This Sustainable Life

You probably know the value of stories---though it's probably bigger than you think. You probably could improve your storytelling. Even if you're improving, I bet you're focusing on less-important parts of the craft. Paul Smith teaches storytelling, but as you'll hear, storytelling to lead people is different than just engaging or entertaining them. You'll hear tips and techniques to help you in e...

Here are the notes I read from for this episode I've said we don't have many role models. Well I found one. I was wrong. I'm going to tell you about a man I briefly mentioned in one of my episodes on Alan Weisman's book Countdown. He exposes the absolute self-pitying lie that what one person do doesn't matter. Also the lie that government has to act first, or corporations. On the contrary, the fas...

Here are the notes I read from for this episode, along with the text of the speech: You might know I gave a series of talks at NYU that preceded this podcast One of their themes was parallels between the US civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s and environmental action. Who would have expected it to succeed to the extent it did, however far we have to go? One attendee, a friend who is black, to...

Here are the notes I read from for this episode: I recently recorded conversations with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Eat to Live Rewatched The End of Dieting and a part captured me About stopping a habit, the stages one goes through Though he talks about food and diet, the same stages and challenges appear in living by your environmental habits. He starts by talking about how when you start -- eating in his...

The notes I read from for this episode: Service and giving back using Jason McCarthy GoRuck guy on Jocko. Friend, Dan Zehner, knows Jason Told me about his episode on Jocko Willink's podcast One section resonated with me because it described what I feel He speaks as a veteran and starts by describing owing Jason says elsewhere in the conversation that military service isn't unique in providing the...

If you are thinking of doing something to act on the environment, go big. Instead of thinking the littlest thing you can do, think of the future and go big. What's the biggest thing you can do? Not for others. For what you think is right. For how the future will look back on us. For how we look back on slavery. Would you free your slaves if you were born into that system as a slave owner? How huge...

This episode describes how I train corporate and institutional leaders in environmental leadership. Here are the notes I read from: Talking with more and more corporations lately, describing how I work with them Putting it here for easy reference You'll see among podcast guests many corporate and institutional people Lorna Davis of Danone C-Suite Dominic Barton 3-time Global Managing Director of M...

I understand why historical reasons lead us to look to scientists, journalists, educators, and legislators for leadership, but they don't know how to lead. They may excel at their crafts, but sharing research however accurate, or stirring controversy, spreading facts and figures, and chasing votes rarely inspire people to change their behavior. I've long looked to Mandela, King, and Gandhi as role...

Ruth Bader Ginsburg knows about lifting weights and exercising because she does it. No amount of reading, watching TED videos, debating, or analysis can match experience. People who only read, research, and academically learn about performance-based activities don't know what they're talking about. Any parents out there? I don't have kids. Am I qualified to advise you on how to raise your kids? I...

Vanessa's original post said she Wanted to be a better advocate for veganism: so I trained 1.5 years and won the UPENN body building competition. When asked why, she wrote For the animals, for health, for the environment. Never thought I would have the amazing privilege to be educated at an Ivy League school like University of Pennsylvania, but being there I had to use the opportunity to showcase...

I've read and thought about animals going extinct. My friend and guest Lorna Davis in her TED talk talks about her love for rhinos and passion to save them. I reviewed Poached by Rachel Nuwer and I've spoken to her about poaching. I see poaching as horrific and hope it ends. But I read about how we lose wildlife. Some poaching, but even if we ended it, another greater force will keep destroying th...

1 : The villain. People think nature, government, or corporations. It's beliefs 2 : The solution. People think technology, market, innovation. It's changing beliefs. 3 : Reduce, reuse, recycle. People act as if recycling helps. It only helps as part of reduce, which means not growth 4 : How solving feels. People think chore, deprivation, sacrifice. It's being a part of something greater, simplifyi...

I recorded our second conversation the day after the September 20, 2019 climate marches. Hunter is more than well-connected. I wanted to hear and bring you the perspective of someone who has been at this longer and knew more people. Wait until you hear her share all the people she knew there, as well as her perspective of seeing a different generation pick up what no one has for so long. From our...

Before we spoke, Seth implied he didn't do as much on his challenge as I expected so I expected a short conversation. I think it's important for listeners to hear that even people who win Nobel Prizes taking on global thermonuclear war have a hard time taking on new habits, even ones they want, like reducing their waste. I'm not claiming changing habits with environmental consequences are easy, th...

My notes I read from for this post: Yesterday I posted my interview on a site that strongly supports Donald Trump. I do not. Yet I described it as one of my favorite interviews. What gives? The conversation prompted thoughts on environment and politics. Read my post on the conversation and listen to the conversation for context. For more context, the guy who hosted, Rob, his profile says "Vote Red...

Here are the notes I read from for this episode: Ways I was wrong I usually start my story about acting more sustainably with my personal challenge to buy no packaged food for a week. In my second TEDx talk I describe how that challenge emerged from stopping eating meat, then hydrogenated oil, corn syrup, and foods where fiber had been removed, which was my proxy for overly processed food. I talk...

This episode brings you a trainer who has reached top levels of leadership and teaching leadership break down how to learn. How to learn to learn. Let that sink in. To me this episode felt like a master class by a practitioner and educator. Note his precision in language. At first I found it pedantic, but then realized it's not annoying, it's liberating. When you speak English, you don't sometimes...

I posted a few Clips from my speaking at Google to my blog. They didn't video record the whole event, but I did get the audio, so today's episode is my talk there on how to start a podcast on the environment. For better or worse, it's over two hours and the audience wasn't miked so you can't hear everything, but attendees loved it. My first goal was for attendees: How to start a podcast---in parti...

People talk about leadership causing ripple effects and hope that environmental action may lead to ripples. I see the potential for more. People like acting on their environmental values when they do. They just don't like being coerced or being made to feel shame or guilt. Few like going first. If most people like acting by their environmental values, someone going first may cause everyone else to...

My perspective on personal action continues to evolve. In conversation with someone at an event this evening, I started realizing the meaning in asking what each of us can do and the meaninglessness of asking hypothetical questions, which make up a lot environmental talk. It this episode I talk about meaningful questions to ask instead of theoretical ones about things you can't do anything about....

I started this podcast with the goal of creating a Mandela of the environment---a role I considered essential but saw no one remotely approaching it. Lately I've seen the opening for an easier but more effective role---a Muhammad Ali of the environment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After resetting during conversation 1.5, Caspar returns with his son and wife---Columbus and Nicola---for a touching proper second episode. The three of them approached the challenge as a family, though you'll hear how Columbus led his parents in many ways. It sounds like he had tried for some time to guide his parents. Now that they committed to act, they heard him more. I see this trend a lot wh...

After recording three episodes ( 248, 250, and 251 ) on Alan Weisman's Countdown , I read his earlier book, The World Without Us , which I found equally tremendous. In it, he considers what would happen to the Earth if humans suddenly disappeared. How isn't the point, but what the difference between a world without us from that world with us tells us about ourselves. The book and author won many a...

Do you want to reach your potential? Do you want to get past seeing your properties as limitations? Larry shares going from being what he is and we all are -- regular people -- to living his dream. An elite dream. My biggest takeaway from the conversation you're about to hear is accessibility and desire to help. That is, Larry Yatch wants us to get that what he did, we can all do. You may not want...

Why bother not flying if you're one person out of billions? Aren't you just missing out and suffering without meaningfully changing anything? These questions flummoxed me for a while. The longer I act, the more I realize the answer. Most people answer that little things add up or that it's like voting. I won't argue with those answers, but I think they're small effects. I've evolved since earlier...