LATEST BLOG POSTS

Can we grow enough forests and use enough regenerative agriculture to sequester enough carbon to undo global warming? To answer this question you have to understand the two carbon cycles. I’m simplifying, but you can think of two different cycles of carbon. One is the regular life cycle of carbon-based life forms. When something lives, it contains carbon, including trees, humans, and everything living in dirt and the oceans. When[…] Keep reading →

I’ve posted about finding used syringes in Washington Square Park and Penn Station. Besides the syringes, I described my unexpected wincing at seeing someone inject in broad daylight. Today I sat in the park working on my computer in the area where people use openly. One woman sat on the bench I did, over six feet away, just on the other side of the metal arm rest, got out a[…] Keep reading →

Regular readers know I work to communicate effectively with groups that don’t know or act much on sustainability. My goal is to lead them to where they want to act for their own reasons, expecting success. I’ve succeeded with conservatives and evangelicals. Other groups are more challenging. Geeky communities like Slashdot and Hacker News tend to like nuclear, escaping to Mars, and other tech-based solutions. They seem to miss unintended[…] Keep reading →

I love sports and believe they bring people together. They can help bridge cultural divides. Having played ultimate in North Korea, I’ve seen it in action. Here’s Jordan Harbinger with a kid throwing a Frisbee we brought to the first International tournament in Pyongyang, North Korea. Sports also help us find our potentials and reach them. They help keep us healthy by promoting fitness. I read that the Olympics involves[…] Keep reading →

Asbestos, leaded gasoline, and marketing cigarettes to children made a lot of money. If you believe profitable sales mean a fair trade of money for products or services, therefore improving the world, they were good. Whatever their benefits, they also killed people. I don’t know anyone who argues we should let markets alone regulate selling cigarettes to children. Nearly everyone agrees on laws regulating putting lead in gas. Your IQ[…] Keep reading →

Maxine’s book, Unraveled: The Life and Death of a Garment, traces how a pair of jeans comes into existence from it’s raw beginnings and where it ends up at the end of its life. The book has been covered in the top levels of fashion media, for example Elle: Maxine Bédat Unravels The Lies of Greenwashing Vogue: Maxine Bédat Urges the Fashion Industry to Make a Change Now, Not in[…] Keep reading →

People who don’t want to act on the environment will create and believe any rationalization to justify not acting. A common one is to say what they do doesn’t matter. Or that their results wouldn’t make a difference. I kept myself from acting for years for “reasons” like these. Nobody said to act once and stop. Any one individual action divided by the results of billions of others rounds to[…] Keep reading →