My book talks about Abraham Lincoln a lot. I’m not sure how I’ll use the following information about his wrestling career when younger, but everyone should know he said ““I’m the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns!” on the way to passing the Thirteenth Amendment. From Inside Abraham Lincoln’s Surprising Career As A National Wrestling Champ and[…] Keep reading →

Yet again I heard someone saying individual action won’t solve our environmental problems so we shouldn’t even look at it, and this was a major public speaker. He repeated the idiocy that, as he saw it, BP creating the personal carbon footprint was a coup for distracting us from them. I’d love to see all these people who oppose individual action in 1850, saying, “you can’t end slavery so don’t[…] Keep reading →

People suggest I teach people how to do what I’ve done—things like unplugging the fridge or avoiding packaged food. Isn’t that what leaders do? Shouldn’t I make some videos on how to live without a fridge, flying, or doof? It’s a great question. I could only answer after hosting author, TED speaker, and entrepreneur Derek Sivers on my podcast. He asked why I invited him since he doesn’t work in[…] Keep reading →

If no one is changing culture in your world, it’s your opportunity to fill the leadership vacuum. Find out how and what dangers to avoid from leaders who have changed cultures before. How to Develop a Sustainability Leadership Culture in Your Organization Click to register now! About the Event: Many companies are making strides toward goals for greening their businesses but need to find ways to maintain the momentum now[…] Keep reading →

People respond to my disconnecting from the grid and all saying, “it’s great that you’re leading by example.” I’m not leading by example. I don’t believe leading by example works in sustainability. People have filled their hearts and minds with rationalizations and justifications why what they are doing is good, right, and normal for them. Seeing someone acting differently doesn’t change their view. On the contrary, it often leads them[…] Keep reading →

I recently asked Is the greatest impediment to someone living more sustainably their resources, especially time and money? and formed the hypothesis that people with money and time are both the biggest cause of our environmental problems and resist changing the most. I’m just developing the approach and understanding, but predict and expect it will become a major point in where to focus our efforts. Going to the Amazon or[…] Keep reading →

This realization hit me this morning. It will seem counterintuitive, especially to people living in overdeveloped countries. The majority of people in them see people suffering from environmental destruction and want to focus on helping them. We should help them, but we should realize they aren’t causing the problems. The more resources, especially time and money, someone has, the harder it is for them to stop polluting and depleting. Almost[…] Keep reading →

Evelyn took my Spodek Method workshop in the spring, then was the TA for the two summer sessions and will lead the fall workshop. Everything else you need to know about her background is in the video below. She’s transforming herself and diving into sustainability, loving the challenges and changes. We approach it similarly but differently. Most of all, we enjoy each other’s company and riffing off each other. We[…] Keep reading →

The main places we learn about our environmental problems: scientists, educators, journalists, politicians, and activists. As a result, we look to them for solutions, along with engineers and entrepreneurs. I may be missing a field or two, but hope I got all. All play important roles, but none of those fields develop skills and experience to change behavior and culture. Culture is key because if we could magically transform all[…] Keep reading →