oh that’s convenient! We do have violets in the backyard, maybe I could harvest the seeds then. I don’t think I’ve ever harvested seeds from anything before.

EDIT: after some reading, it seems that lyreleaf sage is not present in my area (which I’m starting to think is a little bit of an unusual spot ecologically). But the wild strawberries on the list are! Wild strawberries and blue violets sounds so magical…

It does get mowed :C I would really love to spread wildflowers there if not. As for salt - my road almost never gets salt in the winter (thanks city council for turning a drive to get groceries into Spicy Bumper Cars) so that’s no worry! Any suggestions on somewhere else I could put the wildflowers? My city is remarkably well-maintained in the mowing department, much to my dismay

Good to know, thank you!! Shallow roots o7

What are our thoughts on throwing the blue violets and lyreleaf sage in together? I love me some flowers and my balcony garden isn’t currently doing much for our local pollinators. Plus the description of the lyreleaf even says it can survive hellstrips and if the blue violets are pretty aggressive then it sounds like a powerful combo

According to the website, I am right on the border of Eastern Temperate Forest and Northern Forest. Apparently my house is in Eastern Temperate Forest, but the ten minute drive to my local SCA practice takes me to Northern Forest. My favorite used clothing store is Eastern Temperate but the creek I take my dog to is Northern Forest XD Does that mean I should look at options for Northern Forest too or is it pretty accurate to the mile?

Northeast US! I know that doesn’t narrow it down all that much but y’know

I think you make a great point. Rather than separating us into our own corner, we should be actively participating in the community at large. Thanks!!

oooh cool!! I’ll go check it out!

That makes sense! Regarding a disability focused community, I’d love to talk about how disabled folks fit into a solarpunk utopia! I’m thinking about how public transport is frequently necessary for folks with disabilities and also benefits everyone else, the idea of a car-free society (like I love the idea of going bikes-only but I cannot safely ride one), making solarpunk hobbies like DIY, gardening, tech hobbies, etc more accessible for different needs, things like learning ASL together to be more inclusive of Deaf communities or improving access to/DIYing Braille-typing devices (which are currently insanely expensive to buy), etc. I’m sure others will have more ideas too. I think it also just feels weird to me that being inclusive of disability is a part of solarpunk but we don’t have a place for people with disabilities to discuss what that means. Thoughts?

Hey, has anyone set up a queer slrpnk community yet? And if not, how would I go about doing that? I’m really surprised I haven’t been able to find one since queer culture and solarpunk values seem extremely intertwined. Same question for a disability slrpnk community!

In other news - for my personal solarpunk journey, I’ve been peakbusting with a recent heatwave in my area and I’ve convinced a lot of friends locally to do it as well! It’s kind of fun honestly. We’ve been going to a local pool, hanging out, doing non-tech activities, etc. I’m well suited to warm weather anyway, but my dog gets pretty overheated, so I’ve been making him a bunch of delicious freezer treats which seems to cool him off a lot, and dabbing him with a wet washcloth when he needs it.

My balcony garden is thriving. I really need to make a post to share with the balcony garden community - it was the folks there who helped me get started and gave me ideas on how to handle the water situation. I almost never have to fetch water from the kitchen now thanks to the buckets I put out on the roof when it rains, as suggested by other users!

Aaaand to wrap things up, I’m working on a lot of sewing and clothing related projects recently. A couple t-shirts I haven’t been wearing are getting upcycled and Frankensteined together into a cute crop top and shorts set which I’m really excited about, and I got some textile medium and stamps to try decorating some of my other DIY outfits with paint :D I also have a plan to turn a pretty floral sheet I got from the thrift store into a cute pair of tiered palazzo pants. Will be sharing in the DIY area soon!!

I love the idea of doing a little local experiment like this! I hope the author publishes the results of their test.

I like the concept of an IOU system. It would also work well for me being disabled - I don’t necessarily have the ability to do work (like with time-banking), but I have resources like my home library and collection of instruments/tools that I could see being valuable in this context. I also often offer friends use of my sewing studio (including all my work spaces, tools, and sewing machines) which is valuable to folks who sometimes need to craft things but not often enough to justify having their own studio. My partner also could offer their skills and expertise in exchange for help that I receive.

Time banks have always sounded cool to me on the surface, maybe as a way to organize volunteering, but when it comes to it being a full replacement for money… I’m extremely disabled and have been since I was a child. I can do work (of any kind) for maybe an hour a day if I’m having some really good days. Where does someone like me fit into the system? Do I just… die?

I’m up in the thousands already… My partner has set a hard limit until I use some of them up XD My other hobby is quilting so it could be worse. Fabric doesn’t store quite as neatly.

I had to get new summer clothes from the thrift store recently too. I managed to score two pairs of shorts and a pair of pants, all in a linen-rayon blend, which is my favorite fabric ^- natural fibers, keeps me cool but has some softness and drape!

I’ve also started a new hobby recently (beading with seed beads and pony beads) and so far I have bought only one pack of beads new. Everything else has been thrifted or found on Depop/Facebook marketplace so I’m pretty happy with that. I’m a creative by nature but I hate how many creative hobbies involve buying a ton of brand new supplies (especially when so many of us are ready to share or offload)

I now have the know-how to do something like that, thank you very much! I feel inspired now. Not that I would ever do something illegal of course.

That’s incredible. I wish I had the guts/know-how to do something like that

Huh, neat! Good to know. Car’s coming to the end of its lifespan, my partner and I have been wondering about getting an EV next, but they can really be damn expensive

That’s incredible. I wish cities in the US would do stuff like this too - it’s so terrifying to ride a bike where I live even inside the bike lanes because so few cars even acknowledge the bike lanes. I would go for more walks with my dog if there were less cars too, both he and I are sensitive to loud sounds like engines