This Sustainable Life

Tensie and I talked about wine, creating and changing habits, and eating bugs, which happens when you work with the Rainforest Alliance. We also talk about dealing with people when you change, influencing them, and perspectives that make these things work. The people she influences run multi-billion dollar companies. Tensie described and lives the point of this podcast: a lifetime of acting on you...

John Lee Dumas took on one of the biggest and longest-term commitment of any guest. Six months in and he's only half through it. He also inspired me back as much as any guest, which is probably related---not to think about things or talk, but to action. As with all environmental action, I expect I'll enjoy it after the initial challenge. I like running as I always have, so trying running how I tal...

Dorie shares about the six-month habit she committed to---one of the longest of any guest. Wait, can you just decide one day to start or stop a habit? Isn't that supposed to be impossible? Listen to Dorie's results. She's a master of habits: how to create them, start them, and teach others to do so. She shares how she works. With some guests you feel like they're always conscious of the microphone...

This podcast continues to break ground. Jeff Brown returns for an unprecedented 4th time. We dive deeper into his work with his home owners association (HOA)---how he created a team of people from his community, how he's making things happen, and his results. We talk about how it need only take a simple decision, a few conversations, and some work---but work you enjoy that creates community---to c...

Does sacrificing something you love mean a worse life? Balint shares his enthusiasm to experiment and find new recipes, tastes and experiences---I would say not  despite  but  because of  his choice to act on his values. What you value is better for you.. In his words: "The world is more colorful." His experience shows the difference to your life between  talking  abo...

If anything marked the beginning of the industrial revolution, it was James Watt’s steam engine. It wasn’t the first steam engine, but was more efficient than any before. More efficient means using less energy and less pollution, right? Wrong. Each engine, yes, but more people used engines, so Watt engines used more energy and polluted more than anything. They drained mines, which helped collect m...

Michael's book tour was taking him to China, up and down the U.S. east coast, and across the country, but he kept at his commitment. Tell me if you don't hear him smiling in talking about it. He said it was easy, but many people considering the same action put it off. His book covers systemic change, focusing on the role of business. I find that his personal action brings in a missing piece of wha...

Right off the bat you can hear my joy to hear how composting has changed Robbie’s life. I used to see composting as an odd thing that I probably should do but didn't know how so didn't. I think most people see it that way, especially if they don't have gardens. In this episode Robbie shares about composting and giving slop for pig feed. He talks about how he loves the idea that what would be trash...

Tensie is helping unravel my preconceived notions of academics focusing more on facts than action. Maybe because she was President of the Rainforest Alliance. Maybe because I met her when she brought the U.N. Secretary General to NYU. You'll hear other global organizations and people she's influenced, led, and collaborated with in a remarkable and effective career so far. She brings a new perspect...

Balint took on one of the bigger challenges on this podcast---one that nearly everyone knows the value of, many mean to do, but few do. He cut his beef intake from almost daily to once a month. How did he do it? How did his body react? His relationships? His health? Would he do it again? He shares how he became more aware of the different forms of protein and how his eyes and palate opened up to n...

David and I talked about the ocean, water, and sailing in this conversation for a couple reasons. For one thing, we find open water beautiful. For another, he helped spark my interest in learning to sail as a way to cross oceans without burning fossil fuels on the scale that flying does. Last time we spoke he mentioned an event in Europe next summer that gave me a deadline to take sailing lessons,...

What happens when you start with your passion and what you care about? Robbie Samuels is also a podcaster who has created great relationships through his show. He shares how he learned. He sounds like a natural, but he didn't start that way. In this episode we discuss the value of the skill of creating meaningful conversations with influencers. We talk about relationship building skills, which Rob...

Can you enjoy leading a movement to change a neighborhood? In this episode we dive deeper into Jeff's experience leading the charge to bring recycling amenities to his housing association. His voice reveals and exudes the emotional reward the challenge creates for him and how he’s creating relationships with his community. I don't think there's any question that this activity is not the end but th...

Do you care about the environment? Do you care about leading? The  Leadership and the Environment  podcast NYU’s  School of Liberal Studies invite you to listen in on our Panel of Leadership and Environment Experts which was held on Tuesday, April 3rd at the NYU Silver Building Featuring   Vincent Stanley Vincent, co-author with Yvon Chouinard of  The Responsible Company ,...

Balint Horvath and I are physicists and both podcasters -- a rare combination. I think the connection helps make this conversation inspire. That's the goal. I originally appeared on his podcast, where we connected. His love for environment and interviewing skill brought out mine last summer, when this podcast was taking shape in my mind. He played a big role in  Leadership and the Environment...

David Burkus returns to share his cold shower challenge. He's a leadership expert and shares great insight, especially about networking and tolerance. There's a lot to learn from him. If I'm honest, in contrast to my usual enthusiasm at a guest's actions, you'll hear a failure of leadership on my part. I believe effective leadership is based on learning the motivations and cares of the other perso...

Can a small change lead a community?   Our conversation with Jeff Brown shows how a small action on what you care about can inspire and lead a community. Even small actions, when based on your values---what you care about---can make big differences because humans are social and share many values---for example, clean air and water. Helping his neighborhood recycle acts on those shared values....

For such a successful man, Vincent Stanley is as down to earth as they come. He returns to discuss his experience disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with his values, especially his words. People seem to believe that technology saves time or gives us attention despite experience, research, and headlines to the contrary. Vincent shares that disconnecting actually created more time for hi...

In our first conversation, David and I talk mostly about creating a work of enduring value. As David says, the way to keep you book so high up on Amazon is by writing a great book. If you want your work to endure and for people to follow, creating quality work is how to do it. David shares about his years of developing, rewriting, and creation, as opposed to get-rich-quick marketing so prevalent t...

This episode contains a lot of laughter. It's about making behaviors conscious. Many people tell me how hard they envision living by their values. They think you have to prepare with planning, analysis, and so on. Anisa's experience suggests the opposite: starting and acting leads you to figure things out. As she points out, if you try to solve everything, you'll never start. If you start, you'll...

At last I spoke to someone with a systems perspective! Michael spoke about how many areas we could work in, not to say it's too much but that you can find a place to contribute. Many people wish there was a silver bullet. As far as I know there isn't one. His about-to-launch book, Can Business Save the Earth, treats action on the environment systemically, a perspective I consider essential for env...

Why do people who haven't tried it call not flying impossible, yet it was just as challenging for me and I find it one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Being in a system without realizing it makes it easy to confuse that system's values with your own or with absolute reality. What looks impossible is just impossible within that system. To change, it's easier to exit the system first s...

Anisa is another counterexample to believing that working on the environment distracts from getting ahead. She rose to become the director of the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council despite being early in her career. Though she was doing fine in architecture, she responded to the call for help people and communities in New Orleans after hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Doing wh...

Jeff has interviewed authors of leadership books since before I started writing mine. I enjoyed being a guest on his podcast. This time he's on mine, and it's a landmark event, as the next section describes. If you're here for leadership, Jeff is a great example of turning an interest into becoming an important person in a field. If you're here for environmental leadership, listen for Jeff's proje...

21 million books sold among 60 titles---including one I remember from my mom's shelf as long as I can remember---a lifetime of research, speaking, and consulting, and more. Since I don't often get to speak with people who have achieved so much, I was torn between acting like a fan and speaking to him like a regular guy. I hope I balanced them by sharing my One Minute Manager story at the beginning...