Regular readers know my development of seeing abolitionism as a role model movement for sustainability. My next book, almost finishing the final draft, will show the connection deeper than mere analogy or role model. Readers here and podcast listeners know my conversations with Manisha Sinha, James Oakes, and David Blight and reading their books, and reading Sean Wilentz’s book. Connected with them all is Eric Foner. I’ve met him in[…] Keep reading →

Long-term readers know I took sailing lessons after extending my year avoiding flying to more and more years, even before realizing I’d never fly again (also before Greta got a ride across the Atlantic, which somehow no one has offered me yet, though I’ve worked at it for years). My Sailing 101 lessons were in New York harbor, which I followed up by joining a club that allowed me to[…] Keep reading →

Sorry, today is a half-finished post. I’m not sure if anyone will read it all, but my main pursuit in it is the persistent myth people knee-jerk fall back on that if we don’t pursue technological progress and market growth then we risk reverting to the Stone Age. After reading Atlas Shrugged and trying to learn what her fans like about her philosophy so much, I found an essay she[…] Keep reading →

Another evening in Manhattan, meaning more cars going by without mufflers, or with mufflers modified to make a lot of noise. I remember the trend beginning during the pandemic: I guess people modified their mufflers to make random BANG! BANG! noises. I think the trend started or expanded during the pandemic because police stopped enforcing so many laws then. Why unmuffle cars? I doubt they change the car’s performance. I[…] Keep reading →

The title says it all: Looking to Silicon Valley, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Washington DC, or Academia for sustainability solutions is like looking to the Sacklers for opiate addiction solutions. The Sacklers know how to increase opiate use. They profit from it. They know how to increase sales. They know how to rationalize and justify addicting and hurting people so they can feel good hurting people. They have convinced themselves[…] Keep reading →

Most times governments intervene in population, they push population growth. Why? Because they believe more people means more workers and consumers, which they believe will create jobs and help everyone. Podcast guest Jane O’Sullivan‘s 2017 paper “The contribution of reduced population growth rate to demographic dividend” concludes that population growth costs more than it benefits. It requires paying for infrastructure and more. She points out that lowering population growth were[…] Keep reading →

I constantly hear people saying teaching the next generation will solve our environmental problems. They’re sloughing their problems onto others, abdicating responsibility. Nobody taught older generations today to wreck the environment. I learned to protect it so presume most others were taught so too. Most people continue wrecking the environment. It didn’t work for us. Why should we think it will work for them? I learned “leave it better than[…] Keep reading →

I post student reviews of my courses. I post all, no cherry picking. This year, I only received three qualitative reviews for teaching the Senior Seminar in Leadership: Thanks for such an amazing semester – you and your class truly inspired me and gave me a new perspective on leadership and how to lead. — Just wanted to thank you for this semester and for teaching this class. I believe[…] Keep reading →

I finished the first draft of my next book, on sustainability leadership, this afternoon. I’m relieved, exhilarated, scared, worried, and many other emotions. For the first time, I skimmed through it. It’s rough. I feel like it’s too long, too short, too comprehensive, not comprehensive enough, and many other problems. Still, I know how much editing improves. I think it covers the main experiences, lessons, views, and ways forward I[…] Keep reading →