Episodes

Dec. 31, 2019

268: Hunter Lovins, part 2: Sustainability will work. It will take work.

I recorded our second conversation the day after the September 20, 2019 climate marches. Hunter is more than well-connected. I wanted to hear and bring you the perspective of someone who has been at this longer and knew more ...
Dec. 27, 2019

267: Seth Sheldon, part 2: Inside the United Nations

Before we spoke, Seth implied he didn't do as much on his challenge as I expected so I expected a short conversation. I think it's important for listeners to hear that even people who win Nobel Prizes taking on global thermon...
Dec. 24, 2019

266: Thoughts on my MAGA interview

My notes I read from for this post: Yesterday I posted my interview on a site that strongly supports Donald Trump. I do not. Yet I described it as one of my favorite interviews. What gives? The conversation prompted thoughts ...
Dec. 22, 2019

265: I was wrong

Here are the notes I read from for this episode: Ways I was wrong I usually start my story about acting more sustainably with my personal challenge to buy no packaged food for a week. In my second TEDx talk I describe how tha...
Dec. 18, 2019

264: Larry Yatch, part 2: Navy SEAL precision

This episode brings you a trainer who has reached top levels of leadership and teaching leadership break down how to learn. How to learn to learn. Let that sink in. To me this episode felt like a master class by a practitione...
Dec. 15, 2019

263: My Google Talk: How to start a podcast on the environment

I posted a few Clips from my speaking at Google to my blog. They didn't video record the whole event, but I did get the audio, so today's episode is my talk there on how to start a podcast on the environment. For better or wo...
Dec. 14, 2019

262: Unstable for a phase change

People talk about leadership causing ripple effects and hope that environmental action may lead to ripples. I see the potential for more. People like acting on their environmental values when they do. They just don't like bei...
Dec. 13, 2019

261: We have failed, but it's not over. Are you giving all you've got?

My perspective on personal action continues to evolve. In conversation with someone at an event this evening, I started realizing the meaning in asking what each of us can do and the meaninglessness of asking hypothetical que...
Dec. 11, 2019

260: Creating the Muhammad Ali of the Environment

I started this podcast with the goal of creating a Mandela of the environment---a role I considered essential but saw no one remotely approaching it. Lately I've seen the opening for an easier but more effective role---a Muha...
Dec. 10, 2019

259: Caspar Craven, part 2: with his wife and son

After resetting during conversation 1.5, Caspar returns with his son and wife---Columbus and Nicola---for a touching proper second episode. The three of them approached the challenge as a family, though you'll hear how Columb...
Dec. 9, 2019

258: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman

After recording three episodes ( 248, 250, and 251 ) on Alan Weisman's Countdown , I read his earlier book, The World Without Us , which I found equally tremendous. In it, he considers what would happen to the Earth if humans...
Dec. 5, 2019

257: Larry Yatch, part 1: Navy SEAL Officer precision leadership

Do you want to reach your potential? Do you want to get past seeing your properties as limitations? Larry shares going from being what he is and we all are -- regular people -- to living his dream. An elite dream. My biggest ...
Dec. 4, 2019

256: Why Personal Action Matters

Why bother not flying if you're one person out of billions? Aren't you just missing out and suffering without meaningfully changing anything? These questions flummoxed me for a while. The longer I act, the more I realize the ...
Dec. 2, 2019

255: Joshua Becker, Becoming Minimalist

I've recorded a few posts about how what many people call minimalism is really more maximal . From the outside it looks like minimizing stuff.d People who practice it, as I see it, don't focus on stuff. Getting rid of it is a...
Nov. 30, 2019

254: Accidents of birth: communicating despite differences

Following up episode 253, I address race, sex, sexual preference and other difference people use as excuses to stop listening or understanding over. Here are my notes I worked from: Podcast: Race, sex, sexual preference. I me...
Nov. 29, 2019

253: My greatest triumphs, my greatest shames

Here are my notes that I read from for this post: My greatest triumphs, my greatest shames. When I share personal stuff people always write how they like it. I think it's less important than learning the joys of stewardship a...
Nov. 26, 2019

252: Tia Nelson, part 2: A lifetime of Earth Days

Tia has been active on the environment for a long time, working with government, non profits, as an individual, and since birth deeply connected with federal and state government. And of course Earth Day from the start. We co...
Nov. 23, 2019

251: Let's make overpopulation only a finance issue

Here are my notes that I read from for this episode. New comment from reading Countdown by Alan Weisman Overpopulation is major issue. Challenges are culture, religion, lack of education, lack of birth control He presented re...
Nov. 22, 2019

250: Why talk about birthrate and population so much?

Readers and listeners have commented on my writing and posting lately about population and birth rates. Why do I talk about them? Isn't America below replacement level? I recently finished reading Countdown by Alan Weisman, w...
Nov. 20, 2019

249: Florida Mayors Jerry Demings and Buddy Dyer, part 2: Humility and Action from U.S. officials

Since our first episode, I've been talking about these mayors choosing to pick up garbage. I believe that a man never stands so tall as when he bends down to pick up another person's garbage. How many U.S. politicians can you...
Nov. 19, 2019

248: Countdown, a book I recommend by Alan Weisman

I just finished an eye-opening book, Countdown , by Alan Weisman. It covers population. Weisman traveled to and reported on about a dozen places' views and practices on population and family planning. In this episode, I read ...
Nov. 18, 2019

247: Balancing jobs and junk

People resist environmental projects to protect jobs, even to keep producing products that pollute. My absurd proposal to balance jobs with junk: put factories next to landfills. Despite it being absurd, the proposal would cr...
Nov. 17, 2019

246: The Emotions Around Environmental Action

What emotions do you associate with environmental action? I find people associate shame and guilt with it. I find these emotions lead people to suppress the emotions and hide the behavior leading to it. I propose reacting to ...
Nov. 16, 2019

245: Tia Nelson, part 1: Earth Day

One of my main goals for this podcast is to bring people who love acting on one's environmental values, seeing stewardship not as an obligation but as being a part of something greater than yourself, than any of us, benefitin...