132: From Colonial to Solarpunk Education w/ Andrewism

<p>In the late 2000s, the concept of “solarpunk” emerged. In 2022, YouTube channel Our Changing Climate with, my guest today, Andrewism published a video titled “How We Can Build a Solarpunk Future Right Now”, in which they make that the case that "Ultimately Solarpunk envisions a world that might be slower, but more intentional. One that ties humanity closely to the natural world.” Or as Andrewism put in a reply to the video: "A future with a human face and dirt behind its ears."</p><br><p>But if solarpunk is the future with humanity put back in, achieving it means taking control of that future from economic, social, &amp; political forces that seem to be on autopilot to self-destruction, utterly divorced from human desires &amp; human intervention. One path we've imagined already, and its grimy survivalist individualism was the defining feature of Reagan-era science fiction classics. However, in its radical reimagination of economic &amp; social structures, solarpunk resists the nihilism &amp; doomerism of the grim dehumanized technological dystopias that dominate the worlds of, say, Blade Runner, Robocop, &amp; William Gibson's Neuromancer.&nbsp;</p><br><p>Do we have the willingness to challenge the predominant social, economic, &amp; political structures &amp; systems that need to be challenged? To change the very nature of humanity's relationship to the planet? What role does education play in all of this?&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><h2>Guests</h2><p>Andrew goes by <strong>Andrewism </strong>on his YouTube channel. His 66 videos, covering topics from education, liberation, and history, to family, parenting, and of course, solarpunk - have nearly 3 million combined views. Young people from around the world are watching &amp; learning from him and participating in the community he has cultivated around his channel.</p><p><br></p><h2>Resources</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Andrewism" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andrewism's YouTube channel</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch