This Sustainable Life: All Episodes

258: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman

258: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman

After recording three episodes (248, 250, and 251) on Alan Weisman’s Countdown, I read his earlier book, The World Without Us, which I found equally tremendous. In it, he considers what would happen to the Earth if humans suddenly disappeared. How isn’t…

256: Why Personal Action Matters

256: Why Personal Action Matters

Why bother not flying if you’re one person out of billions? Aren’t you just missing out and suffering without meaningfully changing anything? These questions flummoxed me for a while. The longer I act, the more I realize the answer. Most people answer…

255: Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist

255: Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist

I’ve recorded a few posts about how what many people call minimalism is really more maximal. From the outside it looks like minimizing stuff.d People who practice it, as I see it, don’t focus on stuff. Getting rid of it is a…

254: Accidents of birth: communicating despite differences

254: Accidents of birth: communicating despite differences

Following up episode 253, I address race, sex, sexual preference and other difference people use as excuses to stop listening or understanding over. Here are my notes I worked from: Podcast: Race, sex, sexual preference. I mentioned the race of the people…

253: My greatest triumphs, my greatest shames

253: My greatest triumphs, my greatest shames

Here are my notes that I read from for this post: My greatest triumphs, my greatest shames. When I share personal stuff people always write how they like it. I think it’s less important than learning the joys of stewardship and recognizing…

252: Tia Nelson, part 2: A lifetime of Earth Days

252: Tia Nelson, part 2: A lifetime of Earth Days

Tia has been active on the environment for a long time, working with government, non profits, as an individual, and since birth deeply connected with federal and state government. And of course Earth Day from the start. We covered topics including planned…

251: Let’s make overpopulation only a finance issue

251: Let’s make overpopulation only a finance issue

Here are my notes that I read from for this episode. New comment from reading Countdown by Alan Weisman Overpopulation is major issue. Challenges are culture, religion, lack of education, lack of birth control He presented research results of demand for birth…

250: Why talk about birthrate and population so much?

250: Why talk about birthrate and population so much?

Readers and listeners have commented on my writing and posting lately about population and birth rates. Why do I talk about them? Isn’t America below replacement level? I recently finished reading Countdown by Alan Weisman, which I recommend. I read passages and…

248: Countdown, a book I recommend by Alan Weisman

248: Countdown, a book I recommend by Alan Weisman

I just finished an eye-opening book, Countdown, by Alan Weisman. It covers population. Weisman traveled to and reported on about a dozen places’ views and practices on population and family planning. In this episode, I read a few passages that I found…

247: Balancing jobs and junk

247: Balancing jobs and junk

People resist environmental projects to protect jobs, even to keep producing products that pollute. My absurd proposal to balance jobs with junk: put factories next to landfills. Despite it being absurd, the proposal would create a cleaner world. Instead of making junk…

246: The Emotions Around Environmental Action

246: The Emotions Around Environmental Action

What emotions do you associate with environmental action? I find people associate shame and guilt with it. I find these emotions lead people to suppress the emotions and hide the behavior leading to it. I propose reacting to pollution and polluting behavior…

245: Tia Nelson, part 1: Earth Day

245: Tia Nelson, part 1: Earth Day

One of my main goals for this podcast is to bring people who love acting on one’s environmental values, seeing stewardship not as an obligation but as being a part of something greater than yourself, than any of us, benefiting everyone, and…

244: Lessons from extinction

244: Lessons from extinction

Learning that humans only recently developed the concept of extinction. Much of the West, for example, believed in a Great Chain of Being, spontaneous generation, and a biblical flood. That perspective suggests that many past behaviors we consider unconscionable may have seemed…

243: Confusing distinct modes of acting

243: Confusing distinct modes of acting

Tired of people saying what you do doesn’t matter? Or personal action in general? They’re confusing different types of action. In this recording I distinguish three of them so you can feel comfortable acting by your values without the naysayers and navel-gazers…

240: Fred Krupp, part 1: Helping where it will help most

240: Fred Krupp, part 1: Helping where it will help most

The loudest voices these days seem to come from protesters because they design their actions for attention. They aren’t necessarily the most effective. Many of us are outraged. Our emotions become intense. Emotional intensity drives us to do what we want most,…

239: The Enemy

239: The Enemy

Here are the notes I read this episode from: I see human population decreasing the Earth’s ability to sustain life and human society. I have a goal of increasing that ability. Actually two goals: my other goal is for people to enjoy…