Category Archives: Stories

The Sustainable Speakers Club hosted me. Here’s the video of my talk.

on March 18, 2024 in Leadership, Nature, Stories

I spoke at the Sustainable Speakers Club, a Toastmaster event in the UK, on how to lead on sustainability and how not to. The theme was Transformational Projects the Motivate. It’s tempting to think giving people facts and numbers will motivate them, but it rarely does. Learning their intrinsic motivation and helping them achieve what they already wanted to helps more. I share a story illustrating how action leads to[…] Keep reading →

The Life-Changing, Inner-You-Revealing, Passion-Unleashing Magic of Initiative

on March 15, 2024 in Creativity, Education, Entrepreneurship, Exercises, Stories

I’ve shared Eugene’s public postings of his experience doing the exercises in my book Initiative. At each stage, he learns more about himself and making his world work for him. Taking initiative forces you to learn your values, not in some abstract way, but: How do I want to spend my time, money, energy, and resources? How long do I want to follow other people’s values, or the worn path[…] Keep reading →

Another book milestone: Finished substantive edits.

on March 11, 2024 in Stories

Last night I finished what I expect to be my last substantive edits for the book. Barring a big error or discovery, future edits will be only within paragraphs, not moving them around. I’ve made it my primary focus for several months and a priority for years. This step is a big accomplishment. After hitting send to send it to my editor and publisher, I sat back in my seat[…] Keep reading →

The Joy of Discovering Saving More Energy (and using Q = m c ΔT)

on March 4, 2024 in Stories

When getting electrical power requires climbing eleven flights of stairs, you learn to reduce consumption. My pressure cooker usually uses the most energy. I have to gauge how much food to put in based on how much charge remains in the battery and how much sunlight I expect in the days to follow cooking. The forecast says three days of rain, so I won’t cook today, for example. When there[…] Keep reading →

Volunteering recognition from 1993

on February 16, 2024 in Education, Habits, Stories

I’ve been writing about volunteering. Then last month I found this certificate for distinguished service in college in 1993 cleaning out my father’s basement and had to share the story behind it. A church near Columbia on 114th Street and Broadway served a soup kitchen. I volunteered there every Friday. I just went on my own. Partly I consider activities like it as civic duty. Also I find it rewarding.[…] Keep reading →

Following up yesterday’s post: “Whom would you call a minority in this picture?”

on February 10, 2024 in Stories, Tips

I wanted to follow up yesterday’s post. It missed some of the more important experiences and lessons of spending so many years as a minority, or at least not in the majority. Since starting college at Columbia and mostly living in Manhattan, I’ve spent a lot of time with well-educated liberals. I’ve found them full of preconceptions about me, generally based on my skin color and sex. People who know[…] Keep reading →

More depth on Robert Carter III

on January 18, 2024 in Freedom, Leadership, Stories

I’ve written about Robert Carter III a bunch here. He figures in my book a lot, as someone who could have remained corrupted by slavery, as everyone around him did in Virginia after the American Revolution, but he freed his slaves. Thomas Jefferson didn’t, despite his brilliant words on freedom. Sustainability today is overloaded with Jeffersons: people who talk big on sustainability but act the opposite, undermining their credibility and[…] Keep reading →

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