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: 17 (and counting)
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: 2,392 and counting
Years not flying: 7 and counting
2023 electric grid use: 0 kilowatt-hours
Annual carbon emissions: about 1 ton
Daily burpees: 219,418 and counting
Resting pulse: 47 bpm

LATEST BLOG POSTS

This week’s selected media: December 3, 2023: Elinor Ostrom and The People of New York State versus Pepsico, Frito-Lay, and Frito-Lay North America

on December 3, 2023 in Tips

This week I watched and read: Elinor Ostrom videos: Ostrom won the Economics Prize that isn’t really a Nobel Prize, but has the Nobel name attached to it. It’s still prestigious. Her research showed how the situation described as “The Tragedy of the Commons” doesn’t result in the problems people think. It does create some incentives to overgraze and pollute, but it doesn’t stop there. Communities have found ways to[…] Keep reading →

735: Casey Mahoney, part 1: A Jazz Musician Lowering His Impact to 3 Tons CO2/Year in L.A.

on December 2, 2023 in Podcast

Casey is a longtime friend. One day a few months ago he mentioned in a call he was choosing to lower his carbon footprint to a few tons of CO2 per year. I hadn’t been trying to lead or persuade him, so I started asking him why, what prompted him, was it hard in Los Angeles where people drive everywhere and some people say they need air conditioning, and so[…] Keep reading →

More pictures from volunteering, delivering farm fresh vegetables.

on December 1, 2023 in Habits

These pictures are from volunteering delivering surplus food to the community center a couple months ago. I don’t usually take pictures so when I do I sometimes post them here. I like alleviating suffering. I don’t like watching TV or scrolling social media so I volunteer instead. I don’t understand how people find so much time for social media when we can volunteer.

Setting up solar panels on my roof in about a minute

on December 1, 2023 in Habits, Nature, Visualization

Since people are asking me since the Daily Show segment See the Daily Show’s segment on me: “Is it Possible to Live “Off the Grid” in Manhattan?” how I live, I’m posting some of what I do. Keep in mind the number one most important start is a mindset shift, then continual improvement. When you have an attitude that you can do it, you figure the technology out. It took[…] Keep reading →

Freezing on the roof, gathering energy from the sun

on November 30, 2023 in Habits

Yesterday hit close to freezing. It was cold and windy, but close to the solstice, I get what sunlight I can. For the first time I set up both panels charging both batteries and got close to filling each. I’m not good at selfies anytime. When I had to take my gloves off for the touchscreen to work and the wind, sorry, this is the best I could do: How[…] Keep reading →

See the Daily Show’s segment on me: “Is it Possible to Live “Off the Grid” in Manhattan?”

on November 29, 2023 in Creativity, Doof, Habits, Leadership, Nature

Here’s just the segment with me: and the whole episode (I appear about 11:10). I liked it more than the New Yorker piece on me, though that’s not saying much. I laughed out loud several times, partly since I remember the recording. For example, after she put the Skittles in the kombucha, we saw their dye run off and they turned an unnatural ghostly white. I wanted to share about[…] Keep reading →

The Daily Show showed my living disconnected from the electric grid in Manhattan.

on November 28, 2023 in Freedom, Leadership, Nature

The Daily Show aired their segment on my disconnecting from the electric grid in Manhattan! I just learned, so haven’t seen it myself yet so can’t comment on it. I hope it was funny, informative, and inspiring. EDIT: I posted the video and some comments on it: See the Daily Show’s segment on me: “Is it Possible to Live “Off the Grid” in Manhattan?”. The point isn’t my personal impact.[…] Keep reading →

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