#Solarpunk (& -adjacent) YouTube Channels
I (Ariel) watch a lot of YouTube – it’s for research purposes, I swear! Here are some of my favourites, in no particular order:
About Solarpunk Directly:
The Solarpunk Scene – Run by Torontonian Lindsay Jane; an excellent exploration of solarpunk as an accessible lifestyle and activist toolkit in the big city. Check out our recent interview with her here.
Andrewism – The radical philosopher from Trinidad and Tobago, formerly known as Saint Andrew; come for the fun graphics, stay for the compelling critical examinations of social issues and direct engagement with the ideas and ethics of the solarpunk movement.
Regenerative Agriculture / Sustainability
Dr Elaine’s Soil Food Web School – I had the privilege of attending the Soil Regen Summit 2021; many of the talks from that conference are available for free on this channel, and they tend to be very active. An incredible opportunity to learn for free from some of the best soil scientists / ecologists / farmers worldwide and to learn about agriculture and how humans can be better to our planet – from small-scale ag to large-scale businesses.
Andrew Millison – Speaking of free education, Dr Millison is a professor in the Horticulture department at Oregon State University, but shares a lot of his lectures on permaculture online; the channel also covers his personal life, from his sustainable home in the city to the use of permaculture by farmers and activists worldwide.
Leaf of Life – This channel posts short (5-10 minute) positive news stories about sustainable projects around the world. Some of it is old news, a lot of it is poorly sourced, but it’s always a nice quick injection of climate-positive hope straight into my veins. I treat it similar to Wikipedia: a great place to discover awesome new things but never the final word on the subject.
Solarpunk-adjacent lifestyles:
Kristen Dirksen – Long-form, deep-dive video interviews of incredibly fascinating people (mostly in the US and western Europe) living alternative lifestyles, mostly with an emphasis on sustainability or green energy. Kristen (along with her husband) produces documentary-style content that I wouldn’t be surprised to see as a feature film some day.
Exploring Alternatives – This channel sates my driving need for Canadian Content on a regular basis. Run by a couple from Canada, they produce shorter videos that feature alternative living situations in Canada and around the world, from #vanlife to living on a houseboat to northern tiny houses.
Professor Poldergeist– A channel that both educates and sates my desire for terrible puns. Run out of a university in the Netherlands, this channel doesn’t post much but deals with thorny issues of climate change facing the Netherlands such as sea level rise when most of the land is reclaimed…
There are some others I watch that I considered putting on here (eg Going Green, Raincoast Conservation, Bioneers), but I haven’t been able to really get into them enough (yet!!!) to say whether or not I would recommend them. Definitely worth checking out, however, and stay tuned for future recommendations.
These are just a few channels that are to my tastes, though; what about you? Have any recommendations for solarpunk / -adjacent video content I should check out? Let me know in the comments!