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 that little things add up or that it's like voting. I won't argue with those answers, but I think they're small effects. I've evolved since earlier episodes and my TEDx talk to find more important reasons. This episode shares my bigger reasons for personal action: you learn to act environmentally the way you learn any activity: practicing the basics. Don't act and you don't learn. If you want to influence others and you don't do what you lead them to, you lose credibility.…

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 means to an end. The end is more emotion, relationships, and connection---family, community, faith, and other things that bring meaning, which people prefer more of. They maximize those things. Joshua Becker stands out as one of the main figures in that world. Millions of people have read his blog and books and taken his courses to do just those things. In this episode we talk about how he started and perspectives that help. We talk about family, god, the bible, my first love,…

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 who mugged me and my friends and who punched me in the jaw. Mayhave sounded unnecessary, which I suppose would raise questions as to why I mentioned. Because people keep bringing race, sex, and such up with me. Talking about race is a minefield outside a few platitudes in this country, especially for whites. They keep losing their jobs. Maybe talking about it will bring me down before I reach being well-known. Well, if it brings me down, it brings me down, but…

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 that flying any time you want or having blueberries 12 months a year doesn't improve your life, but it may help people understand where I'm coming from and maybe hold off a bit on saying, "yeah well you're privileged." Triumphs Making the best ultimate team I played onPassing Columbia's qualifying exam Shames Bike stolen on Greene StreetBike stolen from Wissahickon Creek pathBike stolen from Art MuseumShoved on Walnut LaneSucker punched near CentralDon't remember: girls touching my skin, boys firecrackerMy stepbrother teasing me for…

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 obsolescence, politics, carbon taxes and accounting, Vince Lombardi, Brent Suter from the Milwaukee Brewers, Oprah Winfrey, and individual action. Many people, when considering acting on their environmental values, say how much they're already doing, implying isn't it enough already. They miss what I hope came across with Tia: Acting on your values improves your life. You gain from it. Describing acting environmentally that way may sound abstract. It's more delicious. It saves money. It connects you with your community. The switch to acting…

Here are my notes that I read from for this episode. New comment from reading Countdown by Alan WeismanOverpopulation is major issue.Challenges are culture, religion, lack of education, lack of birth controlHe presented research results of demand for birth control by women -- about 250 million. Figure about a guy for each: 500 millionI figure low because many don't know it exists or are swayed by not seeing it so not realizing they could want itHe also showed results that unwanted children lead to poverty while smaller families where most people live today, ie cities, prosperCombination of huge unmet demand that when met leads to money tells me birth control isn't a moral issue, nor legal, religion, or charity issue but a finance issue. The…

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 commented on them in episode 248: Countdown, a book I recommend by Alan Weisman. It looked at population around the world, illustrating and describing research finding that we've overshot the carrying capacity, which will lead to population collapse. That book put the issue top of mind, as does listening to the Growthbusters podcast. This episode describes why I see value in discussion population.

Since our first episode, I've been talking about these mayors choosing to pick up garbage. I believe that a man never stands so tall as when he bends down to pick up another person's garbage. How many U.S. politicians can you name who bend down to pick up other people's garbage? Yet how many American streets, waterways, and beaches do you see covered with garbage? It wasn't always this way. We are letting it happen on our watch. I hope Jerry and Buddy start a new trend among politicians. Get your hands dirty to make our nation and cities clean. If people we know don't do it, such as elected officials, we won't in general. But if they do, we will---which will make them leaders,…

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 shocking. I barely scratch the book's surface, but I believe you'll find the sections equally noteworthy. I recommend reading the rest to understand this integral part of our world.

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 as a pretense for some counterproductive welfare, let's stop making it.

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 with disgust. If someone hands me a plastic bottle of water, I feel disgust. I propose replacing the terms they've come up in Sweden for flight shame with flight disgust.

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 distracting you. The three categories are Personal action, like avoiding packaged foodLeading others, like hosting a podcastInfluence one's local community, like sharing joy Distinguishing them protects me from feeling dissuaded when others confuse one person not polluting with that person trying to change the world. Nobody says, "why do you bother not murdering? You can't stop everyone from doing it." Yet they still say, "why bother avoiding meat? People will still do it." They're confusing personal action with leading others.