“We’re Running Out of Time—Can Sustainability Save Us? with Joshua Spodek” Hear me on the Compassiviste Dialogues
Ali Horriyat and I have become friends since we started recording together. He hosts the Compassiviste Dialogues podcast.
Friendship doesn’t mean always agreeing. On the contrary, I consider one of the roles of friendship—true friendship—is to disagree when appropriate and to confront a friend when you think they’re wrong, deserve criticism, or the like. People who aren’t friends may hold back from confrontation. That holding back may be polite, but it may hold the person back from the opportunity to grow.
We allude in the recorded conversation to our previous conversation where we—to put it politely—disagreed with each other and let each other have a piece of our mind. I think that friendly confrontation led to this conversation being more meaningful.
Ali brought out of me a lot of my message I consider important. That said, I heard myself doing something people say I do too much: I start saying one thing, then realize I should include a related thought for context, share that other thought in the process of saying the first, sound like I’m jumping around, and sometimes don’t return to the first thought. People tell me I can be hard to follow when I do it. They say it’s hard to follow my jumps, though they don’t doubt that I’m saying something meaningful and coherent.
If you’ll forgive me that pattern, I think you’ll like the conversation. I appreciate Ali’s patience and leadership in the conversation.
Here’s the video version, where you can see my apartment:
Episode notes
Welcome to Compassiviste Dialogues. I’m Ali, your host, and my mission with this podcast is to shed light on critical social and environmental issues worldwide, exploring avenues for positive change.
In this episode, we sit down with Joshua Spodek, the premier voice in sustainability leadership. He hosts the award-winning This Sustainable Life podcast, is a four-time TEDx speaker, bestselling author of Initiative and Leadership Step by Step, professor at NYU, and leadership coach. Joshua shares his insights on why sustainability is more than just a technological or policy issue. Discover how changing culture and leadership can drive real, meaningful sustainability, and learn the Spodek Method, a transformational approach to inspire others to act from intrinsic motivation for a sustainable future.
KEY NOTES:
- Sustainability is a social issue, not just about science or policy.
- Cultural change is crucial for true sustainability; without it, we’ll recreate the same problems.
- Leadership based on intrinsic motivation helps people feel emotionally connected to sustainability.
- Changing the narrative of sustainability from sacrifice to meaning and purpose is essential.
- Leading by example inspires others to do more and seek ways to contribute to a sustainable future.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Intro
07:38 – Why did Josh write a book?
11:57 – Can Mindset Shifts Unlock True Sustainability?
20:17 – How Can We Shift the Focus on Sustainability as a Primary Issue?
30:22 – Should Unsustainable Living Be Considered a Crime?
38:32 – Is There a Way to Inspire Change Without Coercion?
45:46 – Can We Break Through the Barriers Preventing Change?
49:41 – Can Public Demand for a Better Life Drive Policy Change?
54:32 – How Can Environmentalists Create a Fun, Impactful Movement?
01:04:53 – Will Pioneers in Sustainability Be the Role Models We Need?
01:17:09 – How can People Reach Josh?
01:22:13 – Outro
THINGS MENTIONED IN THE PODCAST:
https://joshuaspodek.com/leadership-step-by-step
https://joshuaspodek.com/initiative
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuaspodek
TO LEARN MORE AND STAY CONNECTED:
🌐 Visit our website: https://compassivistedialogues.com
🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6qt8cYHeIcDmDV8zPKNxMw
🎧 Listen on Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/compassiviste-dialogues/id1735926709
CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Compassiviste/61555898333856/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/compassiviste
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@compassiviste
Twitter: https://twitter.com/compassiviste
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/compassiviste
Read my weekly newsletter
On initiative, leadership, the environment, and burpees