Lush plants and high ceilings reflect the sound of water; walls of flora disappear into the sky overhead. Towering glass windows let light pour in, while carefully carved wood staircases follow the curves of the building. Architecture and nature are woven together to create harmonious living and working spaces. Breathe deep.
Places like this already exist, and there is a name for them—biophilic designs.
Apple Park, Apple’s campus headquarters, is one. Bosco Verticale in Milan, Italy, is another. These are residential towers with balconies covered in thousands of shrubs and bushes. Singapore could take the prize for the world’s first biophilic city. Massive efforts have been made to incorporate plants, water, and wildlife into buildings, parks, and government offices.
A harmony of inside and outside; a seamless transition from one to the other; a sense of calm and ease throughout the space: It’s what Frank Lloyd Wright worked to achieve one hundred years ago.
Biophilic design is a core component of the Solarpunk movement, an optimistic view of the future in which designs must be repairable, reusable, and built to last.
Solarpunk has begun to embrace blockchain technology and cryptocurrency because they give power back to the individual and prioritize autonomy over corporations. Governments are no longer in control of a central currency; peer-to-peer transactions protect the privacy of all punks.
Digital ownership means you can create or purchase a digital asset and have full control.
These ideals are where Solarpunk thrives.
Solarpunk
Solarpunk rejects the idea that the human race is doomed. It shuns the dystopian outlook of Cyberpunk video games and the Bladerunner movies. Solarpunk understands that humans don’t need to accept a bleak future. Technology can be used in harmony with nature to shape a more peaceful, renewable future. The movement aims for humans to live in cooperation with the earth and found a more equitable society.
The history of the Solarpunk movement dates back to 2008, but it began to find a broader audience in 2015. Technology has played a central role in Solarpunk since the beginning.
The movement has been described as “a progressive label you wear to show you are not that type of crypto, not a Bitcoiner, thereby deftly avoiding complete social suicide. But it’s an ambiguous term, which may as well be spelled as ‘hippy’ to critics.”
Technology, equitable social and economic systems, and sustainable agriculture can help humans survive on a planet increasingly plagued by climate threats. Solarpunk prioritizes communities and the environment over individual profit and giant corporations. So, labeling Solarpunks “tech-hippies” isn’t much of a stretch.
Can We Really Live in a Solarpunk Utopia? Why not?
The pieces that make up the movement exist in the world already. Humans can transition to renewable resources, and newly constructed buildings can follow biophilic designs.
Frank Lloyd Wright was arguably the first Solarpunk, and his designs are now revered and protected.
Decentralized platforms are here. Cryptocurrency adoption expands daily. As people learn about the possibilities of decentralization and understand the value of owning their online content and money, Solarpunk ideals will continue to gain momentum.
It won’t be easy. People with power and money in our current society are attached to what they have and won’t willingly let go. But the voices of the Solarpunk community are powerful.
Solarpunk’s optimism is steadfast and inclusive. It’s impossible not to be inspired to throw one’s complete support behind a movement that envisions a harmonious future for everyone.
Grab your shades. We’re letting the light in.
About Kit
Kit Campoy is a former retail professional turned freelance writer. She writes about Leadership, Retail, and Web3. Contact Kit for your content needs.