Category Archives: Education

What made sustainability politically polarized: my hypothesis

on May 10, 2024 in Education, Models, Nature, Relationships

Our environmental problems have become a politically polarized issue. Why? I don’t know values of any political tradition that oppose clean air, land, water, and food, while all seem consistent with stewardship. Meanwhile, the main political tribes seem to see their opponents as obvious enemies, blatantly exacerbating the problems. Liberals say conservatives and libertarians don’t care and are greedy. They say they prefer profit over helping other people or wildlife.[…] Keep reading →

Columbia canceling its commencement reminds me of when I protested Apartheid at commencement

on May 9, 2024 in Education, Freedom, Stories

I don’t have to tell you that front page headlines are reporting how students across the country are protesting. Universities are struggling with how to respond. The university I got my (five) diplomas from, Columbia University, seems to be making some of the biggest headlines. A few days ago it decided to cancel its commencement. I started college in 1988. Many students then opposed Apartheid. I boycotted businesses that did[…] Keep reading →

Have You Hit Rock Bottom on the Environment?

on April 8, 2024 in Addiction, Education, Leadership, Nature

Have you hit rock bottom on the environment? The question isn’t if the problems are grave enough or you know about them. You’ve seen enough problems from litter on your street to a region called Cancer Alley in the most technologically advanced nation in history and front-page news nearly daily. The question of you hitting rock bottom is if you choose no longer to accept your rationalizations and justifications of[…] Keep reading →

My favorite part of Bruce Springsteen’s memoir

on March 29, 2024 in Art, Creativity, Education, Freedom, Stories

I recently finished Bruce Springsteen’s memoir Born to Run. Below is what resonated with me and motivated me most: Bruce Springsteen wrote in his memoir Born to Run about discovering the guitar growing up in a working-class New Jersey neighborhood. The day after seeing Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show, “I convinced my mom to take me to Diehl’s Music on South Street in Freehold. There, with no money to[…] Keep reading →

The Life-Changing, Inner-You-Revealing, Passion-Unleashing Magic of Initiative

on March 15, 2024 in Creativity, Education, Entrepreneurship, Exercises, Stories

I’ve shared Eugene’s public postings of his experience doing the exercises in my book Initiative. At each stage, he learns more about himself and making his world work for him. Taking initiative forces you to learn your values, not in some abstract way, but: How do I want to spend my time, money, energy, and resources? How long do I want to follow other people’s values, or the worn path[…] Keep reading →

NYU’s sustainability deception (work-in-progress post)

on March 2, 2024 in Education, Leadership

I teach at NYU and work on sustainability leadership. NYU talks about sustainability and to some extend sincerely tries, but it doesn’t come close to its rhetoric. It completely misses on sustainability leadership, as distinct from sustainability. I don’t see much integrity in its sustainability. The same follows for higher education in general, as best I can tell. I’ve been vaguely keeping track of discrepancies I find. I’ve had this[…] Keep reading →

Volunteering recognition from 1993

on February 16, 2024 in Education, Habits, Stories

I’ve been writing about volunteering. Then last month I found this certificate for distinguished service in college in 1993 cleaning out my father’s basement and had to share the story behind it. A church near Columbia on 114th Street and Broadway served a soup kitchen. I volunteered there every Friday. I just went on my own. Partly I consider activities like it as civic duty. Also I find it rewarding.[…] Keep reading →

Whom would you call a minority in this picture?

on February 9, 2024 in Education, Nonjudgment, Visualization

Cleaning out my father’s basement, I found my junior high school yearbook. Not really a yearbook, but a book with pictures of each class. Here’s my class: Can you tell which one is me? Is it hard to tell? I can’t tell you how often people have told me I don’t know what it’s like to live as a minority. This year wasn’t my only such year. Here is the[…] Keep reading →

Videos on Superabundance by Tupy and Pooley and False Alarm by Lomborg

on January 5, 2024 in Education

I was reading the introduction to the book Climate Liberalism about classical liberal approaches to environmental problems. A sentence in the opening paragraph said, “The last half century has seen substantial environmental progress as human lifespans have increased, poverty has declined, and Malthusian fears of resource depletion have been dispelled” with a footnote “For a compendium of human progress along these (and other) lines, see Marian L. Tupy and Gale[…] Keep reading →

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