Radio Blue Heart is on the air!

personal-scientist:

draconym:

themaishi:

draconym:

Mutualistic pairs for an “Odd Couples” Valentine’s program at my work. (Why do so many of my big work projects revolve around Valentine’s programs?)

Also, by “sea bugs,” I obviously meant “gnathiid isopod larvae.”

The himan one is not as good as the rest

If you mean the mutualism between humans and honeyguides, I respectfully disagree. Human/honeyguide mutualism is one of the most sophisticated interspecies relationships in the animal kingdom.

While humans have domesticated many other animals for their labor, the honeyguide remains entirely wild while electing to partner up with humans. Both humans and honeyguides have each developed specific calls to signal to one another that they are on the hunt, and these calls greatly increase the likelihood of success. According to this paper:

The production of this sound increased the probability of being guided by a honeyguide from about 33 to 66% and the overall probability of thus finding a bees’ nest from 17 to 54%, as compared with other animal or human sounds of similar amplitude.

That’s fucking bonkers, you guys!!! There are people out there who over the course of human history have created a sound to communicate with birds, and the birds themselves have a Human Call they use to communicate with us. There is no other wild animal you can just make noises at and immediately communicate that you want it to come help you!!!

What’s more, many scientists consider this relationship more exploitative on the honeyguide’s end than on our end! That’s unprecedented!! These birds have essentially negotiated a trade deal with humanity!!!! This is the stuff of fantasy movies, except it’s real.

Here’s an article from The Guardian about the broader implications of this kind of relationship with wild animals. It’s a good read:

Apart from with our gut bacteria, we humans don’t really have any mutualistic relationships with other creatures. There is no special tune that we can sing to magically attract nearby hedgehogs into our gardens to feast on slugs. There will never be a special wink that fishermen can offer otters, encouraging them to catch fish that we might then de-bone for them, in return for some of the catch. The world is poorer for this.

OKAY BUT the noise we make at honeyguides is one of my favorite noises there is, and if y’all haven’t heard the “BRRR-HM?” call that hunters use to summon honeyguides you are SERIOUSLY missing out.

There’s an audio clip on the Audobon Society’s article about them [link]

an introduction to solarpunk

solarpunks:

advocateforearth:

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artwork by Molly Costello (instagram)

what is solarpunk?

“Solarpunks cherish nature, progress and science; the individual and the community.

They believe in a world that is green, colourful, and bright. It can be described as a literary genre, an aesthetic, or a movement. The key points are:

  • An emphasis on renewable energy, especially solar power.
  • A demand for technology and society to re-centre around sustainability, longevity, and balance.
  • A focus on decentralisation, community activism, social justice and civic empowerment.
  • A recognition that economic, social, and ecological injustices are all deeply inter-connected.”

- Sunbeam City

“Solarpunk is a literary movement, a hashtag, a flag, and a statement of intent about the future we hope to create” - Ben Valentine

Solarpunk as a concept emerged from the imagination of authors and creators in the early 2000′s, and was shared freely throughout the internet. It originated as a genre of creative writing and artwork, but it quickly began to be implemented into decentralised left-wing spaces. Nowadays, solarpunk embodies a whole range of politics, activism, design and art; but at its heart it encompasses positive, grassroots community action and innovation as a way to prevent ecological crises. 

resources

non fiction books, essays and articles

  • Designing Regenerative Cultures by Daniel Wahl
  • The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams  
  • Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology by Alexis Madrigal  
  • Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community by Karen T. Litfin  
  • Designing for Hope: Pathways to Regenerative Sustainability by Dominique Hes  

novels and fiction

  1. Goodreads solarpunk list  
  2. Solarpunk Press 
  3. Solarpunk Story Exchange
  • Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation 
  • Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach
  • Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers by Sarena Ulibarri
  • Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology
    by Claudie Arseneault
  • Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation
    by Phoebe Wagner 
  • Twenty One Twenty by Jason J. Robinson
  • Winds of Change: Short Stories about Our Climate
    by Mary Woodbury 
  • Ecopunk! - speculative tales of radical futures
    by Liz Grzyb

videos

Sunbeam Cinema
(my list of documentaries and films)

Imagining a Solarpunk future (TED talk)

podcasts

websites and blogs

Sunbeam City Wiki 
Solarpunk Anarchists 
Solarpunk Station 

tumblr

This is where I need your help - I would love to collate a list of Solarpunk-themed tumblr blogs. If you post about Solarpunk and would like to be included in this list, please comment or message me with your blog URL. Thank you! 

Relevant posts

post updated: 8/7/2019

Great list of resources here. Our long reference guide on medium will be updated soon. (We promise.)

southe-lands:

glenny-s:

when the humans actually think that you’re a normal dog and let you in the outpost without suspecting a thing

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when Mac gets the flamethrower

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waterseawitchcraft:

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Selkie/sealwoman statue in Mikladalur, Faroe Islands

hope-for-the-planet:

As the California pipevine plant was displaced from San Francisco by urban sprawl, the California pipevine swallowtail, which relies on the pipevine plant to feed its caterpillars, also disappeared. That is, until a biologist named Tim Wong made it his mission to repopuplate the species in his own backyard.

Armed only with a cutting of California pipevine from the San Francisco Botanical Garden, Tim created a screened in butterfly enclosure in his backyard and began to reproduce California pipevines.

As new butterflies were born, Tim would donate them to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens where their pipevine host plant could still be found.

“At first he brought them in by the hundreds. Now he brings them in by the thousands every few months.”

While most of us don’t have the power to create habitat for endangered rhinos or tigers, anyone with a little bit of outdoor space can help create habitat for endangered insects!

You can:

-plant a pollinator garden with native nectar-producing plants

-plant host plants of local butterfly species

-leave piles of fallen leaves or sticks in your yard as habitat for native bees

-avoid using pesticides (or use them as sparingly as possible) around your home and yard

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“Improving habitat for native fauna is something anyone can do. Conservation and stewardship can start in your very own backyard.” -Tim Wong

citystompers1:

King Kong (1933)

I am not myself free or human until or unless I recognize the freedom and humanity of all my fellow men.
Mikhail Bakunin, “Man, Society, and Freedom” (via philosophybits)
ultrafacts:
“Source: [x]
Click HERE for more facts!”