The dictionary defines imperialism as: The policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas. Making something disposable means when you’re done with it, you put it into someone else’s space. Likewise with pollution. In principle, if the disposable thing biodegrades, it might decompose, but most disposable[…] Keep reading →

I started doing burpees on this day in 2011. I haven’t missed a day since. I’ve done them daily over 22 percent of my life. By my spreadsheet, I’ve done just over 241,000 so should reach a quarter million in 2025. The point isn’t the numbers, though, nor the fitness, though I like my pulse being nearly off the charts low for men my age. The simplest way to put[…] Keep reading →

The following quotes are all relevant to sustainability. I used them all in my book, except the Adam Smith quotes, which came from a recent post. Milton Friedman “I’m not in favor of no government. You do need a government . . . There’s no other institution in my opinion that can provide us with protection of our life and liberty.” He knew that “the key insight of Adam Smith’s[…] Keep reading →

Since people describe me as “extreme” so often, I experiment with how to respond since I don’t use the measure they do. They compare me with people around them—that is, with culture. I consider how my behavior affects others. I don’t want to hurt innocent people. My book treats the relationship between our culture and slavery, with the main difference that the cruelty of today’s culture is much greater than[…] Keep reading →

I can tell people consistently misunderstand what I’m doing from the questions they ask: how long does it take to charge the battery or what do I do for toothbrushes. Or they say it’s harder for people with kids. In 1930, Gandhi protested the British monopoly on selling salt. Did he attack them with weapons? No, they were too powerful. He marched to the sea, got some salt from evaporated[…] Keep reading →

The New York Times wrote a piece “Ozempic Could Crush the Junk Food Industry. But It Is Fighting Back” that reported people happy with results that I’ve found from living more sustainably. Except my way didn’t cost me anything, trade one dependence for another, or risk any side effects. It didn’t require willpower either. People think it did, but I think they just don’t know how to change habits without[…] Keep reading →

“How long does it take to charge your battery?” asks nearly everyone who sees me charging my solar panels, such as the guy in this picture: After a few times answering what they asked, I realized people have no idea what the numbers mean. If I tell them in full sunlight the battery charges in four hours, they don’t know what the battery can then charge. I didn’t know before[…] Keep reading →

My book, Sustainability Simplified, approaches our environmental problems in several ways. One is from the view that government should stick to a few specific roles, one of which is to protect your life, liberty, and property from me taking or destroying it without your consent. A government that doesn’t protect life, liberty, and property leads to a nation without hope for a better future, which leads to people retreating to[…] Keep reading →

[EDIT: I had no idea the New York Times would post its profile of me the day after this piece] Sorry for the in-your-face title and I don’t mean any time soon, but I think it’s a fair question. Other people have asked me the question when I describe my mission. Maybe you think I’m kidding myself that I could be so successful as to create enough animosity in others[…] Keep reading →