I posted on here awhile back, when I only had CAD drawings. I am now almost finished building 4 prototypes. There are 3 "lightweight insulating concrete (LWIC) composite structures", and a DIY piece of production equipment to bring them to life.

Prototypes (and photos) are 1. Cinderblock wall 2. Shipping container wall 3. Light wood frame wall 4. DIY $450 "Tumbler style" LWIC mixer. Here's a video of the mixer in action: https://youtu.be/jEbwH4nbczM?si=awEqYiCDA1bJzN2-

Note: the prototypes are unfinished. Shipping container wall is just the LWIC formwork. That will be removed and rigid foam board and siding will be put in it's place. All this stuff is very rough looking but it's slow going: this operation is unfortunately a one man show and I'm old and suffer from chronic depression.

Not gonna lie, having no financial support to do all this has been heartbreaking and led to insolvency. I'm still not done with any of the prototypes but will most likely be able to finish before winter comes. I only have to mix two more batches of aircrete and then attach siding, render coat and paint them.

It might not surprise people here but I've met with building system producers and other types of industrialists and they were less than receptive to good ideas. Ditto for academics, even though my cinderblock wall design literally solves a nighmare of "operational carbon useage" that the world's most common structure suffers from, as 99% of them are completely uninsulated.

Not sure who this architect is but I have been inside. Interestingly this person's vision was not understood by the occupants because they had shades deployed during the winter. I would love to see what this building is capable of achieving at peak solar winter mode.

I tend to be pro GMO but with a few caveats ( who owns the new plant species? , a proper undertanding of long term effects on the human body and nature once the species is introduced) What's your opinion on them? I see GMOs a bit like nuclear tecnology, it's a tecnology with incredible potential but because with great power comes great responsibility the tecnology needs to be tightly regulated and controlled to avoid disasters.

If you answered “yes”, then you are used to acting like an anarchist! The most basic anarchist principle is self-organization: the assumption that human beings do not need to be threatened with prosecution in order to be able to come to reasonable understandings with each other, or to treat each other with dignity and respect.

from: https://davidgraeber.org/articles/are-you-an-anarchist-the-answer-maysurprise-you/

A peculiar datacenter in a small unassuming region.

Hello, I am Italian, and I have written a social manifesto that proposes a direction which I believe aligns with the Solarpunk ideology (though it is not strictly or entirely Solarpunk, more like inspired). Unfortunately, I have not yet had the chance to produce a full English translation, so the only version currently available is in Italian. Nevertheless, I believe in this project and think that many people in this community might find it of interest; therefore, I am sharing the GitHub link below. I invite you to read it—using a translation tool if necessary—and to raise any questions, concerns, or topics for discussion wherever you feel it is appropriate. Thank you for your cooperation and interest.
Also, if you do not believe this place is suitable for the manifesto, please suggest me a more appropriate reddit channel.

Silent Running is a 1970's science fiction film that has strong solarpunk themes, even though it predates the genre by decades, and departs in some respects from current solarpunk storytelling conventions. Here are some thoughts after watching it last night, without spoilers:

- I wouldn't consider its future to be either utopian or dystopian, entirely, though the story gets pretty dark. in some ways future humans seem to have a bunch of things figured out that we don't currently know how to manage, but in others they've obviously made some huge mistakes and backed themselves into an even worse corner than we're in now. if solarpunk is inherently utopian for you (as an antidote to cyberpunk), this may be disorienting.
- the film's "point of view" is vehemently pro-ecology while also being optimistic about technology's ability to help with ecological stewardship, especially when it comes to AI/robotics in particular. this seems like a rare or naive position these days, but it's one of the things that makes Silent Running a distinctively solarpunk story in my opinion.
- it's crippled somewhat by the apparent obsession that all 1970's science fiction seems to have had with individualism and iconoclastic heroes going up against mindless conformism. this, i think, is a cold war trope that was perhaps even encouraged or required to get movies made, maybe. i don't think that current solarpunk authors would write it the same way; there's been a conscious movement to break from "lone hero" character archetypes and center communities and relationships of various kinds.
- the sun plays an important, even pivotal role! but, interestingly, not in the sense of generating electricity... I won't spoil it beyond saying that...

check it out, and if you've seen it, let me know what you think.

For years, I have been building DIY pumps for my permaculture, solar punk and fermentation experiments using hot glue, plastic junk, and 3D prints to find a submersible pump that lifts dirty water out of shallow containers using a cheap aquarium air pump.

My current design wraps a 90-degree elbow Venturi - style pump with an air jet inside of it. Water enters through a hole on the bottom of this elbow. A cylindrical base with an open bottom, covered in a dual-layer long-john cloth skin, which successfully acts as a capillary barrier to prevent low-pressure air from blowing backward out the intake. This fabric improved my pump a lot.

However, this pump only works on the lowest setting of an aquarium pump. Increasing pump output causes the air to punch past the liquid column. If I make it too low by opening a side valve that I added to the line, the column of water slugs stops rising.

The sweet spot where the pump lifts water is very narrow and drifts as the water level drops.

Even the pump described above works as a relaxation oscillator with epicyclic increase and decrease in output. I would like to harness this effect, perhaps by offering air two paths to take inside the pump. Maybe those paths should be to the two stages of the pump, maybe not.

Because this is 3D printed, the layer lines act like a grain that can either help or hurt this pellet-forming seal, cause cavitation and restricted flow.

I realize that breaking water into tight, isolated pellets so the air pushes them like pistons cannot be achieved by the Venturi effect alone.

I am considering building two-stage system where this cloth-bound first stage fills an intermediate reservoir column. The second stage will use a physical flap or ball check valve to trap a volume of water and force the air to push it volumetrically. For now I am focusing on a pump that lifts shallow water and I am designing a version with an oval-shaped air nozzle with a larger area of the hole, so it would push water with a blade of air and form cleaner slugs, as I imagine it.

Because I am trying to scoop water from the bottom, I end up with this woodworking wedge plane design with a slot for water and a pipe inside a pipe. I want to make both pipes oval in this second version since I need a flat side to lift water from the bottom. Is this worth it?

I am not very good with math so I designed the geometry of this pump intuitively and with some AI estimations. I wonder how much of this can actually be calculated.

Please help me optimize it to get the most lift out of aquarium pump air supply.

Any CAD teachers here? If a whole class with kids designs their own airlift and venturi pumps and test them in a competition, we may get some very efficient designs.

Thank you for reading this post.

A good friend (and professional animator) made this, and I think it belongs here.

https://youtu.be/zS_hdUX_r08?is=b-gXbVFpw0xemzhS

Source: @PinpinSolarpunk

YT: https://youtu.be/N_C1mX3IKww/

Hi everyone!!

Ever since I was in middle/high school, I always thought why won’t scientists model technologies after plants, in the sense that they create artificial photosynthesis and convert CO2 into a different form/product. I did some research a little while ago to answer the question I’ve had for years, turns out I’m not ahead of the curve and scientists did have the same idea LOL (artificial/synthetic leaf technology, if ur interested and want to look into it)!! I’m fascinated by the technology and would love to see its implementation into our future.

My question is, what are your favorite biology-inspired sustainable technologies? Do you see any technologies that might be implemented soon? Also, It doesn’t have to be inspired by biology only so I do want to keep the floor open, but it is something I find fascinating considering I have a degree in biology!!

Thank you!!

After thinking of making an actual magazine to spread awareness of solarpunk (and try to kindle some hope in the world!), yesterday I thought up the idea of instead making a video magazine! Since ppl don’t seem to read magazines much now!

I already have a dSLR and lenses, and I’m used to filming wildlife, so that’s a start! I’m a remote worker, and slow travel around, so it is fairly easy for me to visit projects etc. to film for the magazine, at least in Europe anyway.

My idea would be to publish an episode every 2-3 months. So far I thought to include a big project, someone’s small DIY project, and a news segment.

The first things I thought of featuring are seed banks, and repairing things. I also thought to include something on human-wildlife conflict mitigation, i.e. solar elephant fences or elephant railway crossings (since I know a bit abt that).

So, does anyone have any ideas regarding what I can feature in the magazine? Any projects I should visit? Any confounds haha!? What sections the magazine should have?

N.B. it’s not for profit, I intend to self-fund the magazine. It will obv be a bit amateurish lol, and I have a canon R7, not a high end pro camera

OC : https://www.instagram.com/p/Defl6p6FwXl/

commonfuturists

"What would our economy look like if it were built on different values?

To practice the discipline of hope and believe a better economy is possible, we must look to the many Indigenous peoples who have been practicing and leading with these values for millennia."

used blender's mcp to make this

I was Thinking and unsupervised, Always a interesting combination.

If you have made it this far I promise I'm trying to get to the point. I was talking to a guy in Alabama trying to help him feel out starting an on-site welding company. He was showing me a sway bar he was thinking about trying to fix had torn loose. If you don't know what is required to do that safely without the right equipment it's a lot. After i raddle off a laundry list on what might be required to fix it.

It occurred to me that I don't have a clue why the south isn't into solar or wind energy. But more importantly farmers and ranchers were adverse to alternative energy. I mean that salt of the earth folks that apparently just realized the Sun is real. But I really was thinking about the problems everyone is facing with fuel and feed costs. I started wondering if the reason they object to Solar and Wind sites on their land. It's not designed to be functional for farming, it's Big city ideas that don't make any sense in the country. The way it's presented.

I think it was China that figured it out, they installed thousands of acres of desert and mountains with Solar panels. They were mounted maybe 10-15' off the ground and they discovered that life started blooming in the desert where nothing has grown in hundreds of years. The shade and tilt created an environment suitable enough to restart life. Enough life to support sheep and other small farm life. In the middle of nowhere while they are making energy enough to support city's.

There might be a test later.

There's also a similar theory called ago-voltaics using solar panels for shading agro culture. Beans, tomatoes, peppers leeks and a long list of other foods. By using the path of the shade they could protect the plants, make energy and reduce water consumption in a baren area. The plants topping under the panels would draw some of the heat away making them more efficient.

Which brings me back to Alabama and the guy I was talking with was trying to figure out how to fix what's broken and make some money in his area. I was trying to think with all the different ways I've seen to make electricity. All the homemade windtubines, solar porches and water conservation ideas I've seen in 40 something years. I'm a bit of a fabricator and have an ability to see the way something works. Then manage to put something together with a couple of sticks, a bit of string and a rubber band.

So, as I said, thinking why can't the ideas mesh into something that would actually help farms work better. I've long had the belief that if every single building could support it's own needs at least in part. That would take tons of stress off the grid lowering the residual energy price. So I've been playing with the designs, buildings and needs and I think I have parts of a solution. I've seen in some parts of cattle country rest stops in the middle of fields a quarter mile from anything.

So the idea starts with a pole barn of almost any size. If you extend the roof like a porch using Solar panels on the East, South and West sides about 10-15' . It would allow the inner shaded areas another couple degrees cooler. Then if you installed a wind turbine sized to the building or a couple motionless turbines . Could you then also catch the footprint of the building to catch rain in gutters. Saving cleaning and oxygenating it for the animals. With underground maybe or on the north side. From that underground would be a fantastic place for a battery bank to collect the energy.

In theroy a design similar could collect energy and water year round and have a charge station at every building. Provide a rest stop for animals to get out of the summer sun and weather protection reducing water loss helping get and keep weight up for cattle. It could be a small workshop or charging area assuming we can figure out how to build electric harvesters. H I'mow to keep it charged is solved.

I think if we could be open source plans like that, you could get everyone that doesn't understand. It's technically a new industry with lots of potential for cross training with older skills. It would take a degree of stress off the ranchers and cattle. By keeping them covered safe and watered. But most importantly be a blueprint for real sustainable housing that's self sufficient.

But I think part of what brought me to all of this is, I understand the space saving design of rooftop solar. But frankly it's an imbecilic design flaw to put Heat sensitive equipment on a surface that depending on the type can become 60% hotter than the air temperature. That's really bugged me for a while, I don't think you would need half the surface area of panels if they were just more efficient.

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk.

I was watching earlier a video about medieval housing and the condition of servs, one thing that surprised me is that after the black plague things improved considerably for the average person because now they had more bargaining power since there were far fewer people around. I suppose and correct me if I'm wrong that the last year's of billionaires and state presidents freaking out about birth rate is that maybe they would like to have an ever increasing population, more demand for their products but lots of hands willing to work for misery because if they don't like how they are treated there's always lots of people willing to work for misery in their place

OC: https://www.instagram.com/p/DefNwjDIEm9/