This Sustainable Life: All Episodes

141: Dune Ives, part 1: Let’s Talk Ocean Plastic

141: Dune Ives, part 1: Let’s Talk Ocean Plastic

If you’ve heard about avoiding straws — if you’re actively avoiding straws — Dune Ives and the Lonely Whale, the organization she’s the Executive Director of, have influenced you. If you’ve asked yourself, why straws or what the point was, that’s what…

140: Joanne Wilson: Gotham Gal

140: Joanne Wilson: Gotham Gal

If you’re in entrepreneurship in New York City, you know Joanne Wilson, especially among the women entrepreneurs I talk to. She’s prominent in the New York entrepreneurial world, as well as art, travel, food A lot of investors live stressful lives. Joanne…

139: Chris Voss, part 1: FBI Hostage negotiation through honesty and fun

139: Chris Voss, part 1: FBI Hostage negotiation through honesty and fun

When you think of negotiating, do you think of honesty, fun, and openness. How about hostage negotiation with terrorists? Chris Voss brings the experience of negotiating in some of the world’s most challenging situations to teaching you to negotiate and honesty, fun,…

138: A National Civilian Service Academy

138: A National Civilian Service Academy

Today’s post covers a dramatic proposal I see as a clear winner. It’s big and bold but everyone benefits from it. Its challenges are in garnering support and implementation, but once started I see it sustaining itself as a national jewel. First…

137: Why Famous Guests

137: Why Famous Guests

This podcast has featured some world-renowned guests, with more renown to come. Popular downloads include Dan Pink, multiple #1 bestseller, 40+ million TED talk views, Beth Comstock, former Vice Chair and CMO of General Electric, Marshall Goldsmith, #1 ranked leadership guru and…

136: Nataly Kogan, part 2: Happiness Comes From Skills You Can Learn

136: Nataly Kogan, part 2: Happiness Comes From Skills You Can Learn

Happiness comes from skills, which you can learn, which Nataly teaches. Environmental action does too. Happiness and living harmoniously with the environment and your values go well together, as would make sense given our environmental history. Many people think starting small isn’t…

135: Why We Want a World Without Growth

135: Why We Want a World Without Growth

People seem to have a hard time imagining a world without growth, specifically economic growth or population growth. There’s personal growth, but I’m talking about materially measurable growth. People seem to believe that economic growth is necessary. I’ve looked and haven’t found…

134: Tim Kopra, part 1: Seeing Earth from Space

134: Tim Kopra, part 1: Seeing Earth from Space

Hearing an astronaut talk about space is unparalleled. I imagine anyone and everyone wants to hear about seeing Earth from space and what launch feels like. You have to listen to hear it from a man who experienced it. Having walked in…

133: At Least Try

133: At Least Try

When I played sports competitively, I once watched a pass go by me without trying because I thought I couldn’t make a play on it. A teammate asked why I just watched. I said, “Because I couldn’t reach it.” He said, “At…

132: Lorna Davis, part 1: C-suites and B-corps

132: Lorna Davis, part 1: C-suites and B-corps

This episode is longer, but full of inside views at a leverage point of leadership and the environment. Consulting firms and business schools wish they had access to global corporate leaders at the frontier of change like Lorna. We spoke in-person about…

130: John Lee Dumas, part 3: One year picking up beach garbage

130: John Lee Dumas, part 3: One year picking up beach garbage

I’m trying something new for my third conversation with John: releasing the conversation unedited. While no editing means the sound is raw, you also hear everything. Why? Because you can hear how our relationship is developing into a friendship. in contrast to…

128: Sally Singer: Fashion and the Environment

128: Sally Singer: Fashion and the Environment

Sally plays a big role leading an iconic brand, with her team taking it in directions no one has taken media before. She’s also played major roles in the New York Times and other major media outlets. In this first part of my conversation with her…

127: Douglas Rushkoff, part 1: Team Human

127: Douglas Rushkoff, part 1: Team Human

You’ve heard that with social media, Google, and most free services, you’re the product. The idea probably provoked thought when you heard it. Now it probably feels old, an ending point. What if you considered it a starting point? Where does it…

125: Ann-Marie Heidingsfelder, part 2: Balancing priorities

125: Ann-Marie Heidingsfelder, part 2: Balancing priorities

I learned a lot in this conversation. That’s a euphemism for it being challenging for me, since her values and working style differs from mine. You’ll probably hear me struggling to listen and learn her experience and perspective. Part of why I…

124: Guilt Free

124: Guilt Free

Before acting on my environmental values, I felt guilty and helpless. I didn’t like those feelings. All the analyzing, raising awareness, and planning, I now look back and see that I was occupying my mind, making busy work for it, to distract…

123: Dave Gardner: Busting the Growth Myth

123: Dave Gardner: Busting the Growth Myth

Dave saw the problems with growth to local communities, the national economy, the global economy, and the environment. He questioned the the nearly unquestioned belief that growth is good, especially GDP and population growth. Once you question it, like a sweater unraveling,…

122: Rosa Parks and Acting on Your Environmental Values

122: Rosa Parks and Acting on Your Environmental Values

Lately, I’ve thought of people who say they can’t avoid plastic bags, bottles, flying. I suggest just declining, but they say they can’t. Saying no reminds me of Rosa Parks. She said no. She didn’t just act on her own as the…