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: 25 (and counting)
Loads of garbage I filled in 2024 so far: 0
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: 2,613 and counting
Years not flying: 8 and counting
2024 grid electric grid use at home: 0 kilowatt-hours
Annual carbon emissions: about 1 ton
Daily burpees: 231,205 and counting
Resting pulse: 47 bpm

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Invited on the field at Yankee Stadium with my family (thank you Brent Suter!)

on July 3, 2024 in Blog

Podcast guest Brent Suter plays for his hometown team the Cincinnati Reds and the Reds played the Yankees last night in Yankee Stadium. Brent and I have recorded three episodes so far. We’ve kept in touch since recording too. I asked him if I could see him at the game. He arranged for me and some family members to meet him on the field at Yankee Stadium for batting practice[…] Keep reading →

Volunteering: I just helped deliver a mammoth summer load of vegetables to the community fridge

on July 2, 2024 in Habits, Stories

The community fridge where I volunteer by bringing food (and doof, sadly) stores would otherwise through away for anyone to take recently coordinated a deal with the Union Square farmers market to pick up what vendors don’t sell. Half a dozen of us picked up and delivered our first load. Several of us made two trips. It was the most volume and I’d say highest quality of any load I[…] Keep reading →

Giving up on sustainability is a permanent solution to what could be a temporary problem

on July 1, 2024 in Nonjudgment, Tips

I heard someone talking about suicide describe it as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I looked it up and it seems a well-known concept. Many people seem to have given up on trying to live more sustainably or sustainability in general. We can solve it. Dropping your impact over ninety percent, if done with the right mindset, will improve your life. Combining it with having at most two[…] Keep reading →

This Week’s Selected Media, June 30, 2024: Albatrosses

on June 30, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: Albatrosses, by Diane Ackerman: I took a year off of college in 1990. I gathered all the savings I could, about $1,000, bought a one-way courier ticket to Paris for $140, and did my best to stay a year. If my savings dropped to $140, I’d have to decide either to use my last $140 to buy a flight home or commit to staying somehow. I[…] Keep reading →

McKinsey, Rightsizing, and Population: Businesspeople have the tools to get sustainability

on June 29, 2024 in Nature

Human ingenuity doesn’t mean all companies should hire as many people as possible. Business gets it. I’ve meant to write this post since reading When McKinsey Comes to Town and hosting one of its authors on the podcast, Michael Forsythe. A concept the book coversIs it the case that the “ability to is “rightsizing.” I had associated it with McKinsey, since the book documented McKinsey advising companies to do it,[…] Keep reading →

How I don’t need willpower by learning to feel disgust for what once tempted me. You can too.

on June 28, 2024 in Addiction, Leadership, Models, Tips

Maybe you’ve heard me share how from when I had my own kitchen, I always had ice cream in my freezer and pretzels and Doritos in my cupboard. I struggled to pace my consuming them, but nearly always ate more than I meant to, but kept buying more. Now I say there isn’t enough money in the world for me to eat that stuff. I also talk about my relationship[…] Keep reading →

763: Guy Spier, part 2: Limited government, free market, low tax sustainability solutions

on June 27, 2024 in Podcast

I loved where this conversation led. We began by talking about recent news: Greta Thunberg taking a political stand and acting publicly on it on an issue unrelated to the environment. Guy described how he saw this action distracting and undermining her credibility in sustainability. We got to talking about overwhelming tribalism today. In the process, Guy shared views he once held that he overcame, specifically about Apartheid. We talked[…] Keep reading →

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