This Sustainable Life

Since I don't use many apps and pick up litter already, I felt modest expectations of Jeff's Litterati , but I love it. It delivers the main things I look for: fun, community, connection, effectiveness, and free---the opposite of what many people connect with litter. As I'm writing, the app has recorded over 5 million pieces of litter picked up by over 150,000 people in over 165 countries . I thin...

This episode puts together the most important and fundamental considerations about the environment: What works The basic cause contributing to all environmental problems Earth's carrying capacity An attainable bright future A means to reach it that has worked on a smaller scale It feels to me like a solid TED talk. On Alan Weisman: 250: Why talk about birthrate and population so much? 248: Countdo...

Roberta and I met last September. Our scheduled time to record came just after the covid-19 situation hit the US. We reflected on the change. The conversation is less scripted but of the moment. I decided to post it in the moment, foregoing editing (I hope you don't mind the sound quality [EDIT: Since posting, my editor worked his magic and improved the audio quality]), gaining poignancy. I don't...

Previous guest and retired dating coach guru Brad P suggested inviting Marni as a guest, his longtime friend and colleague. She coaches men on attraction, dating, and so on. Curious? She pioneered women coaching men in this area, as you'll hear in our conversation, helping transition the field in ways you'll hear her describe. Her fourteen years of experience led her to expertise, understanding, s...

People are criticizing politicians and others over handling Covid-19. I don't blame or criticize people for not knowing how to handle particulars of this situation, but we can respond more effectively. Some parts of the situation are unique to Covid-19. Some are endemic to crises. We can learn from how people handled past crises effectively and ineffectively. Today I talk about John Kennedy learni...

I chose to stay at my mom's outside the city Why? Read stories, saw difference between places with SARS and MERS experience versus not NY and US woefully underprepared govt, corps. People didn't get it Not worried about my health, but system Advice is distance What could happen Closer to Italy than China or Iran Talked to friend in medicine Talked to friend who had been following most US lacks cen...

My notes that I read from for this episode: Greatest danger is not to learn from it. Starting story: Preparing to launch on 9/11. While nothing on scale of victims, first responders, and those who fought, but went from 8 digit to limbo. Within two years squeezed out. Gave up following Einstein and Newton to outdoor advertising that I didn't even like. Now no way forward, backward, or anything. Los...

I view ecotourism skeptically at best. While I imagine someone could create tourism that increased the world's ability to sustain life and human society, every case I've seen at least doubly does the opposite. For one thing I've only seen ecotourism involving flying, which destroys what they pretend to help, perhaps dreaming that carbon offsets lower greenhouse concentrations while they more likel...

People ask, "Josh, do you really think you can make a difference?" or comment that what I or anyone does won't matter. In the first part of this episode I describe how I think our environmental future will unfold---the outcome I consider most likely. It's not pretty. I foresee a lot of gloom and doom about nature, but however much problems in nature, I think human reactions will be more important,...

I met Nir Eyal at a podcast recording of Will Bachman, who long ago hosted me on his podcast (see links below). Nir recently publish a book, Indistractable , about how to keep focused. A lot of people ask me how I do so much. I don't feel I do, but if so, maybe I qualify as someone who achieves. Indistractable gave me tools to focus and achieve more with less distraction. In fact, I'm writing now...

If you've listened to this podcast, you know my Building Block---my technique to lead one person to share and act on his or her environmental values. You may also know my strategy to scale from influencing one person at a time to many. Describing that scaling model has taken effort. A conversation with a friend this morning about how Tesla scaled suggested to me a way to describe how I planned to...

As a sneak preview to my third TEDx talk, I used this conversation wit Larry as an example. Sorry you'll have to wait a month for the organizers to edit the video. Waiting is as hard for me as for you. When last we heard, Larry committed to picking up trash from beach with his sons and wife. Sometimes involving others can increase the challenge. Other times involving others leads to leading them,...

Food is important part of environment, as you know. The book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman changed a lot for me. I came across it after my experiments avoiding packaged food, fiber-removed foods, and meat. Eat to Live showed me that the delicious diet I found by reducing garbage and pollution turned out healthy. You'll hear me at the beginning stumble a bit. I had prepared, but everything change...

[EDIT: moments after posting this episode, I found my first example of someone else posting on this idea only two months ago, Environmental Pollution: An Invisible Kind of Child Abuse , which got a positive response. I'm sure there's more.] After my third TEDx talk a few days ago, spoke to a couple that told me how much they reduced waste but wouldn't consider anything more. People love considerin...

James Lipton, who started and hosted the show Inside the Actors Studio , died yesterday. Here are the notes I read from for this episode: I could talk about how much I enjoyed the episodes, his humor, and a few things I learned from his guests that only his interviewing could have elicited but I will go deeper, to share how fundamental his work has been to mine. Many times I've said that if my cou...

In this episode I describe how important I consider the accessibility of my personal behavior solutions -- a matter of integrity, not to be confused with behavior to influence others, which is a matter of leadership. Here are my notes I read from for this episode. Access and its importance to me. Food available in food desert. I spend nearly no money on fitness. Yes, I live in a nice neighborhood,...

I met Brent through guest Tia Nelson , both Wisconsin celebrities---she in politics, he in sport---who work with the Outrider Foundation . He is this podcast's first MLB pitcher in string of athletes from the Olympics, NFL, Americas Cup, beep baseball, and more. I bring athletes because they excel in the key leadership domain of personal growth and development. In a world based on polluting, envir...

What is Earth's carrying capacity? Why is it important? Many ask how we will feed 10 billion people. Mathematician way of asking is if we can feed so many and if so how. Maybe we can't. First, don't want to know. While it depends on many assumptions that aren't hard or measurable numbers, like standard of living, distribution of resources, and technology, we can say it's maximum misery per person....

Alan Weisman's book Countdown changed my strategy to the environment. It ranks among the top most influential works I've read, watched, or come across, up there with Limits to Growth . Why? Because when you look at environmental issues enough, and it shouldn't take too long these days, population always rises to the top as one of the top issues. Many people today hear about projections that the po...

Here are the notes I read from for this episode: Outward manifestation Been saying lately When you see pollution, dingy skies, sea levels rising Any one person listening may not have But if American, likely more than nearly anyone Less technological, more social and personal Results from our behavior, from our choices From our beliefs, stories, images, desires Opposite would be stewardship, caring...

Lorna's challenge is one of the longest and most personal at over a year. I also couldn't wait to bring her story to you most because within weeks she was reporting the joys overcoming the challenges. We've become friends through her challenge. Within months she started sending senior executives my way as her sharing her challenge with them led them to follow. In other words, Lorna didn't experien...

I ask people their reasons for polluting activities like flying, take-out, taking taxis or ride shares where public transit serves. They consistently tell me that they love these things. They love visiting family, seeing remote places, etc. If you feel similarly, you're about to face some tough love. These motivations came to mind while listening to Thomas Kolditz on a podcast I listen to and that...

Most people will find my conversation with Rob unexpected, but talking with someone with his experience and views has long been one of my goals. People keep associating the environment with the political left, but everyone wants clean air, land, and water. Regular listeners know Rob from my appearing in a video episode, A Different Look At Climate Change , at Magamedia.org---MAGA as in Trump's Mak...

Nearly everyone treats acting on the environment as a burden or chore---especially would-be leaders who don't do what they say others should. They lead people to inaction. Effective leaders don't discourage. I find role models to inspire me. Vince Lombardi tops many people's lists of all-time top coaches. The NFL named the Superbowl trophy after him. His teams dominated the game. He shared the cor...

David's TED talk has over 2 million views. I recommend watching it to learn about his project, Plastic Bank, though he describes it in our conversation. Regular listeners know my views on importance of reduction first. I wanted to know if Plastic Bank's putting a value on plastic, increasing demand. His TED talk talks about turning off the valve if you're flooding, but maybe he's just moving the w...