If anyone is wondering, “How the hell do we convert our cities of consumerism, concrete and fossil fuels into solar punk communities?” then this book should be on your reading list.

Its, almost 600, pages are divided into three main sections: the Built, the Biological and the Behavioural, along with an introductory section ‘Setting the scene’. Written by permaculture Godfather, David Holmgren, it is unsurprising that growing food in a sustainable and self sufficient way makes up the bulk of the book, but then again, as healthy soils and food are one of the most important things we need to live, it’s understandable that this section needs at lot of pages. There are also portions of the book dedicated to retrofitting homes, transport and travel, raising kids and much much more.

To me, what is most powerful about this book, is the notion that anyone who lives in the suburbs can get on with this right now. No need to wait for the collapse of global capitalism 🙂 ! You can get planting, electrifying and retrofitting your property NOW.

There are many things I don’t agree with in this book, but that’s always going to be the case with Solar Punk. It’s not a fixed plan or dogmatic ideology, it’s simply a commitment to working towards a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community. Solar Punk is going to be a giant living, breathing experiment, where people make lots of mistakes, get things wrong and keep trying until we get stuff right. Even if you don’t agree with some stuff in this book, there is so much more I feel David absolutely nails.

What makes the book extra powerful are the stories of the people who are already embracing a Solar Punk lifestyle and building Solar Punk Communities. Kat Lavers has her own website HERE and has been featured on a few channels HERE. Other Case Studies like the Abdallah House, Ecoburbia and Sharehouse show there is no single way and no single reason to embrace a Solar Punk lifestyle. It’s about doing what’s right for your own individual circumstances. While the book is mostly focused on household actions, the Sharehouse shows how the approach can embrace a broader community.

The book is filled with wonderful illustrations from Brenna Quinlan. Far better than any of that AI nonsense, that I’m guilty of using! The illustrations really bring the whole book to life and capture the essence of Solar Punk.

I’ve saved the best bit until last…

This book is FREE to view online. If like me you start reading it online and think, “holy crap, this book is awesome. I’d like to support these people and have my own real world copy to fondle” then you can also buy a copy too, from HERE. The Free online version can be viewed HERE

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