Sci_Burst is an Australian podcast and startup all about science, popular culture, and entertainment!
We’re your hosts, Isabel & Ella, two science communicators and solarpunk enthusiasts taking you on a journey into sustainable, hopeful futures. This podcast is meant for you, no matter your level of expertise - whether you are a practising physicist, a tradesman, or a circus acrobat!
Follow us on @Sci_Burst (Instagram, LinkedIn, Mastodon) for updates. You can also get in touch via sciburstpodcast@gmail.com.
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We saved the best for last: welcome to our episode on Aussie Solarpunk! In this season finale of Sci_Burst we record live from the Woden Library to bring you a joyous episode close to our home & heart.
Join us in a chat on community owned solarfarms, Mad Max, reconciliation, science communicators, men’s sheds, and of course, the famous Hills Hoist clothesline.
Hold solarpunk in your hands as you listen to this episode, where we dive deep into the aspects of a tangible solarpunk future that are already here!
Discover soilpunk, permaculture, gleaning, friction-maxxing, mending circles, analogue media curation, junk journalling and more as we discuss why physical, tangible and intentionally crafted living is SO necessary right now.
A brighter, greener, more sustainable future is in reach!
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:56 Soil, Gardening, and Permaculture
33:43 Return to Analogue Media
1:01:10 Thriving DIY
1:13:24 Good News Stories
Want more? Here are some things that we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
Discover the compelling journey of climate change discoveries, following actions (and lack thereof), the stories that have been told about climate breakdown, and what alternatives to those stories are now surfacing. Tune in to hear about why facts aren't always enough, why media literacy is a necessary climate communication skill, and why new inspiring, connecting, and hopeful stories might just be the solution...
There are hundreds of reasons for solarpunk, and right now there are more than ever before!
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
04:40 A brief history of climate change science
15:50 Where this brings us (the problem)
35:55 The solution (it's solarpunk)
1:05:05 Good news stories
Want more? Look through the material that both inspired and informed this episode:
- Dr Karl's Little Book of Climate Change Science (2021) by Karl Kruszelnicki
- The Myth Gap: What Happens When Evidence and Arguments Aren't Enough (2017) by Alex Evans
- Media Literacy with Saffana Banana: https://www.youtube.com/@SaffanaTeachingComms
- Solarpunk Means Dreaming Green by Jay Springett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq16vAsB18Q&t=2175s
Dive into the world of solarpunk games and ‘playing’ imagined, hopeful futures in this episode of Sci_Burst! We talk about solarpunk (and solarpunk-adjacent) video games, board games, RPGs, and more - including what already exists and what is soon to come… Tune in to also learn why gamers are particularly solarpunk ready and how we can make a sustainable future through play. Plus discover a whole bunch of radical games to add to your wishlists!
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
6:24 Why gamers are solarpunk ready
11:08 Solarpunk video games
42:40 Solarpunk board games and RPGs
56:26 Other solarpunk ‘games’
1:06:43 Good News Stories
Want more? Here are some things that we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
-Imaginable: How to Create a Hopeful Future (2023) by Jane McGonigal
In this episode we bring you a ray of sunshine all about solarpunk optimism, resilience, and staying defiantly hopeful about our future. Being optimistic has several benefits (backed by extensive science!) for your health, wellbeing, and overall experience of life. And sharing optimism and hope is inspiring and contagious. So tune in for a breath of fresh air from all the negativity and dystopian narratives that tend to dominate today’s media, how to find radically good news, and what you can do to start building our hopeful future. This episode will truly brighten up your day!
*sorry for the weird feedback noise in this one folks, we have no clue what happened with our tech!
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
20:52 The science and benefits of optimism
30:17 Unlocking your future super-empowered optimistic self
38:01 The power of sharing optimism with others
49:18 Good News Stories
Want more? Here are some things that we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
-Imaginable: How to Create a Hopeful Future (2023) by Jane McGonigal
-Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable
Imaginable (2024) by Hannah Ritchie
-Better Things Are Possible: How rebellious hope will change the world (2025) by Jack Toohey
-How to Save the Whole Stinkin’ Planet (2019) & How to Save the Whole Blinkin’ Planet (2024) by Lee Constable
S3 E7: Ochrepunk with Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan
Season 3 · Episode 7
Saturday, January 3, 2026 • Duration 01:15:04
Happy New Year friends! To kick off 2026, we bring you a fantastic episode on Indigenous Futurisms, optimism in First Nations storytelling, and 🧡Ochrepunk🧡 with our very special guest, Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan 🖤💛❤️
Matt is a Luritja man, software developer, board member, creative technologist, playwright, poet, and PhD student at The Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics 💻✍️🎭 He is a developer at Indigemoji – a sticker set of 90 emojis representing life, culture and language of Arrernte Country in Central Australia – and creator of The Robot Dog, an intercultural sci-fi play about identity and technology in the future 🤖🐕
Press play for a yarn about Matt’s work on ‘The Jedda Test’ (inspired by the famous Bechdel Test, and centred around Indigenous representations in media) and ‘Ochrepunk’, his play The Robot Dog, and the interconnections with Solarpunk ☀️
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:28 Introducing our guest, Matthew Ngamurarri Heffernan!
6:08 The Jedda Test and First Nations representation in media
24:42 Ochrepunk - what it is and how it relates to Solarpunk
Happy silly season! This December we’re exploring what a solarpunk community looks like when the sun goes down, and the delightful subgenre that is ~lunarpunk~ 🌃🌙💜. We touch on human-nature relationships after dark 🦉, solarpunk technologies at nighttime (think bioluminescence, decolonial space travel 🛰️🪼🍄), and also what evening culture and festivals could look like in a solarpunk/lunarpunk future 🪅. Press play to learn more!
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
7:37 Human-nature relationships at night
21:08 Solarpunk technology at night
41:40 Solarpunk evening culture and spirituality
1:00:41 Good news from our world!
Want more? Here are some things that we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
- What is lunarpunk? (https://solarpunkmagazine.com/what-is-lunarpunk/)
- The Matrix Resurrection Brings Lunarpunk to the Big Screen (https://solarpunkmagazine.com/the-matrix-resurrection-brings-lunarpunk-to-the-big-screen/)
- Avatar (2009 film)
- Star Trek
- Octavia Butler’s ‘Earthseed’ series
- For too long, colonial language has dominated space exploration. There is a better way (https://theconversation.com/for-too-long-colonial-language-has-dominated-space-exploration-there-is-a-better-way-264886)
- Tender for the night: After-dark cultural complexities in the night-time economy (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10304312.2011.617875)
- Towards 24 Hour Cities: Reflection on Night-time Economy Policy Accelerator (https://worldcitiescultureforum.com/report/5th-edition/night-time-economy/)
- Danny Bettay on Designing our Future Skies (https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/news/2024/06/20/Danny-Bettay-on-designing-our-future-skies/)
S3 E5: Is Pokémon Solarpunk?
Season 3 · Episode 5
Sunday, November 2, 2025 • Duration 01:15:29
Just in time for the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, we bring you a sequel Pokémon episode - with a twist! This time we ask the question: is the Pokémon universe truly solarpunk??? 👀👀👀
Press play to hear about the solarpunk elements of Pokémon (including sustainability, clean energy, and harmonious human-nature relationships ♻️🌱⚡️), the not so solarpunk elements of Pokémon (including capitalist💰 and colonialist mechanics), and the future potential of the franchise 🔴⚪️👾
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:28 Solarpunk elements of Pokémon
45:19 The not so solarpunk elements of Pokémon
58:43 The future of Pokémon
1:07:48 Good news from our world!
Want more? Here are some things that we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
• Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of Sea (2006 movie)
• Arceus and the Jewel of Life (2009 movie)
• Pokémon Sun and Moon (2016 games)• Bulbapedia on Sunyshore City (https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sunyshore_City)
• Interview with Junichi Masuda in Nintendo Power (https://archive.org/details/Nintendo_Power_Issue_240_April_2009/page/n43/mode/2up)
• How Does the POKEMON GOVERNMENT Work? (ft. BirdKeeperToby) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OefUCoIdfUg)
• Pokemon: The First Movie (1997)What is meat made of in the Pokémon games? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PRiSkGCK0w)
• Why Conservationists Should Heed Pokémon (https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.295.5564.2367b)
• ‘It is a Pokémon world’: The Pokémon franchise and the environment (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1367877913501240)
S3 E4: Greenwashing
Season 3 · Episode 4
Friday, October 3, 2025 • Duration 01:08:24
What happens when companies lie about their sustainability or pretend to be solarpunk? 🤥 Enter, the deceptive act of greenwashing 🤢⚠️⚠️ Press play to learn where the phrase comes from, why companies might do it, and how countries and communities are already combatting it to make the world a little more solarpunk! Bring your best selves, it’s not every day that a new Sci_Burst episode also coincides with a Taylor Swift album drop AND Mean Girls Day 😉☀️
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:30 What is Greenwashing?
21:45 Solarpunk washing ... it's a thing
45:42 Moving away from greenwashing to the future of a more circular, sustainable, and solarpunk world
58:47 Good news (clothing/fashion edition)
Want more? Here are some things we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
• Greenwashing: Do you know what you’re buying? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2898878/
• Big oil coined ‘carbon footprints’ to blame us for their greed. Keep them on the hook (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/23/big-oil-coined-carbon-footprints-to-blame-us-for-their-greed-keep-them-on-the-hook)
• Concepts and forms of greenwashing: a systematic review (https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-020-0300-3)
• Jay Westerveld (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Westerveld)
• How to spot greenwashing buzzwords Instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/DIxyiZXtZ46/?img_index=8&igsh=Mmgxc3JvN3Bva2V0
• McDonald’s rolling out green logo in Europe (https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34111784)
• H&M Case Shows How Greenwashing Breaks Brand Promise (https://www.forbes.com/sites/retailwire/2022/07/13/hm-case-shows-how-greenwashing-breaks-brand-promise/)
S3 E3: Science, Community, and Third Places
Season 3 · Episode 3
Wednesday, September 3, 2025 • Duration 51:10
This is a very special episode of Sci_Burst – our first ever live recording!!!
Press play to learn about third places, the science and hope of community, and accessible futures.
Thanks to our live audience, videographer, and Woden Library staff for making this such a cosy and special recording xx
This project is supported by Inspiring Australia ACT and the ACT Government. Our equipment for this live recording was also made possible by YWCA Canberra.
Episode time stamps:
0:00 Episode intro
2:53 What are third places?
14:06 The science of community and third places
34:23 Hopeful community futures
45:27 Good News segment
Want more? Here are some things we spoke about in this episode that we recommend:
- 'Third places' are good for your wellbeing and wallet. Here is how to find yours ()
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Discover shows related to Sci_Burst, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
- Peter Swanton is using Indigenous knowledge to study the stars (https://reporter.anu.edu.au/all-stories/our-knowledges-are-significant-peter-swanton-indigenous-astronomy)
• Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002 games)• From the top... | Pokemon Blazeblack Solarpunk Challange (#1) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpa8gQMrmCw)
• Herbelovedghast’s quote from ‘Tonight’s realization: Pokémon is a Solarpunk setting.’ (https://pocketseizure.tumblr.com/post/172519120467)
Good News Stories:https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cevz13xkxprohttps://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-04/backyard-biobanking-tasmania-alpine-plants-bushfire-threat/105730036
• Solarpunk, ESG and Greenwashing: How Firms Appeal to Green Investors (https://corporateinsight.com/solarpunk-esg-and-greenwashing-how-firms-appeal-to-green-investors/)
• ASIC continues action on misleading claims to deter greenwashing misconduct(https://www.asic.gov.au/about-asic/news-centre/find-a-media-release/2024-releases/24-185mr-asic-continues-action-on-misleading-claims-to-deter-greenwashing-misconduct/)
• Greenhushing: What is it, and why do companies do it? (https://lens.monash.edu/@cop/2024/10/29/1387058/greenhushing-what-is-it-and-why-do-companies-do-it)
