People ask, "Josh, do you really think you can make a difference?" or comment that what I or anyone does won't matter. In the first part of this episode I describe how I think our environmental future will unfold---the outcome I consider most likely. It's not pretty. I foresee a lot of gloom and doom about nature, but however much problems in nature, I think human reactions will be more important, sooner, and more destructive. My main resources for this part are the Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells and Limits to Growth. In the second part, I share what I think could unfold if we get serious about addressing what's happening---what I'm working for. In the next part, I describe why I work at something…

I met Nir Eyal at a podcast recording of Will Bachman, who long ago hosted me on his podcast (see links below). Nir recently publish a book, Indistractable, about how to keep focused. A lot of people ask me how I do so much. I don't feel I do, but if so, maybe I qualify as someone who achieves. Indistractable gave me tools to focus and achieve more with less distraction. In fact, I'm writing now and recorded then despite feeling like I wanted to surf the net but used a technique from the book to focus. I wanted to hear how his research and techniques on personal action would connect to environmental action, which we started to talk about (I liked to Will's episode…

If you've listened to this podcast, you know my Building Block---my technique to lead one person to share and act on his or her environmental values. You may also know my strategy to scale from influencing one person at a time to many. Describing that scaling model has taken effort. A conversation with a friend this morning about how Tesla scaled suggested to me a way to describe how I planned to scale. Today I describe what I'm thinking about calling my "modified Tesla strategy." I'm not describing a new strategy, but a new way to frame it and describe it. How one communicates influences how people understand and join a movement. Episode 154: Why you, famous person, will like being a guest

As a sneak preview to my third TEDx talk, I used this conversation wit Larry as an example. Sorry you'll have to wait a month for the organizers to edit the video. Waiting is as hard for me as for you. When last we heard, Larry committed to picking up trash from beach with his sons and wife. Sometimes involving others can increase the challenge. Other times involving others leads to leading them, involving them in the process. What do you think happened with Larry's challenge? Does SEAL training lead to being able lead family members? I believe you'll see another side of Larry from the first two episodes, trying to figure out the emotional interaction, sharing what he learns with his family leading up…

Food is important part of environment, as you know. The book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman changed a lot for me. I came across it after my experiments avoiding packaged food, fiber-removed foods, and meat. Eat to Live showed me that the delicious diet I found by reducing garbage and pollution turned out healthy. You'll hear me at the beginning stumble a bit. I had prepared, but everything changed when I met Joel in person at his home. He showed me the plants he's growing in solar powered greenhouse. Now, I think I'm getting good at making my stews, salads, and desserts, but with his kitchen full of vegetables and fruit, he whipped together a salad more delicious than mine effortlessly. I invite…

After my third TEDx talk a few days ago, spoke to a couple that told me how much they reduced waste but wouldn't consider anything more. People love considering the biggest things immune from consideration, like flying or heating their homes to 70 degrees in the winter and cooling them to 60 in the summer, leaving the air conditioner on while they're out just so it's cool for thirty seconds when they get home. Or getting take out when they have vegetables in the fridge, most of which they throw out in a disgusting display of entitlement. My TEDx talk is about how after you act you'll be glad you did and wish you had earlier. I say people don't want to do small things,…

In this episode I describe how important I consider the accessibility of my personal behavior solutions -- a matter of integrity, not to be confused with behavior to influence others, which is a matter of leadership. Here are my notes I read from for this episode. I recommend reviewing my memes on famous people saying what everyone says about acting on the environment. Access and its importance to me. Food available in food desert. I spend nearly no money on fitness. Yes, I live in a nice neighborhood, but I don't make much more than the average American. I treat Greenwich Village as a village -- that is, I try to meet my neighbors, local farmers, local shopkeepers, and not try to escape every few…

I met Brent through guest Tia Nelson, both Wisconsin celebrities---she in politics, he in sport---who work with the Outrider Foundation. He is this podcast's first MLB pitcher in string of athletes from the Olympics, NFL, Americas Cup, beep baseball, and more. I bring athletes because they excel in the key leadership domain of personal growth and development. In a world based on polluting, environmental action requires challenging yourself to grow and develop. Early leaders like this podcast community have to swim upstream, acting against cultural norms. Besides winning on the diamond, as you'll hear from Brent, he is also developing himself, his teammates, the Brewers organizations, and the Brewers fans to act environmentally. Professional athletes not being known for hugging trees, he's choosing to take…

What is Earth's carrying capacity? Why is it important? Many ask how we will feed 10 billion people. Mathematician way of asking is if we can feed so many and if so how. Maybe we can't. First, don't want to know. While it depends on many assumptions that aren't hard or measurable numbers, like standard of living, distribution of resources, and technology, we can say it's maximum misery per person. How do we narrow it down? Could ask resources per person and how much resources Earth can provide. Limits to Growth projects how much planet would sustain from a systems perspective including history and how we live our values. I prefer a historical perspective I learned from Alan Weisman based on the Haber-Bosch process, which…

Alan Weisman's book Countdown changed my strategy to the environment. It ranks among the top most influential works I've read, watched, or come across, up there with Limits to Growth. Why? Because when you look at environmental issues enough, and it shouldn't take too long these days, population always rises to the top as one of the top issues. Many people today hear about projections that the population will level off around 10 billion. Actually, the ones I see project that the population will keep growing exponentially then, just slower than now. If you only look at one issue---only climate, only deforestation, or only extinctions---they seem possibly solvable, but they're all linked. Solving several at once---say meeting power needs while the economy falls apart and…

Here are the notes I read from for this episode: Outward manifestationBeen saying latelyWhen you see pollution, dingy skies, sea levels risingAny one person listening may not haveBut if American, likely more than nearly anyoneLess technological, more social and personalResults from our behavior, from our choicesFrom our beliefs, stories, images, desiresOpposite would be stewardship, caring about others first, serviceWhy leadership mattersCrazy part is harmony with nature simplifies lifeCreates joy, community, connectionNot about guilt or shame, just perspectiveIn all fairness, some past systemsI'm just like everyone else. When I think of something fun and polluting, I think, maybe it won't matter, the plane was flying anywayThat's the cause of global warming and our climate problemsMaybe I'll get away with it. Maybe my contribution won't countYou can…