Here’s an inspiring piece – which starts with the eletrifying superhero movie Black Panther before moving onto a project with its feet very much on the ground:
These Nonprofits Are Creating a Solar Punk Future for South Seattle, Today
When Black Panther debuted, Black folks everywhere lost their collective minds witnessing an African society free from the ravages of colonialism. One of the most striking aspects of Wakanda was how technology and the environment harmonized to support thriving communities. The movie might be a fiction, but community organizations in Burien are collaborating to make something like Wakanda a fact.
This Aug. 12, local nonprofits, businesses, and community members will come together for the second annual Burien Solar Punk Festival at the New Start Community Garden. The festival is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the Seattle-area BIPOC leaders building environmentally sustainable communities here in the city, while showing attendees how they can contribute to that work themselves. But this festival might not be possible if it weren’t for the years of food justice and climate justice work that New Start Community Garden has advanced.
These Nonprofits Are Creating a Solar Punk Future for South Seattle, Today | South Seattle Emerald
And more from the Festival pages:
The Burien Solar Punk Festival
If there is one simple fact that may just change your thoughts on renewable power, it’s this one.
“Solar Punk” is the festival theme, which envisions a future where community and technology are integrated to create a self-sustaining system. In this event, attendees will learn about alternative self-sustaining ways to work and power their daily lives. It is an iconic one-day event that celebrates the best of Burien and empowers the community by bringing eco-friendly businesses together to showcase what they do and connect them to the community as potential employers. Business, Arts, and Culture are the three most powerful drivers of community participation and engagement in Burien and the pillars upon which the festival is based. The proceeds from The Burien Solar Punk Festival will be utilized to support: Key Tech Labs Green Jobs Expo, a Mini Job’s Fair, a Small Business Expo, funds for the new micro solar system, and stipends for the youth Green Pre-Apprenticeship Program
At this year’s Burien Solar Punk Festival you will see green technologies, Like an air-to-water generator, that creates clean drinking water out of the air. You will also see a microgrid solar system that generates energy from sunlight. We even have a farmbot which is an open-source CNC machine that will weed, water, and seed a garden bed all by itself. The future is now and the future is green.