Thanksgiving means eating, often to excess, even if not with family during the pandemic. How about a post on food? I stumbled on a site with the Average Household Cost of Food, categorizing purchases, citing the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2013. Out of 30 categories, I buy from only 4! Here’s the average American budget. I put mine below. Before looking at mine, can you tell which 4[…] Keep reading →

Longtime podcast listeners have heard my struggle that began with seeing leadership as the main missing element on sustainability nobody is acting on, distinguishing leadership from management. In short, I saw no Mandela of the Environment and felt my best option would be to fill in the role—not to act like Mandela exactly, since the situations differ, but to take on a comparable role. Adopting the mantle seemed a no-win[…] Keep reading →

I never noticed how many of my major possessions I bought used versus new. Side note: I met Craig Newmark—the Craig of Craig’s List—when he spoke at Columbia nearly 20 years ago, then again last winter at a nearby cafe, now closed for the pandemic. Used I bought or acquire used Refrigerator—bought on Craig’s List, I think for $50 about ten years ago when my old one broke. Both sofas—neighbors[…] Keep reading →

Context An attendee at my webinar on Initiative to Booth, the University of Chicago Business School, Eric Zoerb, followed up that he wanted to start a business on sustainability. Like many, he was looking for efficiency. Most of my life I considered efficiency the top strategy. It felt right. Nature doesn’t react to feelings, though, so no amount of feeling it will work will make something work. If you make[…] Keep reading →

In spring 2006, back when universities existed, I earned an MBA. Tomorrow I finish paying the last payment on my loan to pay for it. Its rate was something like one percent, so I didn’t see a reason to pay early, but I still like the idea of paying off the last of my long-term debt. It takes a weight off my shoulders. By contrast, I paid off my higher-interest[…] Keep reading →

I recently spoke online to alumni groups from the Wharton and University of Chicago business schools on developing initiative, specifically from my book, Initiative. Here are reviews from NYU students who did the exercises I describe in them. I asked if I could share the videos from the webinars. Here they are. As I say in them, I designed them to give you enough to work with on your own.[…] Keep reading →

Many articles lament the restaurant industry’s struggles with the pandemic. What’s so great about restaurants? Fewer restaurants doesn’t mean fewer jobs or business, just shifting them to other areas—people have to eat, after all. People would cook at home more, where they would eat healthier, connect with family more, and pollute less. I would probably like a restaurant from decades ago, when they cooked from scratch, not all so-called comfort[…] Keep reading →