Hi everyone! While I can't promise that this is exactly representative of all i've accomplished over the last week (between college, working full-time and planning a wedding i don't have a lot of extra bandwidth), this is definitely a record of what i've done over past two weeks to be more solarpunk and sustainable!

• 1. started a neocities and a solarpunk instagram! it's not a huge step but i feel like it's going to be great to foster community and connect with people who are interested in the same things i am! i feel like building community is one of the first steps to actually create meaningful societal action.
• 2. winterized my community garden. while i definitely feel like the community garden system in my city has a lot of flaws, such as lack of accessibility (the drive up to my community garden takes me into a wealthy community; there are no community gardens located anywhere walkable near the downtown area) and lack of access (there are huge waiting lists for community garden plots) i feel so lucky that i was able to get a plot this year! i feel like it's definitely contributed to both my own self-sufficiency and the ability to connect with my community (including giving my neighbors/coworkers/family produce) and i'm pretty excited for next year!
• 3. started shopping at a zero-waste store! it's really awesome that there are multiple zero-waste stores in my metro area and i've been moving more and more into reducing the amount of single-use plastic i consume. i've started being more intentional about my purchases and try to remain aware of my individual impact. i'm well aware that people across wide swaths of america lack the ability (such as a personal vehicle) or the access (no zero-waste shops); i grew up in a small town and i'm aware that i'm very priviledged to live where i do now. however, i would urge people to at the very least look into bulk purchasing options (like the coffee grinder or peanut-butter maker or the bulk bins); these options definitely aren't limited to expensive stores (for example, Winco has the best bulk purchasing options for dry goods that i've ever encountered). while there's no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism, it defintiely doesn't mean that your own choices don't matter.
• 4. bought my brother secondhand books and a poster for his birthday! i found books i knew he liked and i know that he doesn't care in the slightest whether they were used or brand-new; i wish it were more socially acceptable to gift people secondhand items that you've found and know they like (after all, isn't it the thought that counts?)
• 5. went for a hike at a local nature center! this wasn't particularly solarpunk (we had to drive 20 minutes to the park, but the public transit option wasn't feasible) but it was very enjoyable! i saw a frog and we were on the lookout for a newt (novel creatures to someone who grew up on a desert plateau). i feel like it's important to recognize that access to nature and spending time in nature is a quality-of-life issue and part of self-care. anyways, i'm sorry that i didnt spend the week reading theory or guerilla flower-bombing downtown portland, but i hope that even these small attempts reassure you that someone else out there is trying, too.