Solarpunk is a movement including stories, art, and real-world projects that ask a core question:

What if we actually solved the climate crisis — and built a more just, caring world while we did it?

Instead of dystopias or apocalyptic collapse, Solarpunk imagines hopeful futures where communities:

  • Transition away from fossil fuels to renewables

  • Repair relationships with land, water, and non-human kin

  • Build systems based on cooperation, mutual aid, and justice

  • Blend appropriate technology with local knowledge and culture

You’ll often see images of rooftop gardens, community microgrids, colorful dense neighborhoods, bikes and transit instead of highways, and public spaces full of life. That “aesthetic” is part of it, but Solarpunk is less about the look and more about the practice of building livable futures now.

 

Why Solarpunk Matters to the Center for Climate Action & Sustainability

At CCAS, we see Solarpunk as more than a genre. It’s a tool for education, and organizing, and inspiring action.

Climate work is often framed around what we don’t want: less carbon, less pollution, less harm. That’s essential—but it’s not enough. To move people from paralysis to action, we also need shared images of what we do want:

  • What does a just, decarbonized Evergreen campus look and feel like?

  • How does the South Puget Sound Ecoregion thrive in a changing climate?

  • What does everyday life look like when equity, care, and regeneration are the norm?

Solarpunk helps us:

  • Name and visualize those futures in concrete, local ways.

  • Connect head and heart—linking data and policy to stories, art, and place.

  • Lower the barrier to entry for climate conversations, especially for students who feel overwhelmed by doom.

  • Practice “prefigurative” work: trying out small-scale versions of the world we want—in our classrooms, clubs, gardens, events, and community partnerships.

In short: envisioning a just, equitable, brighter future isn’t a “bonus” to climate action. It’s central to how we choose strategies, build coalitions, and stay with the work for the long haul.

How We Use Solarpunk at CCAS

Across our programs and partnerships, Solarpunk shows up in different ways:

  • Curriculum & workshops – Integrating Solarpunk themes into classes, project design tools, and co-curricular workshops that help students imagine and prototype sustainable futures.

  • Student projects – Supporting projects that feel like pieces of a Solarpunk world: community gardens, repair and reuse initiatives, renewable energy education, mutual aid, and more.

  • Storytelling & events – Framing events (like talks, climate cafés, and game nights) not just around “what’s wrong,” but around “what can we build instead?”

  • Regional collaboration – Linking Evergreen’s work to a wider ecosystem of local organizations experimenting with resilient, regenerative practices.

If you’re interested in using Solarpunk as a lens for your project, course, or community partnership, CCAS is happy to brainstorm and support you.

Learn More: Solarpunk Video Playlists

To help students, staff, faculty, and community members explore Solarpunk at their own pace, we’ve curated three YouTube playlists:

  • Solarpunk 101: Intro to the Idea. Short, accessible videos that introduce the basic concepts, aesthetics, and values of Solarpunk. Great starting point if you’re new to the term.

  • Solarpunk 201: How Can We Use it? Talks, mini-documentaries, and case studies that show how people are putting Solarpunk principles into action—through community energy, urban design, art, mutual aid, and more.

  • Solarpunk 301: Extended Deep Dives. Longer lectures and essays for those who want to dig into political, social, and philosophical questions: justice, decolonization, economic systems, and the challenges of making hopeful futures real.

Get Involved

If Solarpunk sparks something for you, we’d love to connect:

  • Want to design a Solarpunk-inspired project or an Independent Learning Contract (ILC)?

  • Interested in incorporating Solarpunk themes or topics into your program or course?

  • Curious about collaborations between CCAS, student groups, and community organizations?

Contact us at ClimateAction@evergreen.edu to talk about how your ideas can plug into the broader work of climate justice, sustainability, and vibrant futures at Evergreen and beyond.

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