#balconysolar — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #balconysolar, aggregated by home.social.
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#balkon #kraftwerk for the win ✊ :awesome:
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#NinaMunteanu Talks to CBC About #Solarpunk (in #Toronto and Elsewhere)
May 3, 2026
Excerpts:
"On the Emerging Solarpunk Movement in Toronto:
When asked about whether there is a solarpunk movement in Toronto, I said absolutely! #SolarpunkToronto is an emerging movement focused on building a #sustainable, #equitable future through #CommunityAction, #GreenArchitecture, and #RenewableEnergy, specifically tailored for the city’s urban environment. It includes initiatives like sustainable fashion shows, community meetings, and innovative #storytelling, aimed at merging environmental activism with optimistic technology. The mantra is to achieve a regenerative sustainable urban future.
I mentioned #LindsayJane of the Solarpunk Scene (Youtube videos on Solarpunk projects in Toronto) and Ariel of Solarpunk Presents with podcast interviews on solarpunk efforts. People can find community on the Solarpunk Facegroup group. I also talked about the #TorontoSolarpunkMeetup at the #CentreForSocialInnovation, where they practice ' #PrefigurativeLife ’: living as if the #SustainableFuture already exists. Which it does, though not everywhere.
This reminds me of #cyberpunk science fiction author #WilliamGibson’s famous quote: The future is already here; it’s just not evenly distributed.
Examples of solarpunk initiatives practiced by individuals and small communities include the use of #CommunityGardens, setting up and looking after #RooftopGardens or #raingardens. Tenants can have a #PollinatorGarden on their patio and set up a #BalconySolar panel (now very affordable). People are going electric; some are setting up solar rooftops or balconies. Groups and individuals are engaging in clothing swaps and sustainable fashion runways.
Community-led trusts are involved in repairing items for reuse instead of adding to the throw-away culture. In my book #ADiaryInTheAgeOfWater the diarist’s mother Una rides her bike all over the community, repairing all kinds of things for a community that has lost its ability to do so; something we’re losing in this digital age.
On a Solarpunk Future:
We discussed the feasibility of a city like Toronto becoming 100% solarpunk. My response was a wary yes. Of course it was possible. But, in my opinion, two things have to happen for this to succeed: 1) the willingness of individuals in a community to give up a consumer-led capitalist lifestyle and adopt a lighter gentler footprint; and 2) community and city leaders to be on board with it. The enthusiastic cooperation of leaders cannot be overstressed for a paradigm shift toward a solarpunk future to succeed."
Read more:
https://ninamunteanu.me/2026/05/03/nina-talks-to-cbc-about-solarpunk-in-toronto-and-elsewhere/#SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #TheFutureIsNow #WeNeedOurNeighbors #SolarPunkFuture #ParadigmShift #SolarPunkWriters
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Congrats, #NewJersey! In six months or so you'll have the right to buy an appliance that your landlord should actually be providing already. Oh and your landlord might not even let you install it anyway.
https://www.cnn.com/climate/new-jersey-balcony-solar-renters -
Weekly output: AI data centers, Stasi Museum, Sneakers, Brendan Carr on censorship, Mark Vena podcast
After a week at home, I’m back on a plane early Monday morning for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. That company is covering my airfare and lodging, its usual arrangement for the event it hosts at a high-end resort, and I’ll include a disclosure about that in all the copy I file about the summit.
In other business-travel news, Patreon readers got a bonus post this week from a trip that they helped underwrite: a recap of the Online News Association’s conference in New Orleans.
9/15/2025: AI’s Dirty Secret Lies in Fossil Fuels Powering the Future of Artificial Intelligence, Worth
I missed this story when it was published because (ahem…) an editor spelled my last name wrong in the byline, leading to it not showing up on my author page. But anyway: Even if you’re as late to discovering this online as I was, I encourage you to read it and remember two questions to ask about any new data-center project: Will its electricity come from burning polluting fossil fuels, and are its owners paying for new generation capacity to avoid stressing the existing power grid?
9/15/2025: Berlin’s Stasi Museum Offers Uncomfortable Lessons About Surveillance, State Coercion, PCMag
Even though my previous visit in 2018 happened with the same president in the White House, the museum’s exhibits hit in a much different way this time.
9/16/2025: Why the Robert Redford Classic ‘Sneakers’ Is a Favorite in Cybersecurity Circles, PCMag
I had borrowed a DVD of this 1992 flick from my local library in March, which turned out to be good timing for the piece that I realized I needed to write the day after Redford’s death.
9/19/2025: The FCC Chairman Was Against Censorship Before He Was for It, PCMag
As I’ve written more than once here before, I hate abuse of power, and the chance to call it out gets me awake in the morning.
9/19/2025: EP 115 SmartTechCheck Podcast — Apple’s Awe Dropping Event, new iPhones and IFA 2025 takeaways, Mark Vena
My major contribution to this episode was discussing the popularity of balcony solar power in Germany–and its absence in the U.S.
12/11/2015: Updated the post to add a post that had escaped my attention in a particularly embarrassing manner.
#balconySolar #BrendanCarr #EastGermany #hackerMovies #JimmyKimmel #MarkVena #Qualcomm #RobertRedford #SnapdragonSummit #Sneakers #StasiMuseum #surveillance #TooManySecrets
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Instead of linking up to the mains (which is a problem for British wires) wire up the panels to a battery in the flat.
Right now I have a small solar panel charging a powerpack, give us more!
Because at some point the lights are going to go out, even in London.