I’ve been trying to decide which pollution is worst. I pick up litter daily so I participate actively with it. Have you picked up litter regularly? When I do, I can’t help speculate what in a person’s mind and heart led them to decide putting a given piece of litter where they did. It leads me to see a dark and selfish part of humanity. That people claim not to[…] Keep reading →

When I teach my core sustainability leadership practice, the Spodek Method, in classes and corporate workshops, I have participants pair up and practice it with each other. When there is an odd number of participants, one usually pairs with me, leading me to new commitments on my environmental values. At first I worried I’d run out of commitments after reading many ten-little-things-you-can-do-for-the-environment articles that promote the same things. Those CCCSC[…] Keep reading →

Today is a lifting day, which also means mopping the floor, which means getting on my hands and knees and sponging the whole apartment floor. After lifting I went to the roof to charge despite today being overcast. I got to see this beauty, which the camera didn’t do justice to. I figure cameras struggle with pictures centered on the Sun. It washed out the colors. Still, I think it[…] Keep reading →

When I talk about sustainability leadership, almost guaranteed, someone will say something like, “not everyone can do what you do. Some people don’t have the resources you do.” or “You don’t know what it’s like for a single mom in a food desert with three kids and three jobs.” I’m not sure what world they think exists that I don’t know these things, but the illustration below, though a weird[…] Keep reading →

Thomas Jefferson was one of history’s great advocates for freedom, with great accomplishments. He led writing the Declaration of Independence. His writings on freedom of speech, religion, and thought helped prompt the Revolutionary War that created this democratic nation. Yet he was a racist and owned slaves. He suggested orangutans mated with Africans (he spelled oranootan in his 1784 Notes on the State of Virginia), for which he can not[…] Keep reading →

Podcast guest Christopher Ketcham compiled a bunch of research, including from two other podcast guests, Mark Z. Jacobson (not so positively) and Mark Mills, that overwhelmingly show that making up phrases doesn’t make the lies they represent true, such as “green growth,” “decoupling,” and “electrify everything.” I recommend reading his article The Green Growth Delusion. It’s sobering, but wouldn’t you rather not operate under a delusion when your life and[…] Keep reading →

The video shows me cooking, fermenting, climbing, setting panels up, volunteering, picking up litter, and more. They recorded hours of footage. I like what they edited and only wish they could include more. For example, pulling the cart, I was bringing overstock, perfectly good food to the community center for people to pick up free. My favorite moments they couldn’t include: See the text from the video below. A few[…] Keep reading →