Weekly Solarpunk, of 19 April: DIY Health Tools, Lottery Democracy, Hyacinth Packaging, Rooftop Solar Mandates

Weekly Solarpunk for 19 April follows six future-facing stories: DIY health tools, lottery democracy, hyacinth packaging, rooftop solar mandates, agrivoltaic garden shade, and desert adaptation. 1. DIY Health Tools A DIY toolmaker channel becomes a discussion about open hardware, shared knowledge, and whether low-cost inventions can spread beyond inspiring videos. Source link 2. Lottery Democracy A video on sortition sparks debate over corruption, expertise, bias in selection systems, and whether lottery-picked citizen bodies can govern better than elections. Source link 3. Hyacinth Packaging A Kenyan packaging idea reframes an invasive lake plant as feedstock, while commenters ask how solid the evidence is and whether the model can scale. Source link 4. Rooftop Solar Mandates A proposal for mandatory rooftop solar turns into a practical argument over mandates, incentives, permitting, and how countries should prioritize built surfaces over land. Source link 5. Agrivoltaic Garden Shade A Forbes piece on agrivoltaics links crop shading to higher yields and lower moisture loss, with the discussion focusing on missing residential hardware. Source link 6. Desert Adaptation A long desert-focused thread argues that arid regions deserve more attention in future planning, with commenters split between adaptation, redesign, and retreat. Source link That's it for today.