Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast

When disaster comes, the fantasy says: run, hide, protect your own. But real survival has never worked that way. When the smoke rolls in, when the floodwaters rise, when the power fails, when the evacuation order comes too late—what saves people isn't a bunker. It’s a neighbor with a spare room, a phone tree, a ride across town, a community center with clean air, a pantry built for sharing, and a plan that includes everyone.This summer on Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, we’re talking about disaster prep as mutual aid, community care, and the infrastructure of survival.Because no one survives alone.---------------Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag

On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses local, national, and international efforts to grant legal rights to nature.Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmagSOURCES AND LINKSLane County Watersheds Bill of RightsFull ballot measure language: https://www.protectlanecountywatersheds.org/read_ordinanceThe ballot measure explained: https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide-military/Measure20-373Explanatory.htmlArguments in favor: https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide-military/Measure20-373ArgInFavor.htmlArguments opposed: https://oregonvotes.gov/voters-guide-military/Measure20-373ArgOppose.htmlGeneral Rights of Nature Sources"Should Trees Have Standing" by Christopher D. Stone: https://southerncalifornialawreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Christopher-D.-Stone-Should-Trees-Have-Standing_%E2%80%94Toward-Legal-Rights-for-Natural-Objects-45-S.-CAL.-L.-REV.-450-1972..pdfGlobal Alliance for the Rights of Nature: https://www.garn.org/rights-of-natureCase StudiesTamaqua, Pennsylvania: https://celdf.org/2015/08/tamaqua-boroughToledo, Ohio: https://www.greatlakesnow.org/2020/03/06/lake-erie-bill-rights-federal-court-unconstitutionalOrange County, Florida: https://aldf.org/article/legal-rights-recognized-for-rivers-in-florida-and-quebecGrant Township, Pennsylvania: https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13062023/pennsylvania-fracking-wastewater-injection-wellshttps://celdf.org/2023/05/unrepentant-and-vindicated-proposed-frack-waste-injection-well-in-grant-township-to-be-plugged-and-abandonedNew Zealand: https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/2017/7/en/latest/#DLM6831462Columbia: https://apnews.com/article/atrato-guardians-illegal-mining-contamination-threats-choco-977ad1e171715b8f7fb20a8ac6b9e149

On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson examines the energy transition's dependency on mining and imagines what a solarpunk energy transition would do differently.G7 trade talks target critical minerals as US-EU tariff rift strains unityhttps://www.reuters.com/world/china/g7-trade-ministers-discuss-critical-minerals-supply-chain-french-minister-says-2026-05-06France convenes G7 on critical minerals to curb China's griphttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/france-convenes-g7-critical-minerals-curb-chinas-grip-2026-05-05The energy transition has a rare earth problemhttps://www.climatechangenews.com/2026/05/05/the-energy-transition-has-a-rare-earth-problem-these-startups-are-solving-itOur Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag

On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson talks about AI and what it costs us, our communities, and our planet, then imagines what public computational infrastructure and solarpunk data centers might look like.Reuters ArticlesAEP raises capital plan to $78 billion as data center power demand skyrockets https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/aep-raises-capital-plan-78-billion-beats-profit-estimates-data-center-demand-2026-05-05/Duke Energy Tops Profit, Revenue Estimates Rate Recovery, Weather Boosthttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/duke-energy-tops-profit-revenue-estimates-rate-recovery-weather-boost-2026-05-05/US power use to beat record highs in 2026 and 2027 as AI use surges, EIA sayshttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-power-use-beat-record-highs-2026-2027-ai-use-surges-eia-says-2026-05-12/Other Cited Sourceshttps://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-energy-earnings-anderson-gas-plant/819428/Solarpunk Magazine: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagFollow Solarpunk Magazine on social media:BlueskyInstagramTikTokFacebook

On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson explores why hopeful stories are still so hard to write, and offers tools and suggestions to help creators shift their thinking and open up new possibilities beyond dystopia.Our Website: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagOur Social MediaBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/solarpunklitmag.bsky.socialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/solarpunklitmagTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@solarpunklitmagFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/solarpunklitmag

On this episode of Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast from Solarpunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses power outages as a matter of life and death for millions of people who rely on electricity to power their medical devices, making the case that we should understand the electric grid as a care system and build collective systems of support rather than relying on personal preparedness.The Invading Sea - "Power outages can threaten the lives of medical device users – knowing who is most at risk will help cities respond"https://www.theinvadingsea.com/2026/05/05/medical-devices-outages-backup-power-energy-bills-solar-climate-change-rechargeable-batteriesSolarpunk Magazine: https://solarpunkmagazine.comPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagFollow Solarpunk Magazine on social media:BlueskyInstagramTikTokFacebook

On this episode of the Demand Utopia podcast from Solapunk Magazine, host Justine Norton-Kertson takes a look at a recent article from The Guardian about a proposal from the Climate and Community Institute called “Stop Greed, Build Green,” and uses it as a launching point to make the case for a working-class climate agenda.The Guardian articlehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/05/climate-crisis-working-class-economyThe Climate and Community Institute's "Stop Greed, Build Green: A Working Class Climate Agenda" https://stopgreedbuildgreen.climateandcommunity.org/posts/agendaSolarpunk Magazinehttps://solarpunkmagazine.comSolarpunk Magazine Patreonhttps://www.patreon.com/solarpunkmagFollow Solarpunk Magazine on social media:Bluesky InstagramTikTokFacebook

On this episode of Demand Utopia, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses the balance between aesthetics and politics in the solarpunk genre.