Yesterday was the Leadership and the Environment podcast’s first Expert Panel, on a path to turn the podcast into a movement of people enjoying acting on their environmental values.

Expert panelists Vincent Stanley, Robin Nagle, and RJ Khalaf topped the reasons making yesterday so successful. They openly shared their struggles and triumphs in vivid, colorful stories.

Each time I looked at the audience, everyone seemed engaged and enraptured.

We started early at 6pm. By the intended end of the panel at 7:30pm, a sizable number of attendees seemed as engaged as ever. Many stayed until at least 8:30pm with many conversations.

We spoke on Patagonia and maintaining integrity amid business growth. We spoke of New York sanitation and the amount of garbage cities produce and the people and systems to process it. We spoke of youth, giving up, and giving hope in Palestine. Each speaker shared his or her histories, struggles, and so on.

We will post the audio

I’d share more, but we recorded the audio and will post it to the podcast as soon as we can.

Thanks

I first thank volunteers Ben and Ryan for instigating in-person events and helping organize the panel and last month’s workshops on leading without relying on authority that built to this one. Also Alton for recording the audio.

Thank you to NYU insider Yenifer, my former Leadership student who works in NYU’s School of Liberal Studies. She handled logistics, especially getting a room in the heart of lower Manhattan.

Thank you to the panelists for bringing their all. Sharing your stories means making yourself vulnerable, which is hard, but it’s what audiences connect with. For all their nearly superhuman achievements, they were as approachable as anyone you’ll meet.

Finally, thank you to the attendees, who weathered rain and cold to attend and participated enthusiastically. Your energy and attention fueled the speakers and me, the moderator, energizing us to give as much as you.

Next steps

One down, many more to come!

I confess I was anxious, even scared, our first event might hit insurmountable snags. Of course, with participants like we had, the fear was only in my head.

We’re enthusiastic to create more in-person events. If you’d like to volunteer or know an organization interested in workshops, seminars, or panels on leadership, the environment, leading without relying on authority, entrepreneurship, and the like, please contact me.

Food

Custom for a 6pm-8pm event is to serve trays of prepared fruit and vegetables from nearby stores—in other words, packaged food, which I avoid for not being delicious and polluting.

Instead, I made and served hummus from dried chickpeas bought in bulk and vegetables from the Union Square farmers market. I used some olive oil, salt, and spicy sauce from packaging, and three red peppers came from a store and had stickers on them, so I didn’t reach zero waste. Also, anticipating some people would insist on packaged stuff, I bought some premade, packaged hummus, which I was delighted to find people barely touched (they also avoided the kohlrabi in favor of carrots, peppers, and radishes).

• ← 039: Vincent Stanley, conversation 1: business success through environmental support
• Leonard Kim’s Grow Your Influence Tree on Voice of America: “How to Lead People Without Relying on Authority” →