Demand Utopia: A Solarpunk Podcast

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.

On this episode of Demand Utopia, host Justine Norton-Kertson discusses how housing serves as a litmus test for solarpunk futures: if the future can’t house people, then it’s not serious.

On this episode of Demand Utopia, host Justine Norton-Kertson talks about the history and purpose of borders, then does a thought experiment imagining what a solarpunk future without borders—with freedom of movement—might look like.

On this episode, our host Justine Norton-Kertson imagines what Los Angeles might look in a more hopeful, solarpunk future.

In this episode we examine the current attempts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and how DEI is at the center of those attacks. Then, we imagine what decentralizing education might look like from a solarpunk perspective instead.