Three Movements to Get Down and Dirty for a Greener, Groovier World
Hey, Down and Dirty readers/listeners! If you’re itching to ditch the doomscroll and plant some seeds for a better future, let’s dig into three movements—Permaculture, Solarpunk, and the Neighboring Movement—that are shaking up the status quo. These aren’t just pie-in-the-sky ideas; they’re practical, community-driven, and downright inspiring ways to make our planet a place where humans, critters, and nature can in live harmony. Ready to get your hands dirty? Let’s roll!
Permaculture: Nature’s Blueprint for Living Smart
Picture this: a backyard that’s less lawn-mower nightmare and more edible jungle, buzzing with bees and bursting with veggies. That’s permaculture—a design system born in the 1970s by Aussie visionaries Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. It’s all about mimicking nature’s genius to create self-sufficient systems that feed us, heal the soil, and keep the planet smiling.
Permaculture’s 12 principles are like a gardener’s cheat sheet: observe your land, catch sunlight and rainwater, and let chickens play pest control while fertilizing your crops. Think food forests with layers of fruit trees, herbs, and roots, or swales that trap water to green up dry patches. From urban rooftops in Brooklyn to rural farms in Malawi, permaculture turns waste into wealth—think composting your kitchen scraps into black gold. It’s sustainable living with a side of swagger, proving we can grow our own food without trashing the Earth. (Check out our latest archived podcast from Sunday the 15th at www.bbsradio.com/downanddirty where we share Vicki's adventures in the high Colorado Rocky mountains when she rocked her permaculture certificate and learning all about composting toilets... and much more of course 😉).
Solarpunk: Dreaming Green, Living Rebel
If permaculture is the soil, Solarpunk is the sparkly vision sprouting from it. Born in the 2000s as a rebellious cousin to cyberpunk’s gritty dystopias, Solarpunk paints a future where solar panels gleam, cities bloom with rooftop forests, and we’ve ditched fossil fuels for good. It’s not just sci-fi—it’s a movement blending art, fashion, and activism to imagine a world where tech and nature blend together and present the highest & greatest good for the collective humanity.
Think Art Nouveau meets eco-chic: flowing fabrics, green architecture, and airships made of bio-plastic. Solarpunk’s stories, like Becky Chambers’ A Psalm for the Wild-Built, feature heroes and cooperative societies, rejecting capitalism’s grind for a vibe of “radical hope.” It’s practical, too—think community gardens, open-source tech, and guerrilla seed-planting during Solarpunk Action Week. Sure, it’s got to dodge greenwashing (fancy condos with fake green roofs, etc.), but Solarpunk’s optimism is a call to arms: let’s build a future that’s as lush as it is just.
Neighboring Movement: Love Thy Neighbor, Literally
Now, let’s zoom in to your block. The Neighboring Movement, kicked off in 2015 in Wichita, Kansas, is all about turning strangers next door into partners in crime—er, community. Using Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD), it flips the script from “what’s broken?” to “what’s awesome?” Every neighbor has gifts—whether it’s grilling skills, bread baking or a knack for fixing bikes—and this movement gets them sharing.
Through programs like the Good Neighbor Experiment, folks learn to connect with their eight closest neighbors (yep, the 8 Front Doors Challenge!). Think block parties, tool libraries, or the SoCe Corner project, which turned abandoned buildings into a hub for Black entrepreneurs. It’s hyper-local love that builds trust, fights isolation, and makes neighborhoods resilient. Who knew chatting over the fence could be so revolutionary?
Why These Three Are a Match Made in Eco-Heaven
So, why do these movements matter for a world where humans, animals, and nature live in harmony instead of fight? Together, they’re like a three-course meal for sustainability:
- Eco-Smarts: Permaculture restores ecosystems with tricks like soil regeneration and polycultures, keeping critters happy. Solarpunk scales it up with green cities that make room for wildlife, while the Neighboring Movement gets locals tending community gardens, ensuring the Earth stays lush.
- People Power: All three reject top-down nonsense. Permaculture’s co-ops, Solarpunk’s worker-owned vibes, and the Neighboring Movement’s animator networks empower everyone—especially marginalized folks—to shape their future.
- Good Vibes Only: Forget scarcity and gloom. These movements thrive on abundance—permaculture’s overflowing harvests, Solarpunk’s hopeful art, and the Neighboring Movement’s “radical kindness” turn communities into places of joy.
- Harmony for All: Permaculture integrates animals (hens for pest patrol, bees for pollination), Solarpunk designs cities with urban wetlands for birds, and the Neighboring Movement keeps neighborhoods clean for local critters. It’s a win-win-win for humans, animals, and Mother Nature.
Challenges? Yeah, They’ve Got a Few
No movement is perfect. Permaculture needs land and know-how, which can be tough in cities. Solarpunk risks being co-opted by shiny-but-shallow “eco” trends. The Neighboring Movement has to bridge trust gaps in divided or transient hoods. But together, they cover each other’s bases: permaculture brings the tools, Solarpunk the inspiration, and the Neighboring Movement the glue to keep communities tight.
Get Down and Dirty with It
Want to join the party? Start small: plant a permaculture herb spiral, join a Solarpunk subreddit to swap ideas, or knock on your neighbor’s door for a chat (bring cookies!). Check out permaculture.org.au for courses, solarpunkmagazine.com for stories, or neighboringmovement.org for ABCD tips. These movements aren’t just dreams—they’re shovels, paintbrushes, and handshakes for building a greener, groovier world.
So, Down and Dirty crew, let’s get to work. The future’s calling, and it’s got flowers in its hair and a neighborly grin. Who’s in?
Written by Idaho Bo
from the Down and Dirty with Idaho Bo and Vivacious Vic podcast
every other Sunday at 4 Central, bbsradio.com station 1
