
Black haw, viburnum, in bloom around here now. Beautiful little clusters of flowers.
Black haw, viburnum, in bloom around here now. Beautiful little clusters of flowers.
These are not as common in our woodland as some of the other early spring flowers though they’re not rare. Not in the image are the shamrock-like leaves.
Sweetie napping at sunset.
The ticks are awake! They’ll be a nuisance for the next 3 months. I worked clearing out honeysuckle vines from my blackberries today. I’ve pulled off at least 20 seed ticks in the past 20 minutes. I’m sure there will be more before the evening is done.
Yes, this.
The last 6 months or perhaps 30 years of geopolitics summarised in 90 seconds. Respect.
Time to rebel.pic.twitter.com/b5gUNIfFo9
— Extinction Rebellion (@ExtinctionR) April 11, 2022
The Guardian reporting on climate change direct action blockades in the UK:
The protesters have vowed to continue taking action until the government agrees on a ban on all new fossil fuel projects. On Monday afternoon, their 11th day of action, several were entering their 31st hour chained to pipework at Inter Terminal in Grays, Essex, the third largest terminal in the country.
“We’re doing this because our government is refusing to act on the climate crisis and we need to have a meaningful statement that we will have no new fossil fuel projects, it’s that simple,” said an activist, who gave his name as Nathan, in a video filmed from above the loading bay at the terminal and published on Twitter.
Responding to the protests on Monday, a No 10 spokeswoman said: “We recognise the strength of feeling and the right to protest is a cornerstone of our democracy, but we won’t tolerate guerrilla tactics that obstruct people going about their day-to-day business.”
Governments still don’t seem to understand that climate crisis has gotten to the point that what is needed is an end to day-to-day business. They have refused to act for decades and are still dragging their feet. And so, any solution will increasingly need to be direct and forceful.
Enough already.
Three months ago I fell down a rabbit hole on a topic I’d heard of but never investigated: Solarpunk. And really, I’m not sure I can say exactly how I ended up there but I suspect it started when I was doing a bit of research looking for a small battery back-up and solar panel. But, in any case, it did turn up and I started looking into it and what I found is a very inspiring, interesting genre of art and fiction that sits very well with permaculture and social ecology, both of which I am very familiar with. In fact there seems to be a good deal of overlap between the three, to the point that while each comes from a different origin point and developmental history, the general destination seems to be very similar.
Podcasts
I’m discovering quite a few podcasts and podcast episodes. My favorite thus far is Solarpunk Now! which has, as of April 3, 2022 just gotten started with 2 episodes published and a third coming soon. Another is Solarpunk Permaculture
There are several podcasts that are not specifically Solarpunk but that that have episodes that explore it.
Beyond Species, April 27, 2020: Solarpunk Anarchism
The Fire These Times, January 7, 2022: The Political Economy of Solarpunk w/ Andrew Dana Hudson
It Could Happen Here Daily October 18, 2021: Why You Should Know About Solarpunk
General Resources
Solarpunk Manifesto at Regenerative Design
Solarpunk: A Reference Guide
Solarpunk: Notes toward a manifesto
More to come as I gather and edit this post…