LATEST BLOG POSTS

We covered two main points: how I inspired him and how he inspired me. If I’m not too presumptuous to say I inspired him, that is, the first part is about his choosing not to fly. Several months into the pandemic at the time, we were all used to not flying, but when he committed, before the pandemic, most people I talked to called not flying impossible. Some backstory: Nir[…] Keep reading →

What almost no one talks about but that everyone can do something about, the greatest taboo of our time, yet the greatest issue driving covid-19, driving all pandemics, driving global warming, driving plastics, mercury, dioxin, and all other pollutants, driving the 2008 recession, driving the coming recession (or depression), driving more plastic in the ocean than fish, driving there being no place to vacation not overrun with people, driving people[…] Keep reading →

While leadership overlaps with management, let’s clarify some differences to see what the environmental movement is missing. By no means am I suggesting one is better, only that transforming culture requires both and I see a lot of sustainability management but virtually no sustainability leadership. Managers use skills like analysis, planning, record-keeping, and organization on readily measurable things, facts, figures, observable deliverables, and timelines. A successful manager creates compliance. Well-managed[…] Keep reading →

Walking around my neighborhood during Thanksgiving, the streets are nearly empty, the city quiet. I can think with less interruption. There’s still too much litter from too many people buying disposable things. Various sources tell me that without artificial fertilizer, which require fossil fuels, the Earth can support a population of 3.7 billion people. Since we can’t use fossil fuels forever, I don’t know how we think we’ll get by[…] Keep reading →

Thanksgiving means eating, often to excess, even if not with family during the pandemic. How about a post on food? I stumbled on a site with the Average Household Cost of Food, categorizing purchases, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013. Out of 30 categories, I buy from only 4! Here’s the average American budget. I put mine below. Before looking at mine, can you tell which 4[…] Keep reading →

Michael wrote me the morning before we scheduled this conversation to say he ended up spending more time on the screen when he intended less. He wondered if we should skip it. Longtime listeners may remember similar results with guests Jim Harshaw and Caspar Craven. I told him I’m not looking for a Disney version implying that acting sustainable was easy. I believe listeners engage more with hearing the challenges[…] Keep reading →

Announcing , a new podcast in the growing family from Leadership and the Environment, Conversazioni Sostenibili (Sustainable Conversations), hot on the heels of Leadership and the Environment: Sweden and This Sustainable Life: Untethered. The new one is hosted by Nicola Pirulli, based in Turin. Here is his description of the podcast: Conversazioni Sostenibili è un podcast con un’ambizione: ispirare chi ascolta. Come? Incontrando persone comuni e fuori dal comune che[…] Keep reading →