Sunshine and Seedlings: A Newsletter by HydroponicTrash

Sunshine and Seedlings is a newsletter blending ecological insights, social politics, and technology through a solarpunk lens. It covers DIY guides, speculative fiction, and analytical essays aimed at envisioning and working towards sustainable, cooperative futures amid climate change, emphasizing decentralization, autonomy, and community resilience.

Sustainable Living Decentralization and Autonomy Eco-friendly Technology Post-Capitalist Futures Community Building Renewable Energy DIY Projects Agricultural Innovations Social and Political Commentary Speculative and Design Fiction

The hottest Substack posts of Sunshine and Seedlings: A Newsletter by HydroponicTrash

And their main takeaways

Federated Ecovillages & Steps Towards a Modern Cybersyn

609 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Community Building
  1. Decouple from the capitalist system by creating alternative systems like free housing collectives and community land trusts.
  2. Build federated ecovillages and interconnected communities to share resources, knowledge, and create a cooperative network.
  3. Use modern technologies and community databases to work towards a modern Cybersyn system for fair distribution of resources and fostering collective autonomy.

The Good Life: Buen Vivir, Hygge, Solarpunk & Degrowth.

609 implied HN points • 06 Apr 23
🎭️ Culture Ideas Sustainability Community Politics Aesthetics
  1. Imagining a postcapitalist, ecological, and equal future is vital for creating change.
  2. Buen Vivir, Hygge, Solarpunk, Social Ecology, and Degrowth are interconnected in promoting community well-being, sustainability, and decolonization.
  3. The concepts of Buen Vivir and Hygge can give insight into a degrowth future, emphasizing interconnectedness, community action, and well-being for all.

The Future Looks Green: Hemp, Algae, and Ideas for Ecovillages and Cooperative Life

511 implied HN points • 30 May 23
🌞 Climate & Environment Sustainability Renewable Energy Circular Economy
  1. Plants like hemp and algae have a wide range of uses and can help in creating sustainable communities.
  2. Circular systems can help in stopping waste and regenerating the ecosystem for a better future.
  3. Exploring alternative energy sources like biogas from hemp and algae can provide sustainable solutions to our energy needs.

Tiny Free Stores & Libraries of Everything: Steps Towards a Post-Capitalist Future

569 implied HN points • 28 Jan 23
  1. Building tiny free stores and libraries can bring us closer to a post-capitalist future by sharing resources for free.
  2. Creating non-monetary circular economies can reduce waste and meet the needs of all people without money getting in the way.
  3. Shifting to a circular and resource-based economy where there is free access to shared tools and resources can help build the future we want to see.
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Social Ecology & Solarpunk: The aesthetics of radical change

530 implied HN points • 04 Feb 23
  1. Our worldview shapes what we see as possible and realistic.
  2. Art and aesthetics can blend emotion and logic to inspire change.
  3. Showing a vision of the future and how to achieve it is crucial for creating meaningful societal change.

Open Source Societies

452 implied HN points • 07 Nov 22
  1. Move towards a technology of free and open commons, away from capitalist logic.
  2. Question how the capitalist system influences technology and stifles real innovation.
  3. Consider a shift in computer science towards communal ownership, democratic governance, and ecological stewardship.

Tiny Banned Book Library

393 implied HN points • 16 Sep 22
  1. Create a portable server to broadcast a digital library of banned books for anti-censorship purposes.
  2. Use a Raspberry Pi or other computer to host the server and share books over a WiFi network.
  3. Set up services like Calibre, nodogsplash, and Nginx to create a seamless experience for users accessing the library.

Solarpunk: Diverging Paths And Where We Go From Here

412 implied HN points • 03 Aug 22
  1. Solarpunk has two main paths: one focusing on building egalitarian societies based on justice for all people, moving away from old systems of oppression; the other using solarpunk as an aesthetic vehicle to detach from current monetary systems and implement alternative currencies and markets.
  2. Cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies inherently create inequity and hierarchical systems, relying on exploitation and power imbalances to function.
  3. An equitable green transition involves rethinking energy generation, production methods, governance, and interaction with nature to prioritize mutual aid, sustainability, equality, and ecological impact over profit.

Off Grid Internet Use Cases

314 implied HN points • 08 Sep 22
  1. Datarunners can physically move data between communities with autonomous networks, promoting information sharing and mutual aid.
  2. Using solar power for digital infrastructure highlights our reliance on nature and opens discussions on sustainable energy generation.
  3. Creating community-controlled communication and power microgrids allows for autonomy and resiliency in marginalized areas.

DIY Off-Grid Solar Primer

609 implied HN points • 19 Oct 21
  1. Building DIY off-grid solar systems is feasible with some basic tools and knowledge, even for individuals without extensive experience.
  2. Off-grid solar systems offer autonomy from power companies, support during emergencies, and potential cost savings on electricity bills.
  3. DIY systems are cheaper, more powerful, and modular compared to premade kits, providing more flexibility, scalability, and repairability.

Reviving Chromebooks with Ubuntu: Autonomous Servers, Planned Obsolescence, and Permacomputing

98 HN points • 24 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Computers Sustainability DIY Environmentalism
  1. Chromebooks are often discarded and become obsolete due to planned obsolescence by companies like Google.
  2. Reviving old Chromebooks with Ubuntu can turn them into useful autonomous servers, reducing waste.
  3. Permacomputing offers a sustainable approach to technology, focusing on reuse, modular design, and stewardship of resources.

Decentralizing our lives, a combination of essays. Part 2: Water

176 implied HN points • 24 Nov 21
  1. Water is becoming a crucial resource for autonomy and a tool for control.
  2. Collecting rainwater is a simple, practical way to build water autonomy.
  3. Decentralized and decommodified water systems empower individuals and communities, reducing reliance on capitalist structures.

Decommodifying our lives, a combination of essays. Part 1: Food

176 implied HN points • 11 Oct 21
  1. Start growing your own food to decouple from the commodified food chain.
  2. Community preparedness and sharing resources is key for survival and resilience.
  3. Decentralize organizing, incorporating sociocracy, for nonhierarchical and worker-owned initiatives.

Returning To The office, Fatigue Society, and The Death of The Old World.

117 implied HN points • 26 Oct 21
  1. The modern worker faces fatigue and a loss of self in a hyper-capitalist system.
  2. The pandemic has prompted reevaluation of priorities and the realization of the need to destroy the old world constructs.
  3. Hope lies in a future based on mutual aid, respect for all living things, and a reimagined society where individuals have ownership and focus on collective benefit.

Under The Array: A Short Story

98 implied HN points • 24 Dec 21
  1. The story discusses living in a futuristic, eco-friendly outpost on the edge of society.
  2. The characters work on innovative solutions like self-replicating mycelium for regreening barren wastelands.
  3. There is a theme of hope and progress in creating a sustainable future in a harsh environment.

Hydroponic Growing. The Future Demystified.

117 implied HN points • 20 Aug 21
  1. Hydroponic growing saves water and opens up new farming possibilities indoors and outdoors.
  2. Hydroponics can decentralize food production, making it hyper-local and resilient.
  3. Benefits of hydroponics include fewer pests, no reliance on pesticides, efficient space usage, water utilization, and ability to recycle resources.

Seed Bombs, Autonomous Gardens & You

117 implied HN points • 11 May 21
  1. Change food deserts into food forests with very little cost and effort.
  2. A seed bomb is a way to scatter seeds by rolling them with a binder.
  3. To combat food scarcity, build autonomy by growing food collectively.

Above The Crest : A Short Story

58 implied HN points • 01 Jan 22
  1. Dreams can inspire unique stories, like the one in the post.
  2. Creativity can lead to interactive storytelling experiences.
  3. Sometimes, a community of diverse individuals can come together to help each other, making positive impacts.

Sheet Mulching: How to recycle cardboard for fertile soil.

78 implied HN points • 18 May 21
  1. Reuse items instead of relying on traditional recycling methods
  2. Using sheet mulching with cardboard can create fertile soil for gardening
  3. Transforming an inhospitable area into a garden is quick and effective with sheet mulching

Earth Suits For a Warming Planet

58 implied HN points • 10 Sep 21
  1. Creating 'earth suits' to survive in hot and humid environments is crucial due to deadly wet bulb temperatures.
  2. Current cooling systems are expensive and not accessible to most people, calling for more affordable options.
  3. Air cooled hab suits with thermoelectric cooling can be a potential solution to prevent heatstroke in a warming climate.

Update 0.1 to The Cheap, Off-grid, Federated Communications, and File Sharing server.

58 implied HN points • 25 Jun 21
  1. Update focuses on adding security and media to off-grid server without internet dependency.
  2. Wyze outdoor cameras and Plex server are recommended for security and entertainment in off-grid setups.
  3. Additions provide decentralized communication, autonomous security, and entertainment options without internet connection.

Growing in the Anthropocene

58 implied HN points • 16 Jun 21
  1. Battling drought and climate change using tech and new growing techniques
  2. Building raised Sub Irrigated Planters (SIPS) to maintain gardens in extreme conditions
  3. Using water reservoirs under plant roots to conserve water and help plants survive in heat

Be Like Water. Adapting to new worlds

19 implied HN points • 06 Oct 21
  1. Dependence on complex shipping systems affects daily life.
  2. Capitalism commodifies necessities and sells them back to us.
  3. Building decentralized supply chains can lead to autonomy and freedom.