Best and Brightest … Genius — Esquire

A once-in-a-lifetime game-changing advance
in our field everyone else will follow
— Marshall Goldsmith

Astrophysicist turned new media whiz — NBC

Passionate … confident … — Forbes

You don't just learn theory from
him, you improve your life.
— Inc.

The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Harvard University, Standford University, Princeton University, MTV, IBM, US Army

My Mission

My mission is to help change American (and global) culture on sustainability and stewardship from expecting deprivation, sacrifice, burden, and chore to expecting rewarding emotions and lifestyles, as I see happen with everyone I lead to act for their intrinsic motivations.

In my case the emotions have been joy, fun, freedom, connection, meaning, and purpose.



Systemic change begins with personal change.

Some of my values. What are yours?
Months living off the grid in Manhattan: 8 (and counting)
Loads of garbage I filled in 2023 so far: 0
Loads of garbage I filled in 2022: 0
Loads filled in 2021: 0
Loads filled in 2020: 0
Loads filled in 2019: 1
Loads filled in 2018: 1
Loads filled in 2017: 1
Days picking up litter: 2,095 and counting
Years not flying: 7 and counting
Average 2022 electric bill: $0.58
Annual carbon emissions: about 1 ton
Daily burpees: 203,578 and counting

LATEST BLOG POSTS

I couldn’t make most people feel shame or guilt about sustainability. They’re already feeling so much, I couldn’t add more.

on March 22, 2023 in Awareness

People don’t like feeling guilt, shame, insecurity, helplessness, hopelessness, and other emotions that they often feel when sustainability and the environment come up. The emotions arise from what I found Abraham Lincoln said best: “Nothing is more damaging to you than to do something you believe is wrong.“ Doing something you believe is wrong will make you feel guilt, shame, and so on. People spend so much of their time[…] Keep reading →

Unsustainable things that we can either face must end or keep lying to ourselves and causing suffering.

on March 21, 2023 in Addiction, Nature

Remember that when you depend on something to the point of addiction You tell me what you fear losing and I’ll tell you what you’ll gain. Suggest stopping gambling to gambling addict and they’ll fear losing winning. But outside rare jolts of winning, they mostly lose. Stopping gambling will bring them more winning and less losing. Social media addict fear losing connection, but social media isolates. Stopping social media will[…] Keep reading →

678: My talk to the International Society of Sustainability Professionals

on March 20, 2023 in Podcast

The International Society of Sustainability Professionals invited me to speak to their New York Chapter. Here is that recording. We “whooshed” out the participants’ words, so it’s just my speaking. Their mission is “ISSP empowers professionals to advance sustainability in organizations and communities around the globe.” I described my work, my path to get here, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation, how you can’t lead others to live by values you live[…] Keep reading →

Why it’s hard to help an addict stop

on March 19, 2023 in Addiction

My friend brings addicts to rehab centers in California. He knows hotels where they hole up together doing heroin and such in modern-day equivalents of opium dens. They know him and that he doesn’t pressure them. He knocks on the door. They open it. He asks, “is anybody ready?” Usually they all pass, but sometimes one says, “I am,” and he drives them to rehab. He says that nearly every[…] Keep reading →

Proposals for freedom and sustainability

on March 18, 2023 in Freedom, Leadership, Nature

I’ve been thinking about what legal changes I see along the lines of the Thirteenth Amendment. That amendment helped resolve the most partisan issue in the nation’s history, including hundreds of thousands of young men killed in the Civil War. Today it unites us. I envision the following proposals transforming our culture and leading to unity, though people who profit from the old ways will resist, as they did with[…] Keep reading →

Container Ship Considerations: How Much of a Container Ship’s Cargo Will Be in a Landfill Within Six Months?

on March 17, 2023 in Blog

One of the uses of fossil fuels no one has any replacements for is container ships. No batteries or hydrogen cells are on order to power container ships. Then you might read about how to make a pair of jeans, the cotton is transported to one place to be made into thread, another to be made into fabric, another to sew it, another to package it, another to sell it,[…] Keep reading →

Martin Scorcese on our relationship with pollution

on March 16, 2023 in Addiction, Art, Visualization

Do you remember the helicopter scene in Goodfellas? Henry Hill has a busy day delivering lots of things including guns, cocaine, and food. He has to do family things, meet his mistress, cook dinner, and all sorts of other things. He’s getting everything done, taking cocaine for energy. If you ask him, he’d say he was being super productive. Only he’s not doing anything meaningful. It’s all superficial. Any actual[…] Keep reading →

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