Dune Ives

Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about a negative peace, where a problem exists but people don't face it or deal with it, and a positive one, where people solve the problem, which requires facing it. He used non-violent civil disobedience to lead people to face problems that affected others, but as voters and citizens, they could do something about. People didn't always like it, but you can't get change otherwise. Nonviolent civil disobedience works with human laws but doesn't apply so much with our environmental problems. So how do we face these problems? How do we get people who are already aware that they are polluting and emitting greenhouse gases way beyond what risks undermining society, yet people using 90% less are more happy to stop choosing doing what they've been doing? Environmental leaders are struggling to find a strategy that works for us as non-violent civil disobedience did for other problems, however uncomfortable it makes people in the moment. If you hear about straws recently, Dune and her work have reached you. We'll hear in this conversation how happy she is, talking about gardening for example or reusing things. Acting relieves guilt. It doesn't causes it, at least if you act on your values. Responsibility means you can't do what you used to. Ask any parent, responsibility for what you love improves your life. Dune speaks with humility, honest, and humor. Read the transcript.

If you've heard about avoiding straws -- if you're actively avoiding straws -- Dune Ives and the Lonely Whale, the organization she's the Executive Director of, have influenced you. If you've asked yourself, why straws or what the point was, that's what she wanted: for people actually to talk about things on a human scale. If you've taken the next step from straws, Lonely Whale has influenced you all the more. When Dune co-founded Lonely While, she didn't know the untapped demand. They just started and finding one change leading to another. Her approach helped change my views about straws and small changes. I no longer see them as just the one act any more than playing scales is too small to learn to play piano. Nor do I see them as small things that might add up. I see them as practice. If you don't do small things, you may never get to big things. Mastering small things makes big things easier. If straws connect with a value of yours, start with straws. Act on your values. Talk about them. Once you master them so that no straws come your way, then take the next step. Or if you're thinking of starting your own initiative, take a lesson from her that starting will lead to more success than just thinking about it. You'll hear some big names mentioned: Besides the Kardashians, co-founder Adrian Grenier, and Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen. Read the transcript.