What is Solarpunk Future?
Happening on May 11th from 5-9pm! Part interactive art show, part job fair, join geek creatives and green innovators for an evening event full of performances, exhibits, and art installations which will give all ages and walks of life the opportunity to be inspired by the sustainable future that we can collectively create.
What is Solarpunk?
Solarpunk is an art, literature, and political movement juxtaposed in opposition to the cyberpunk concept of the future. While cyberpunk often depicts a postapocalyptic, dystopian and disconnected future, solarpunk imagines a community-led, sustainable future that offers a hopeful alternative to the uptick in climate-doomism circulating in social media. Solarpunk provides us a goal to work towards together.
This introductory video on Solarpunk offers some real world examples! To learn more about Solarpunk, check out EARTH.ORG.
This event is organized by:
GA/GI, ReImagine Jobs, The Climate Reality Project, the League of Women Voters of Pennsylvania Citizen Education Fund, ReImagine Beaver County, Breathe Project, involveMint, We All Eat, ReImagine the Turtle Creek Watershed and Airshed Communities, and Global Shapers Pittsburgh.
Sponsored by:
Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Catalyst Connection, Green Mountain, Move PGH, New Sun Rising, BRITE Energy Innovators, BOOM Concepts, PA Women’s Work, and Tech 25
Meet Our Team
Christine Bethea of Geek Art / Green Innovators (GA/GI)
Geek Art/Green Innovators (GA/GI) was a ground-breaking, wildly successful, and award winning celebration of Art, Tech, and Sustainability in Pittsburgh. Created by artist and Creative Strategist, Christine Bethea, GA/GI was held on Penn Ave annually for ten years showcasing hundreds of artists, inventors, and scientists and dozens of university eco & tech programs from the southwestern Pennsylvania region and beyond. Now Team GA/GI and Ms. Bethea, as the event’s Arts Chair, has joined Reimagined Jobs, a leader in sustainable initiatives to celebrate the possibilities of a cleaner and greener Pittsburgh.
Nina Gibbs of Most Wanted Fine Art
Nina Gibbs is an accomplished and energetic professional with more than 20 years of experience in the fast-paced arena of fundraising and community engagement across classes and cultures. Nina has a proven track record of achieving exceptional results in grant writing, individual giving, corporate giving, volunteer recruitment, and event planning. Nina and her arts organization, Most Wanted Fine Art, have been honored as a “40 under 40” by Pittsburgh magazine, “Community Development Award” from Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group, “Power of Work Award” from Goodwill of Southwestern PA, and “Best Art Gallery for Local Artists” 2014-2017 by Pittsburgh City Paper readers.
Artist. Maker. Urban Farmer. Educator. Alchemist.
Josh Inklovich left a career in oil, gas, steel, and coal nine years ago to pursue a more mindful and Earth-centric path. Today, he lives a solar punk life. By day, he provides a range of plant-based experiential learning opportunities to Passport Academy Charter School students. By night, he makes music with the biodata (life energy) of plants, “paints” cast bismuth metal with electricity and lye, and expresses sacred geometric forms through various mediums. He can be found on Instagram @Mr_Josh_Pittsburgh.
Heather Harr is a co-founder of ReImagine Beaver County and Reimagine Jobs. As Project Director for the League of Women Voters of PA, Heather is a creator of the sustainable development visioning sessions held in southwest PA beginning in 2017. Heather works with everyday folks to help people change their built and natural environments and use civic engagement to increase social equity.
Kelly, Leah, Josephine, and Jason are Climate Reality’s regional team of organizers. They are supporting Solarpunk Future in a logistical capacity. This team spends most of their time on Climate Reality’s Petrochemical and Pollutions campaign to fight for a cleaner future in the Ohio River Valley, and coordinate a variety of green jobs programming for Reimagine Jobs.
Shaina Nicassio is the Sustainability Program Specialist for ReImagine Turtle Creek Watershed and Airshed Communities Plus, a grassroots initiative through Protect PT, League of Women Voters, and Climate Reality. She also sits on the ReImagine Jobs planning committee. Shaina was born and raised in the Pittsburgh area, but spent the last few years out west working for the National Park Service where she saw firsthand the disproportionate effects of climate change and the need for investment in sustainable development at the local level. She is excited to be back in the Pittsburgh area to advocate for a Solarpunk Future in her own and neighboring communities.
Deb serves as Director of Communications of the Breathe Project where she is managing media, marketing and messaging for more than 36 environmental organizations in Southwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia who are members of the Breathe Collaborative. She is an award-winning editor and journalist with more than 25 years of experience in print, radio and digital media. As a reporter, she specialized in environmental issues, business, technology and healthcare features. She was the founding associate editor of NEXTpittsburgh, a popular city-based publication, and a frequent contributor to Pittsburgh Magazine and Crain’s Pittsburgh. Her work has appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Fast Company, OZY, The Washington Post and Time-Life Books. Deb grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and has lived with her family in Mt. Lebanon for the past 20 years.
Keep an eye on this page over the coming months as we continue to provide updated information!