Best and Brightest … Genius — Esquire

A once-in-a-lifetime game-changing advance
in our field everyone else will follow
— Marshall Goldsmith

Astrophysicist turned new media whiz — NBC

Passionate … confident … — Forbes

You don't just learn theory from
him, you improve your life.
— Inc.

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard University, Standford University, Princeton University, MTV, IBM, US Army

My Mission

My mission is to help change American (and global) culture on sustainability and stewardship from expecting deprivation, sacrifice, burden, and chore to expecting rewarding emotions and lifestyles, as I see happen with everyone I lead to act for their intrinsic motivations.

In my case the emotions have been joy, fun, freedom, connection, meaning, and purpose.



Systemic change begins with personal change.

Some of my values. What are yours?
Months living off the grid in Manhattan: 30 (and counting)
Loads of garbage I filled in 2024 so far: 0
Loads of garbage I filled in 2023 so far: 0
Loads of garbage I filled in 2022: 0
Loads filled in 2021: 0
Loads filled in 2020: 0
Loads filled in 2019: 1
Loads filled in 2018: 1
Loads filled in 2017: 1
Days picking up litter: 2,772 and counting
Years not flying: 8 (104 months) and counting
2024 grid electric grid use at home: 0 kilowatt-hours
Annual carbon emissions: about 1 ton
Daily burpees: 239,685 and counting
Resting pulse: 46 bpm

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Year 14!, day 1, daily burpees

on December 22, 2024 in Blog

I started doing burpees on this day in 2011. I haven’t missed a day since. I’ve done them daily over 22 percent of my life. By my spreadsheet, I’ve done just over 241,000 so should reach a quarter million in 2025. The point isn’t the numbers, though, nor the fitness, though I like my pulse being nearly off the charts low for men my age. The simplest way to put[…] Keep reading →

Happy winter solstice. I’m learning more practical astronomy through sustainability than through my PhD in astrophysics

on December 21, 2024 in Nature

Today is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. If you’re powering your electronics through solar power, as I am, you’ve made it through the least sunshine parts of the year, at least by angle. There may be less sun for the next few months from weather if winter means more clouds or more wind that makes panels harder to keep aligned, if you can only use[…] Keep reading →

797: Alden Wicker, part 2: Try and Try Again: E-biking in Vermont

on December 20, 2024 in Podcast

Many people think sustainability requires fixing everything or else we’ll collapse. The Spodek Method creates a mindset shift followed by continual improvement, not, as they might hope, a mindset shift followed by perfection. Alden has had her electronic bike in Vermont for some time but hasn’t ridden it. She’s used doing the Spodek Method as her excuse to ride it, but it’s taken time. This time she used it and[…] Keep reading →

How I wish I could retitle my book. Oh well.

on December 19, 2024 in Art, Creativity

I thought of how to improve the subtitle, from The definitive guide to understanding and solving all (yes, all) our environmental problems to The definitive guide to understanding and solving all (yes, all) our environmental symptoms The problem is our behavior, which results from our culture. What we see in the environment is just the physical manifestation of our culture. I’ve shared the idea with a few friends and they[…] Keep reading →

796: Jack Spencer, part 3: Authenticity on Acting on Sustainability (also Project 2025)

on December 18, 2024 in Podcast

We start by talking about the internal challenges Jack felt about acting to do something he wouldn’t have otherwise. He cares about the environment and lives accordingly. Still, he wouldn’t have done what he committed to when we spoke. Does that mean what we would do is inauthentic? Then we talk about nuclear and other policy issues. Heritage’s Project 2025 came up so he shared some back story the news[…] Keep reading →

Unexpected quotes in my book, plus a few I missed

on December 17, 2024 in Freedom, Nature

The following quotes are all relevant to sustainability. I used them all in my book, except the Adam Smith quotes, which came from a recent post. Milton Friedman “I’m not in favor of no government. You do need a government . . . There’s no other institution in my opinion that can provide us with protection of our life and liberty.” He knew that “the key insight of Adam Smith’s[…] Keep reading →

Ten days before Christmas people are already throwing away their Christmas pagan trees.

on December 17, 2024 in Habits, Nature, Tips

Ten days before Christmas people are already throwing away their Christmas pagan trees. Regular readers know I post pictures of how much people throw away trees they paid for being cut down. They’re following a pagan tradition grafted onto one branch of Christianity. They probably try to believe some self-serving lies that the trees are grown or harvested sustainably, but we know they know. This year I told myself I[…] Keep reading →

Go Alan Go rocking Washington Square Park, teaching kids music

on December 16, 2024 in Art, Audio, Creativity

Alan is a friend and podcast guest. Regular readers know I comment on how people degrade our environment, including public spaces like our parks. Alan is a counterexample, a breath of fresh air. Alan brings fun, life, community, and joy to the park. Between his music and my New York Times article, we’re in a friendly competition to see who can improve the park more. I often describe him thusly:[…] Keep reading →

This week’s selected media, December 15, 2024: Meditation for Mortals and Liar’s Poker

on December 15, 2024 in Blog

This week I finished: Meditation for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, by podcast guest Oliver Burkeman: I loved his book Four Thousand Weeks and I loved this book. I see it describing how to look at and respond to our culture and my life without getting caught up in its pressure to make me feel like I’m not enough, that I don’t[…] Keep reading →

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