Solarpunk DIY

"The federal government scheme will require retailers to offer free electricity to households for at least three hours in the middle of the day, when there is often more electricity generated than is being used, leading to very cheap or even negative wholesale prices."

💬 By carefully pruning a sugi (Cryptomeria japonica / Japanese Redwood) you get a living tree that is both a work of art, and a source of wood.

📰 https://www.openculture.com/2026/06/how-japan-invented-daisugi-the-ancient-method-of-growing-lumber-without-cutting-down-trees.html

📺 https://youtu.be/DYah8EGxEYk

🗒 "We tour the neighborhood of Dunbar Springs, where Brad has been transforming the hot asphalt streets into a native food oasis over the last 30 years."

"Efforts like Kew’s and others mean that an archive of 145 million plant, animal, and fungi samples is now freely available to anyone with an internet connection worldwide who might want to access them for any reason."

The results were a 23.8% reduction in PM2.5, and a 30% reduction in carbon monoxide, resulting in some 320,000 fewer deaths from air pollution.

Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2026 found that global solar power growth reached record levels in 2025, helping renewable energy overtake coal in the world’s electricity mix for the first time in more than 100 years.

"The application was ever so simple: a bag of woodchips impregnated with turkey tail spores left at the bottom of the river. The mycelia, or filament system of the mushroom, filtered out 80% of the E. coli, 83% of the phosphorous, and 35% of the nitrogen."

🗒 "Scientists have developed a reusable liquid molecule that captures sunlight, stores it inside chemical bonds, and releases it later as heat when needed. The process begins when the molecule absorbs sunlight. The molecule then changes shape and stores energy inside its structure."

🗒 "New drilling technology has unlocked geothermal energy in Europe at a scale that could displace 42% of the continent’s electricity from coal and gas at competitive prices."

🗒 "A new law has been passed in Scotland which means that every new house built in the country will have to have a swift brick in them."

Here is a PDF talking about swift bricks installation instructions, and suppliers.

🗒 "New research shows coral reef fisheries worldwide could boost sustainable yields by nearly 50 percent if fish populations recover, potentially providing up to 162 million additional meals annually."

🗒 "The authors found annual degradation rates of 0.52–0.61%, roughly half the average reported in prior studies, which also had limitations of smaller sample sizes (the largest other survey of this kind was with 4,200 installations) and shorter study durations averaging between 2 and 7 years."

🗒"Soon, 11 water bodies across the area were revived in one of the country’s driest places. Dry basins became functioning reservoirs once again.

Groundwater levels began to respond. Wells that once ran dry during peak summer retained water longer."

If you want both a smart AND privacy focused home, you still have an option. Home Assistant is a FOSS (Free Open Source Software) that creates home automation that you stay in control of.

There are many builds and price points for a set up, which mostly depends on how much work you are willing to take on yourself.

• 🔗 Website
• 📺️ Youtube
• 🔗 Mastodon

🗒 "The sound of falling droplets effectively shook the seeds out of a dormant state, stimulating them to germinate at a faster rate compared with seeds that were not exposed to the same sound vibrations."

Plant-It is a FOSS Android app that pulls plant info from The Flora Codex (a FOSS plant data-set for apps).

Plant-it is a gardening companion app. Useful for keeping track of plant care, receiving notifications about when to water plants, uploading plant images, and more.

🗒 “The combination of good uniformity, high power capability, and strong low‑temperature performance makes these cells attractive for stationary storage, grid services, and shorter‑range or commercial vehicles where potential lower cost and resource availability matter more than maximum driving range,”

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• The restored pond now irrigates roughly 25 acres of farmland for 22 families
• Irrigation electricity costs are down 50%
• Rice fields are growing for the first time

🗒️ "TerraSono can detect threats like illegal logging, poaching, or wildfires on land, and monitor biodiversity shifts or harmful human activity at sea"

🔧 DIY: "IOT Based Water Quality Monitoring System"

🗒️ "By reducing manual testing and providing instant data access, the system improves decision-making and helps maintain safe water quality standards."

🔧 DIY: "PicoAir — Open Source Air Quality Monitor for Everyone"

🗒️ "A fully open source, 3D printable air quality monitor built around the Raspberry Pi Pico W that anyone can build for under ₹900(est) in components. It monitors air quality, temperature and humidity in real time "

Link

Greenhouses in northern communities across Canada's Arctic are tackling food insecurity by growing fresh vegetables year-round. Salluit harvested 115kg of produce in its first season, inspiring similar projects across the North.

"Each retailer that sells products which come in recyclable containers are given a tax credit for the cost of installing return infrastructure like reverse vending machines and other installations. Then, the customer, when they buy each item, are charged a deposit that is returned with a few cents extra when they return the items."

Researchers are turning to phytomining for nickel as a sustainable alternative to destructive mining. Certain flowers naturally absorb nickel, which can then be harvested and refined for use in electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies. This method reduces environmental damage and offers a cleaner, greener path to sourcing critical metals.

Chinese researchers created biodegradable bamboo plastic with 110 MPa tensile strength that decomposes in soil within 50 days. Published in Nature Communications (October 2025), the material outperforms petroleum-based plastics in terms of strength and stability, while maintaining 90% of its original strength after recycling. This makes it a renewable and recyclable alternative for industrial use.