What’s wrong with smaller cities, with more evenly distributed population across countries, with density lowering as you move from the center? Reduces city impact, still promotes dense urbanization and reduces transportation costs if there is something being produces around the city. Also left to nature is a bit impossible in today’s world and promotes detachment from feeling like part of nature for most people. Most of Europe and north America is riddled with invasive species or just have been devastated by agriculture or deforestation in the last centuries and if managed correctly which can mean leave it alone humans can have a positive impact on the world. If you could create forests in the desert with plants from around it, wouldn’t that be positive?

You are right it’s kind of exactly what I was looking for, I will look further into that, thank you! As for XR I’ll push forward trying to build connections and meeting like minded individuals who might even be interested in adjacent stuff like what you mentioned.

I’m just afraid that it’s all destruction and PR stunts. I believe in demonstrations, up to a certain point. I just feel like they accomplish too little when they are generic. I read somewhere that XR UK was very poorly seen by general population which is a shame because a few years ago they weren’t (at least so much).

I’m afraid that the regular person is going over the hill of being concerned with the planet and just gets annoyed by road blocks and demonstrations fronted by young people to pretend throw paint at art and just give up. Because those people that are affected feel like there is little they can do about the big parts of it. I know the argument of union strikes civil rights protests but I feel like the public opinion is not going in the right direction.

In the end I feel that if there is going to be any hope of moving the needle of the big issues regular people need feel included and like it’s their cause too.

Thank you, you made some pretty goods point which I’ll consider. Specially the building connections part!

I’m actually in the the part of XR in my region most likely to do stuff like that but since XR in my country has very few people doesn’t look like I’m going to divert many to do different things but I see what you mean. I’m having an in person event soon so I may try to network in that direction.

Very cool

Interesting… what made you think The dispossessed has solarpunk elements? Obviously anarchist but I feel like it doesn’t have much focus on balance with the natural world, just in how the inhabitants of Anarres feel like the people on Urras have an actual planet and treat it like shit while they have a deserted planet and try as hard as they can to be In balance with it.

I’m with you on that. I feel like open source is the best possible way to security audit and test issues. As any issue will be out there to see, most proprietary code ends ups being years of duct tape which wouldn’t fly if a large community of different backgrounds took a look at the code

Yeah that one. I do recommend it. Yeah that makes sense. The book is not exactly anarchist at least I don’t think so but it does fit in that space. But I think it can be read by anyone on the left specially people of the DIY community and such.

Very cool! Thank you for sharing!

That’s amazing, what huge chunk of land! You are practically self sufficient in terms of food, congratulations! Do you do all the work alone?

I think that’s a bit of leap to say that because people can live further away from everyone else they will. And will go to places where everything must be done by car. I think most will just stay away from the bigger city centers, which tend to be the only places where transit has enough coverage. At least as far as I’m used to, don’t know about the UK, maybe you have great transit systems. I can say something about everybody I know who works remotely (partially and completely), at the end of the day most are much more likely to want to be with friends and family and exercise, mostly because they don’t feel so drained by travel and work culture.

Meeting hell, I know the feeling… I’ll be rooting for your veggie patch!

I’ll counter that with the community being the people you want it to be and not the forced work place culture. You can have the same community for years while changing jobs in the meantime. I don’t understand your argument regarding cars. Fully remote allows one to orchestrate his own live to never have to drive. If you have no commute and you have access to things near you, why would you drive? I understand that it depends on the person and live conditions. But from strictly flexibility perspective you are more able to decide how you live than the alternative.

That’s my dream. Do you grow anything?

Why do you plan to leave? I’m not from the USA so I’m not familiar with that reality. Is it isolation from services? Or do you miss the city? Myself, I prefer the mountains and smaller towns (like 50k-70k population)

Don’t blame yourself. I know a lot of people in situations similar and they also blame themselves. Maybe you can improve on disconnecting from work, try to pause notifications after you are out, or turn off your phone. At least for me it works pretty well.

Me too. Currently I do find that I have a minimal relationship with my current team which isn’t the end of the world but at one point I had a team that I never met in person that was the best team I ever had and I was only there 6 months. I think like with in person relationships the person’s involved matter a lot. Also the will that most of team has to make an effort to know each other.

Now I’m curious to know how long are your breaks? XD

I did try the cowork thing. I did it in Porto, Portugal but I think that because real estate here is fundamentally broken there is no way that it works. I did found some places but the good ones were expensive and the bad ones were also expensive just not that much. And only the really good ones were better than working at a library or a coffee shop.

I don’t think the remote work itself is solarpunk but I think it gives a slight opening to create solarpunk communities. Less time commuting, more time spent with people you want to spend time with and less with coworkers, community and political envolvment, sports, etc… Besides, I agree that a good deal of remote jobs are not inherently useful to the world but just the fact that it opens a way for a lot of people to move from big urban centers to smaller urban centers, reduces centralization and with it can move the workers that can’t do their work remotely also to the decentralized communities.

I agree with the aspect of losing human connection which I think is the greatest downside. Did you ever considered sharing your space with a friend or someone you know that’s also a remote worker to provide at least a source of companionship? I’m not saying daily but weekly or biweekly. I do that with my brother and sometimes friends and it helps a lot. And it creates a kinda of community even though we work for different companies.