Last night I finished what I expect to be my last substantive edits for the book. Barring a big error or discovery, future edits will be only within paragraphs, not moving them around. I’ve made it my primary focus for several months and a priority for years. This step is a big accomplishment. After hitting send to send it to my editor and publisher, I sat back in my seat[…] Keep reading →

A new way I’m communicating that systemic change begins with personal change: To cross the finish line of the marathon of changing a system, you first have to cross the starting line of changing yourself. Otherwise you aren’t in the race. In the case of sustainability, the starting line is to find joy and intrinsic motivation in acting more sustainably, so you look forward to the steps of continual improvement.[…] Keep reading →

Tell someone with kids or a job that you pollute less and they will tell you they can’t because of kids and a job. Then they’ll lecture you about your ignorance and how you couldn’t understand what it’s like, never mind that humans have had kids and had to work to eat and for shelter for 300,000 years. Have you read about the woman, Candice Burt, who ran fifty kilometers[…] Keep reading →

Analects are selected miscellaneous written passages, often words to live by. Here are ones on sustainability leadership, many I created. I’ll keep update the following as I develop new ones. You can’t lead others to live by values you live the opposite of Systemic change begins with personal change To cross the finish line of the marathon of changing a system, you first have to cross the starting line of[…] Keep reading →

My letter to the New Yorker’s editor in September led to a reporter, Zach Helfand, visiting and writing a story on me. They published it today (including spotlighting it, see below): Off the Grid in the Big City: It begins, “Josh Spodek disconnected the circuit breaker in his apartment, and now—thanks to solar-powered vegan stew—his carbon footprint is about that of three house cats.“ Along with the New Yorker piece,[…] Keep reading →

I was sitting on a bench in the park. I looked up and saw the tree whose trunk was in front of me and branches above had lots of yellow berry-like fruit on it. All the branches were too high to reach. Then I looked down and saw fruits all over the ground. I know from experience last summer to respect wild berries, but I was curious. This park is[…] Keep reading →

At over half a century old, I suspect this post will be the first of many observations on aging. When I was younger and heard people talking about things that happen as the body aged, I knew it would happen to me, like getting slower, taking longer to recover, losing strength, losing flexibility, and so on. Those things weren’t so bad when it meant I could play ultimate at the[…] Keep reading →