I stumbled on a site with the Average Household Cost of Food, categorizing purchases, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013. Out of 30 categories, I buy from only 4! Here’s the average American budget. I put mine below. Before looking at mine, can you tell which 4 categories I buy? Most categories are doof and meat, neither of which I eat. The average American seems privileged to[…] Keep reading →

Michael wrote me the morning before we scheduled this conversation to say he ended up spending more time on the screen when he intended less. He wondered if we should skip it. Longtime listeners may remember similar results with guests Jim Harshaw and Caspar Craven. I told him I’m not looking for a Disney version implying that acting sustainable was easy. I believe listeners engage more with hearing the challenges[…] Keep reading →

Announcing , a new podcast in the growing family from Leadership and the Environment, Conversazioni Sostenibili (Sustainable Conversations), hot on the heels of Leadership and the Environment: Sweden and This Sustainable Life: Untethered. The new one is hosted by Nicola Pirulli, based in Turin. Here is his description of the podcast: Conversazioni Sostenibili è un podcast con un’ambizione: ispirare chi ascolta. Come? Incontrando persone comuni e fuori dal comune che[…] Keep reading →

Last year, sometime in late December, after reading about some cultures preserve food more through fermentation, drying, and other methods than refrigeration, I unplugged my fridge to see how long I could go without a fridge. I also noted how cool my windowsill was, providing some natural refrigeration so I could keep food there. I made it until I went to my mom’s house for the pandemic, so it stayed[…] Keep reading →

“You heard it here first.” We start by reviewing George’s experience picking up garbage with a team he organized. We started creating a project. It spontaneously arose, but I see a chance that we’ll make it happen. Maybe soon, maybe it will take time. Maybe it will go nationwide. Maybe it will fall apart. Maybe it will change culture. Maybe future generations will look back at these changes as what[…] Keep reading →

Longtime podcast listeners have heard my struggle that began with seeing leadership as the main missing element on sustainability nobody is acting on, distinguishing leadership from management. In short, I saw no Mandela of the Environment and felt my best option would be to fill in the role—not to act like Mandela exactly, since the situations differ, but to take on a comparable role. Adopting the mantle seemed a no-win[…] Keep reading →

The notes I read from: Missing messages on the environment we can learn from Churchill. I’ll read from some of his most famous speeches, during WWII, then I’ll play the close of one, from June 4, 1940 “We shall never surrender.” Some points: It’s bad. It’s as bad as it’s ever been. There’s no escape. Your life is in peril. It’s huge. Nations have been wiped off the map. The[…] Keep reading →