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

Today’s greatest privilege: denying one’s personal contribution to pollution, depletion, plunder, and imperialism

on June 26, 2024 in Awareness, Nonjudgment

Liberals talk a lot about privilege. Conservatives, libertarians, and other political groups have their problems facing their contribution to our environmental problems, but liberals contribute as much. Their denial is through the roof. In particular, they throw around the term ‘privilege’ like it was candy. I think they think they’re silencing the people they accuse of it, but in a way the other person deserves, doesn’t realize, and benefits from[…] Keep reading →

What did they do that ice cream doesn’t melt in baking hot sun?

on June 25, 2024 in Addiction, Nature

I admit since I haven’t had ice cream in five or ten years, I’m no expert on it, but I see a lot of ice cream disposable cups left on the street, plus dropped cones like the one pictured below. It was a hot day. I’d say hot enough to melt butter. Yet, I don’t know if you can tell, but the ice cream partly melted but mostly retains near[…] Keep reading →

Today in 1988: Global Warming on the front page of the New York Times. Today in 2024: Americans pollute more than ever.

on June 24, 2024 in Nature

Today in 1988, the New York Times front page headline said “Global Warming Has Begun.” Today today, Americans blame, rationalize, and justify, but pollute more than ever. They blame CEOs, companies, and politicians, denying and suppressing that they pay them to do what they do. We can stop if we choose to. It would mean valuing other people’s suffering over our convenience.

How what I’m doing feels, subway version

on June 24, 2024 in Addiction, Fitness, Models

Sometimes I feel like I’m responding to someone who fell on the subway tracks. No one else acts. I jump down onto the tracks to help the person to safety, but the person is morbidly obese and struggles just to lift themselves from the ground. They’ve decided to stop trying. “It’s too hard. It’s not worth it.” They resign themselves to the train hitting them. “As long as I can’t[…] Keep reading →

This Week’s Selected Media, June 23, 2024: Strong Towns

on June 23, 2024 in Tips

This week I finished: Strong Towns 101, by Strong Towns: Podcast listeners know I hosted Jason Slaughter, the host of Not Just Bikes, a video series I love. It’s one of my few subscriptions to anything. He refers to Strong Towns a lot. I finally dug in to their courses, so I’m not just learning courses on conservatism and their recommended readings. Regular readers may know I I helped get[…] Keep reading →

What I think of when I think of Taylor Swift and her jet

on June 22, 2024 in Choosing/Decision-Making, Leadership

Is someone criticizing Taylor Swift’s flying lately? People talk to me about it all the time. In the past few days, a few people told me she was in the news for flying a few miles on her jet. Today, I turned the corner from Sixth Avenue onto Waverly and saw the scene below. I didn’t want to include identifying pictures so didn’t take it from their front, but what[…] Keep reading →

Limiting government and limiting pollution and depletion can overlap. Here’s how.

on June 22, 2024 in Tips

Want to hear what we should do to decrease polluting, depleting, and plunder? Milton Friedman’s advice on curbing government spending to reduce inflation applies: “A tough policy that takes courage.“ Watch this video, but substitute the following, So I hear: “Pollution is the most destructive disease known to modern society.” Instead of Substitute Inflation Pollution Economy Economy and people Employment/Unemployment More technology/Less technology He knows what has to be done[…] Keep reading →

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