This conversation was one of the most fascinating I’ve had. I couldn’t have had it when I was younger. Michael and I are learning each other’s world view regarding population, our innate drives, how we create or deplete resources, and related topics.…
I hope you know Climate Town. Watch a bunch of episodes if you haven’t. This Sustainable Life listeners and hosts talk about the show. It’s funny and fun, yet intelligent and informative. On top of the content, I watch the backgrounds, which…
Judith shares her work, motivation, and vision on a problem everyone sees killing people and wildlife, but shies from applying themselves to, maybe because we value our polyester clothes, bottled water, laptops, and such. Have we lost the ability to imagine the…
Who doesn’t love knowing about something big before everyone else? EJ Perry is something big, a very talented quarterback being scouted by the NFL, coming from the Ivy League. Rarely do people reach pinnacles in multiple areas of life so young. (I’m…
My notes that I read from for this episode: Sea wall for Manhattan, like Holland: expensive, huge, likely won’t work Controversial already. Natural solutions might work better. Let’s say they worked. On Staten Island, Fresh Kills Also everywhere, all coasts unprotected Now…
Five months ago, Gaya’s work led to headlines like Yep, it’s bleak, says expert who tested 1970s end-of-the-world prediction. The 1970s predictions weren’t exactly predictions, but the headline refers to the book Limits to Growth. If you’re not familiar with it, we…
Hilary describes her commitments as achieving some success and some failure, but learned from both. We start with her personal experiences and memories of ice skating and cross country skiing as a child leading to her sometimes painful lessons today. More than…
In this episode we talk about how to lead people, but I can’t help notice on listening afterward how quick and easy it is for him to fly his whole family across the country several times a season, but impossible to pitch…
Prepare to be awed at Rick’s stories of adventure, discovery, nature, and humanity. He has summited K2, Everest, and more. He’s visited places possibly no other human has. And he’s an experienced, brilliant storyteller, so shares his experiences with a vitality that…
Many people and mainstream society seem to view technology as the solution to our environmental problems—and the more and the newer the better. Abdal Hakim and I agree technology isn’t the glowing solution many believe. It can play a role, but as…
Erik Bottcher is my elected legislator. New York City’s council presides over a budget bigger than most countries’. Yet I met him picking up litter. He organized weekly clean-ups when the city dropped its sanitation budget during the pandemic. He also sees…
Michael is becoming a regular. Would I have expected an extended conversation with a doctoral candidate at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary when I started? I don’t think so, and I don’t think many environmentalists engage with evangelicals and conservatives. I think…
Maxine shares her experience with her commitment across the country. She moved partly to enable living by her values. People often suggest it’s easier for someone living in New York not to fly since I have access to so much culture here,…
How do you become one of the premier investigative journalists at one of the premier publishers of investigative journalism? In general, how do you excel in an area with no established path? I consider figuring out how essential in leading others. I…
Michael shares about avoiding using a smart phone, or at least using a minimally functional smart phone. Do you remember what life was like without yours? What does solitude mean to you? How much time do you spend on a smart phone?…
Allegheny College was one of the first 10 institutions of higher education in the United States to be declared carbon neutral by an organization called Second Nature. Readers of my blog know my skepticism of claims of “net zero” or “carbon neutral,”…
Chad shares his experience motivating his family to try to bring them camping with him. You’ll hear they didn’t make it easy. I couldn’t resist asking questions about his experience of nature, people, and sex without sight. I didn’t want to ask…
“People want to act, but it’s hard,” my business friend said to me, speaking on the environment. I said it to myself for most of my life before learning that acting on the environment, however hard, was fun. Raising a child is…
Blake shares his results about acting on his commitments from last time. He couldn’t work much with rowing with temperatures barely above freezing, but he could act on his diet. He also dusted off an old habit of shooting, which he shared…
I’ve been following Katharine for years. If you don’t know of her, after our conversation, watch her TED talk and read her book, Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World. It comprises decades of science,…