What is Solarnia? It Sounds Like a Fairy Tale, but It’s More Than That…
Image from Flickr user Hernan Piñera
Solarnia. A land where all day-to-day life is powered by nothing more than sunshine. It sounds like a mythical, magical kingdom—like Atlantis or Camelot, the stuff of legends.
But it’s not. It’s an idea that Greenpeace has put together to turn the Mediterranean areas that receive the most sunlight into totally solar-powered paradises.
Close your eyes. Now imagine a perfect holiday destination; a peaceful place where you can swim in crystal-clear waters, breathe clean air, enjoy amazing food served by hospitable locals, explore countless islands and walk on exotic beaches.
This place is called Solarnia, a Mediterranean paradise completely powered by clean and safe energy. It has a stable economy and a flourishing tourism industry.
Now, open your eyes. Imagine a place where the sea turned black, where the food is contaminated, where the air is unbreathable, where tourism has died out, and where oil rigs and coal plants are all you can see on the horizon.
This place has no name, it’s a Mediterranean nightmare affected by dirty and dangerous energy, with a degrading economy and no tourism.
If your location receives a lot of sunlight, harnessing its power to cook food, generate electricity, and heat water is an excellent way to use solar energy to power your home, read more here: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/power-home-with-clean-energy.php
The project is taking all sorts of different shapes, including big art installations like this one, which encouraged people to “Quit Dirty Energy”:
And this great Youtube video, reminding viewers of the destructive power of dirty energy. If the name Solnaria sounds familiar, well, that’s on purpose.
On board with this idea? (I know I am—this is the kind of future that is both incredible and achievable.) Sign the petition here to convince Mediterranean authorities to make changes regarding clean energy. You can also follow the Solarnia campaign on the Greenpeace blog!
Sophie Hessekiel
Sophie Hessekiel is a writer, comedian, and occasional musician who has fled Westchester to pursue feminism, fashion, ecology and comedy in the far-flung fields of Poughkeepsie and Manhattan. When not interning at Eco-Chick, she is writing and performing with her sketch group at Vassar or deconstructing Taylor Swift and Tinder with her gal pals. She also interns for Wifey.tv and is always on the lookout for great new video content. Sophie is studying English, Film, and Español at Vassar, and she wants to make television when she grows up—or, you know, now. Whichever comes first.
