I’ve written before that if you do something that kills people and you don’t want to kill people, you have to stop doing that thing, even if you like it. That sentence seems about as matter of fact as you can get. It’s not designed to make anyone feel guilty. That polluting and depleting kill people isn’t an open question. We all pollute and deplete. Come to think of it,[…] Keep reading →

The other day someone pushed back, as usual, about flying. For most people who fly, flying hurts people more than anything else they do through polluting, depleting, funding lobbyists, funding advertising, displacing people from their homes, etc. He started responding by saying, “The problem is that everyone has to see family …” After he finished his whole answer, I pointed out not “everyone” flies to see family. Most Americans live[…] Keep reading →

Rob is one of my coaching clients. I asked him to be a guest here since many people perceive leadership and learning it as different than I mean. His work in medicine may not be at the center of sustainability, but I work in leadership, which I apply to sustainability. Listen to this episode to learn what changes to your life you can expect when you take my workshops. Listen[…] Keep reading →

I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but in New York, people talk about psychedelic drugs a lot. Everyone is talking about microdosing (probably not as much as in California), going to shamans in Peru for ayahuasca, and so on. People describe the value of the experiences as life changing. I’m prompted by a recent New Yorker piece This Is Your Priest on Drugs: Dozens of religious leaders[…] Keep reading →

Want to know what living more sustainably feels like? Our culture is so dependent and addicted to things like takeout, cars, and flying that pollution and depletion enable, we forget that using them destroys life, liberty, and property. We don’t notice that our government benefits and grows in money and power from licensing and promoting one of its few core responsibilities nearly everyone agrees on. We don’t notice that they[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: The Way Home: Tales From a Life Without Technology, by Mark Boyle: I learned of Mark Boyle probably years ago and I think watched his TEDx talk. Recently a guest suggested I connect with an Australian woman, Jo Nemeth, who is living with no money. I connected with Jo, which led to engaging conversations. Jo describes Mark as a hero, which prompted me to read this[…] Keep reading →

Regular readers know what a sidcha is and that my second daily habit that both became a sidcha and helped me conceive of the concept began with doing ten burpees a day. I think I started my burpee habit in early 2012. In time, that habit evolved into a twice-daily set of calisthenics. I agree that discipline equals freedom, so more than the sizeable gains of saving money, saving time,[…] Keep reading →

I only wish I’d disconnected sooner. Not needing something means more freedom, especially not needing something that hurts people. People often ask if everyone could live like me. If every American lived like me, we could reduce our electric grid to a tiny fraction of its present incarnation. Our national security would increase, as would our health, community, and safety. Wealth disparities would decrease among many other friendly social outcomes.[…] Keep reading →

Everybody acts like sustainability is someone else’s job. Sure, they’ll avoid straws or get triple pane windows on their third home, the one in Tuscany that they fly to a couple times a year (I sat next to someone at a dinner recently who was doing so), but actually changing culture? That’s too much to ask of anyone. Everyone acts like it’s not their job. Whatever their job is, they[…] Keep reading →