Growth-based economics is so twisted, it acts as if degrowth is hard. Imagine the case of an island with enough resources to sustain, say, five thousand people with five thousand people living on it. Should they grow the population? Might deliberately choosing to limit birthrate to bring the population to, say, four thousand make them more resilient in case of a natural disaster that limited food production one year? If[…] Keep reading →

Alexandra Paul has risen to the top of my list of the few people who live in the intersection of experience necessary to lead effectively on the environment. She has experience leading, she knows the science, and she lives the values she suggests for others: She was a recent guest on my podcast, This Sustainable Life. She mentioned a presentation she has since given at Sand Diego State University. I[…] Keep reading →

Recent New York Times stories, Harvard Victory Pushes Admissions Case Toward a More Conservative Supreme Court and Affirmative Action Cases May Reach Supreme Court Even Without Trump, both by Anemona Hartocollis, lay bare a national divide. [Note: You may notice the “recent” stories are from last year. I wrote this post soon after the articles but held back on posting it. I keep reading about well-meaning people apparently deliberately misunderstood[…] Keep reading →

Many of you know about the famous Marshmallow Experiment. I wrote an extended series on it and willpower. I think it’s worth revisiting. I’m concluding different results on further reflection. Here’s a cute video on it: First, let’s review it. According to Wikipedia: The Stanford marshmallow experiment was a study on deferred gratification conducted in 1972 by psychologist Walter Mischel of Stanford University. A marshmallow was offered to each child.[…] Keep reading →

In preparing for my podcast conversation with Mechai Viravaidya, his team sent extra material. I think you’ll value knowing more about him. First, given that We Can Dance Around Environmental Problems All We Want. We Eventually Reach Overpopulation and Overconsumption, I consider Mechai’s work on family planning among the most important work in the world, beyond the Green Revolution. He lowered birth rate through voluntary, fun means that increased health,[…] Keep reading →

People often ask what personal actions they can do to reduce emissions most. I’ll give the answer by the numbers, then give a better answer. Sadly, most people who ask then respond with reasons why they can’t do anything, rationalizing that they are powerless when they aren’t. They just want to feel better. By the numbers As you can see, having fewer kids dwarfs everything. I do all of the[…] Keep reading →

I didn’t think of how small my building’s elevators were when I bought a sofa after moving into my current apartment. It didn’t fit. The deliverymen tried to bring it up the stairs too. They made the first landing, but couldn’t make the turn to go up the next flight. They had to take it back. I ended up paying a $300 restocking fee plus big tips for the deliverymen’s[…] Keep reading →