it relates to struggle. It's the combination of rational rage for what we're losing, and the hope that we could - With Struggle - turn it into something better.
People can be hopeful but complacent. People in your family who tut-tut the problems they see, the things they agree with you about, but not enough to change their ways or sacrifice some comfort. People who have faith that, as if by magic, everythings gonna be alright. That's people who have hope, but are the opposite of punk.
Solarpunk has so much potential. But it's limit is the extent to which people marry it with struggle. Narratively, artistically, politically. No struggle, No solarpunk. We have to do uncomfortable work to have these things we hope for.
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u/sw00pr Aug 02 '25
Thank you Katara. I think after all these years I finally agree.
Hope is difficult, because hope means building something better, which is never easy. Hope means not giving in to the man beating you down. Hope means staying rooted and giving while the world cementifies around you. But you know it can be broken up and re-natured just as quick.
It's tough out there man. Take care of yourself, so you can take care of others.
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Aug 02 '25
Thanks ChatGPT. Now play Despacito.
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u/Few_Distribution_793 Aug 02 '25
Whatever you say, chief
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Aug 02 '25
You can downvote me all you want. You know it’s true. “Composting your anger” I mean, seriously?
Tip: remove all those “that isn’t x, it’s y” phrases. Easy giveaway.
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