Yarra

In desert environments Lunarpunks use the sunlight to their advantage to grow their food and conserve and recycle precious water. Underground homes are the norm with glass courtyards and green walls of kitchen herbs and veggies. Electricity is minimal as underground homes do not require heating nor cooling. Water is collected and recycled from the rainy months and offset by underground freshwater streams and Warka towers.

When the sands blow in they are sandblasted into sandstone homes and structures to prevent erosion. Wind turbines causing temperature sinks provide more rain. The soil is slowly being repaired over lifetimes. In the future man-made deserts of the past will be a vast oasis of plant life and fresh water rivers.

Bioluminescence in Nature

Before our current attempts at creating a future filled with bioluminescent organisms and technologies our world was filled with amazing light emitting creatures and plants. From the Motyxia millipede of California to the Glow worms of New Zealand our planet is covered in things you can only truly discover and appreciate at night. So here's your list of just some of the amazing creatures and plants you might come across in our lifetime.

1. Motyxia Millipede of California. Poisonous.

1. Glow Worms of New Zealand. Use lighted fishing lines to catch their prey.

1. Mosquito Bay, Puerto Rico. Dinoflagellates that give the ocean an eerie blue glow.

1. Crystal Jellyfish of the Pacific Northwest.

2. Loosejaw Dragonfish. Eats krill and Shrimp.

3. Mushrooms. There are currently 71 species of mushrooms around the world that are known the glow.

1. Coral of the Cayman Islands.

2. Armillaria solidipes fingus (Honey Mushroom) of Oregon's National Forest. Currently covers 2,200 acres mega glowing mushroom.

3. Hawsbill Turtle.

1. Mnemiopsis leidyi.

Mushrooms Most land-base bioluminescence is found in the form of mushrooms or insects. In the United States it's found in the form of the Foxfire mushroom. This mushroom was even said to have been suggested by Benjamin Franklin, to be used as lighting on board one of the first ever submarines due to its eerie glow.

The main colors for mushrooms that glow are green, however living creatures can have more variety in their bioluminescence and can glow in shades of orange, yellow, purple, blue, and more.

Not all bioluminescence is the same either. Some can be extremely bright and others can only be seen once your eyes adjust to the dark. When it comes to living creatures, their light may be either visable with the naked eye or with the help of a black light.

We don't know exactly why mushroom species glow but it's thought that either it's an evolved trait to attract carnivores to eat arthropods that may harm them or that the light reaction helps produce anti-oxidants that promote lignin digestion during the decomposition of cellulose fibers. Which is a great theory because all the bioluminescent mushrooms in existence are wood decayers.

Whatever it is that promotes light emittance in plants and in animals, it has a way of inspiring us, whether through fiction, technological innovation, or design.

But we have to remember, bioluminescence has a purpose in a dark world whether that be attracting a mate, creating anti-oxidants, or warning others of toxicity. What happens if in our obsession with this rare and beautiful gift we destroy the very creatures that inspire us? What if in the future the night is no longer dark but polluted with various light sources and flashes? What happens if we take our love of light in the darkness too far? Wherever we are we need to respect not only what these creature are and what they do but the conditions that made it possible in the first place. We have to respect the darkness too... You cannot have the light without the dark...

Inspiration Below you'll find some inspirational videos and gif's from DESIGN:Bioluminescent Forest. I hope you find them as inspirational as I did.

Sources:

Let it glow: A look at naturally glowing plants and animals – Boys' Life magazine

Luminescent Labs

Luminescent Labs

DESIGN: Bioluminescent Forest] WE THE URBAN

This bark glows in the dark! Bioluminescence in mushrooms :Cornell Mushroom Blog

Image Source: shahabalizadeh | “Moonlight Coast ”

What would lunarpunk look like on another world? Would it be sandstone structures butted up against seas that may or may not be water? They say on Neptune and Uranaus the seas are made of liquid diamond. What would a civilization look like in a world kept ever on the edge of total darkness? Would the winds howl through their sandstone structures? Is it a song or a warning to keep away?

Deep Adaptation

“But he says deep adaptation is different: It looks for ways to mitigate the damage of that collapse. “The discussion I’m inviting is about collective responses to reduce harm,” he says, “rather than how a few people could tough it out to survive longer than others.””

~ New Climate Debate: How to Adapt to the End of the World by Christopher Flavelle (clearnet)

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Deep adaptation from a Lunarpunk perspective isn't preparing for the end of the world and simply reducing harm along the way. It's more a recognition that we caused this through our capitalistic systems, a movement towards reconciliation with each other, and a movement towards repairing and coming into balance with the planet we've caused so much harm to. This isn't the end of the world, only the end of a materialistic and greedy culture.

We have the tools today to shift our fate from one of suffering and extinction to one of healing and growth. The Solarpunk and Lunarpunk movements prove that it’s possible, that people are imagining, planning, and designing a new way forward. We can write a new beginning for our species instead of listening to the narrators of our current story that have already lost hope. It’s time to start putting into action what we know to be possible and build a bright future for ourselves and our planet.

Darkness

What is it about the darkness that we seem to be attracted to? Is it the unknown? The lack of outside stimuli that forces us to come to terms with our own thoughts? Our own fears? Is it curiosity? Wonder? Does the darkness even have to be scary? Can't it be interesting? Beautiful even? Darkness is but a canvas, we can project our fears, hopes, dreams, and aspirations onto. It can be a destination. A place. An experience. It allows us to learn more about ourselves. Darkness is a world. It is many worlds. Darkness is multidimensional and as explorers of the deep, it's time to chart our course.

Time Banking

I just started learning about time banks, but I’ve already noticed a big issue… They are not accessible to the chronically ill or disabled. Which is disheartening since their services are especially needed in those communities. The first issue with time banks is that they assume you are a healthy individual when you sign on and therefore can save your time credits for the future when you may become disabled or in your old age. This isn’t always the case and by assuming so, you leave out part of the community you should be including.

This can be changed through putting accessibility guidelines into place, such as the following:

• No fractions of an hour. Every bit of work rounds up to the nearest hour. Micro tasks are valued just the same as larger tasks.

• Priority / time frame tags.

• Assignment of a small amount of starter hours when registering for membership.

• Digital services in addition to in person services for time credits.

• Digital community services (newsletters, chatroom, calendar, skype meetings, podcasts, apps etc.)

• Digital scheduling system for the community.

• A possible voluntary one way time credit system. Where volunteers can donate credits back into the time back for redistribution to those who may need them during the month. A simple form could be filled out to apply for extra credits during a month.

Ex.) You don’t have any credits but you need a ride to the hospital. If someone donated credits recently back to the time bank and you receive one, you can use it to find someone to drive you.

However, time banking should never been seen as the end goal for a community. Instead, it should be seen as a transitional tool against our current capitalistic culture that values financial gain over the people it purports to serve. It allows us to reform and strengthen community bonds while also moving away from the illusion of money as the end goal to one of community as the end goal.

In a Lunarpunk world where low-light to no-light conditions are the norm. How do the plants interact? Were they genetically engineered to emit light? Did they evolve this way? Does disturbing the plant life cause a ripple or wave effect across the living networks of plants? Does it attract pollinators? Is it a warning? Or a manifestation of their consciousness? Are they whispering to each other? Are they whispering about us?

“…Disability is so useful, for many who would oppose corporate capitalism and corporate globalization, as the object against which an imagined future world is shaped.”

— Robert McRuer, Crip Theory: Cultural Signs of Queerness and Disability

Solarpunk Healthcare

• You never have to pay for healthcare.

• Your medication comes to your door. Some are auto-renewed. You never have to worry about not having your life saving medication or supplies.

• Medication is distributed in lightweight fully recyclable shatter proof glass containers.

• Things such as asthma inhalers that don't need to be made of plastic are made of lightweight fully recyclable shatter proof glass containers.

• Alternatives to medical grade plastics have been introduced that perform better than plastics ever did and are completely recyclable.

• You have opensource hackable sensors to monitor your wellbeing that can live sync to your doctors tablet. Once you give temporary permission through your device. At any other time, only you can view your results and data.

• When you come down with an illness you are given all the time you need to recover and no one holds that against you. You work because you want to contribute to society, not because you must to survive.

• There are services in place to help you while you are ill. Food can be delivered and even pre-prepared if needed.

• Hospitals are set up with the patient in mind.

• There are plants in the rooms that are planted in biogel instead of dirt and large windows.

• Digital screens that serve up not only television, but internet, gaming systems, nature scenes, audiobooks, music, and more. Complete with bluetooth headphones, keyboard, and gaming controller.

• You can temporarily sync your home server with the hospital for the duration of your stay so everything you have at home goes with you for longer stays.

• Mental health is just as big a priority as your physical well being and you have access to any and all services you may need completely anonymous and secure.

• You can control the lighting conditions of your room at any time from the push of a button. Including the large windows which can tint to filter out sunlight.

• Your pet can come with you to the hospital and is taken care of with you so you do not have to worry about their safety. There are HEPA filters in place to make sure that allergens are not spread to other rooms.

• You are treated with dignity and respect.

• Clothing for you stay is 3D printed based on your digital profile and preferences and fully recyclable.

• Libraries deliver books to hospitals.

• Some traditional meals are made in the kitchen in addition to standard fare. As well as gluten free, egg free, vegan, vegetarian, halal, kosher, and allergen free meals.

• There is ambient lighting in your room to prevent falls at night, your are allowed to sleep through the night undisturbed.

• Your chart and doctors visits are on a schedule for you to view and prepare for the next day if you need to. There are no surprises.

• Patients can view their records at any time and point out inconsistencies or errors in their information.

• Doctors are there solely to treat the individual and work with them on their road to recovery. Not for profit.

A Single Drop

A single drop of rain holds within it enough energy to decimate an entire metropolis or crack open a single seed, thus beginning new life. Why it chooses to gently create instead of live up to it’s potential we’ll never know. The more the skies pour down, the more potential energy charge the cities. …

The more trees grow around the cracks, spilling into wildflowers, that spill into apartment complexes that spill into food forests. The cities used to be powered by rain in another way, but going against nature had dire consequences and the people shunned it. Turn their backs on the cold unforgiving world they had created and found a better way.

To live gently with nature, to call upon the rain, not to harness it’s potential but to watch what it did by itself for once. Well… Perhaps a single drop of rain wasn’t so gentle after all, they thought when they looked around their beautiful green city and smiled.