We look up to historical figures who opposed great atrocities of the past, especially helping people who couldn’t help themselves, which we consider on a different level than just helping ourselves, or at least I do. For example: Oskar Schindler Dietrich Bonhoeffer Frederick Douglass Thomas Clarkson William Wilberforce William Lloyd Garrison History shows that most people don’t help others in difficult times. For every one Oskar Schindler, maybe millions of[…] Keep reading →

Last week I wrote about my latest step in going a month off-grid in Manhattan: buying (used, off Craigslist) the solar panels to power the battery I bought last year. First: solar panels and batteries are not sustainable. They require fossil fuels and other non-renewable resources for manufacture, with no end in sight for that dependence. I don’t pretend using them is clean. Cleaner than burning oil or coal isn’t[…] Keep reading →

I’ll start with a liberal inconsistency relevant to sustainability, not that they monopolize them or are the most egregious, but I have to start somewhere. Mention anything related to my environmental footprint or personal action to many liberals and I’d better prepare for them to lecture me on how BP publicized the concept to deflect blame from them to individuals, or some similar reason why their or my actions don’t[…] Keep reading →

Months ago I bought a battery (used off Craigslist) to power my apartment. They call them power stations, partly to sound more impressive, partly since they can receive and deliver electric power in many ways. The process started years ago, when I started reducing my electric power demand to where a battery would suffice, and I dropped my demand to a couple dollars worth per month. The other day I[…] Keep reading →

People say they want to travel to explore different cultures and cuisines, but their behavior says otherwise. If people want to travel for cuisine and culture, why do so many tourist places have McDonald’s and Starbucks in them? Why do tourist sites look increasingly similar if people want difference? People say they travel to explore new tastes and cuisines. If so, why don’t people buy radishes when in season? The[…] Keep reading →

I just finished reading Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court. His coaching tells more how to live sustainably as individuals and a culture than anything else I remember reading or hearing. For those who don’t know, from Wikipedia: John Wooden (1910 – 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. He won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period as head coach for[…] Keep reading →

On a call with Dan McPherson, podcast guest and friend, I mentioned recent advances on my book and how to lead people and create a movement. We decided to record part of the call sharing my screen. It’s based on my work on This Sustainable Life leading hundreds of world-renowned guests to live joyfully sustainably based on intrinsic motivation. Nearly all return for second episodes. Many refer me to peers[…] Keep reading →