Leadership And The Environment

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 means to an end. The end is more emotion, relationships, and connection---family, community, faith, and other things that bring meaning, which people prefer more of. They maximize those things.Joshua Becker stands out as one of the main figures in that world. Millions of people have read his blog and books and taken his courses to do just those things.In this episode we talk about how he started and perspectives that help. We talk about family, god, the bible, my first love, seminal moments in his life, and more.Why not get personal?Since this conversation, I read his book. People had already called me minimalist, but his book led me to find more material impediments to living by my values. I've gotten rid of more things, including the letters I talked to him about, which I wrote about he

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 mentioned the race of the people who mugged me and my friends and who punched me in the jaw. Mayhave sounded unnecessary, which I suppose would raise questions as to why I mentioned.Because people keep bringing race, sex, and such up with me.Talking about race is a minefield outside a few platitudes in this country, especially for whites. They keep losing their jobs. Maybe talking about it will bring me down before I reach being well-known. Well, if it brings me down, it brings me down, but as it stands, people use preconceived notions to stop hearing me, as I'll describe in a second, so what do I have to lose?Changing culture to change billions of people's environmental beliefs and behaviors means people collaborating across all divisions so we have to figure out how to overcome these precon

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 and recognizing that flying any time you want or having blueberries 12 months a year doesn't improve your life, but it may help people understand where I'm coming from and maybe hold off a bit on saying, "yeah well you're privileged."TriumphsMaking the best ultimate team I played onPassing Columbia's qualifying examShamesBike stolen on Greene StreetBike stolen from Wissahickon Creek pathBike stolen from Art MuseumShoved on Walnut LaneSucker punched near CentralDon't remember: girls touching my skin, boys firecrackerMy stepbrother teasing me for my fatI'm not sure if people will consider these stories unimportant or learning important things about me. Maybe sharing such things are essential parts of leadership. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 covered topics including planned obsolescence, politics, carbon taxes and accounting, Vince Lombardi, Brent Suter from the Milwaukee Brewers, Oprah Winfrey, and individual action.Many people, when considering acting on their environmental values, say how much they're already doing, implying isn't it enough already. They miss what I hope came across with Tia: Acting on your values improves your life. You gain from it.Describing acting environmentally that way may sound abstract. It's more delicious. It saves money. It connects you with your community.The switch to acting instead of reading, writing, analyzing, debating, etc can challenge, especially in a world designed for convenience, but past systems are decreasing the amount of life and human society earth can sustain. After switching, yo

Here are my notes that I read from for this episode.New comment from reading Countdown by Alan WeismanOverpopulation is major issue.Challenges are culture, religion, lack of education, lack of birth controlHe presented research results of demand for birth control by women -- about 250 million. Figure about a guy for each: 500 millionI figure low because many don't know it exists or are swayed by not seeing it so not realizing they could want itHe also showed results that unwanted children lead to poverty while smaller families where most people live today, ie cities, prosperCombination of huge unmet demand that when met leads to money tells me birth control isn't a moral issue, nor legal, religion, or charity issue but a finance issue. The money comes later if demand is metShould be profitable if someone can figure out financingMany people may default, may be hard to keep track, but look at how huge the demandWomen risk their lives and die for abortions. No products or services have that kind of demand. Maybe

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, which I recommend. I read passages and commented on them in episode 248: Countdown, a book I recommend by Alan Weisman. It looked at population around the world, illustrating and describing research finding that we've overshot the carrying capacity, which will lead to population collapse.That book put the issue top of mind, as does listening to the Growthbusters podcast.This episode describes why I see value in discussion population. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 name who bend down to pick up other people's garbage? Yet how many American streets, waterways, and beaches do you see covered with garbage? It wasn't always this way. We are letting it happen on our watch.I hope Jerry and Buddy start a new trend among politicians. Get your hands dirty to make our nation and cities clean. If people we know don't do it, such as elected officials, we won't in general.But if they do, we will---which will make them leaders, which they want.Politicians, get votes by cleaning up your neighborhoods.Yourself.Show that doing so doesn't make you dirty. It makes our world clean. It enables people.Your constituents want your leadership. They want clean neighborhoods. I believe you'll get votes by bringing cleanliness to them. You'll make yourself more approachable.In

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 a few passages that I found shocking. I barely scratch the book's surface, but I believe you'll find the sections equally noteworthy. I recommend reading the rest to understand this integral part of our world. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 create a cleaner world.Instead of making junk as a pretense for some counterproductive welfare, let's stop making it. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 pollution and polluting behavior with disgust. If someone hands me a plastic bottle of water, I feel disgust. I propose replacing the terms they've come up in Sweden for flight shame with flight disgust. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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, benefiting everyone, and yourself.As you'll hear, Tia's roots precede the first Earth Day. Her father started it. Despite so many problems remaining -- basically all of them -- she's the opposite of jaded. She's enthusiastic. Her joy, even in the face of setbacks, and as a democratic politician in Wisconsin, she's faced big ones lately, tells me the joy anyone feels from nature -- walks on the beach, picking apples, whatever you love about experiencing nature -- is available to anyone.In other words, if you act more, you'll love it. As you'll hear, you'll very likely influence others, who will thank you.I love hearing the transformation from talking about potential to determined action. I love hearing the transformation from talking about individual action in the abstract to individual action.<

Learning that humans only recently developed the concept of extinction. Much of the West, for example, believed in a Great Chain of Being, spontaneous generation, and a biblical flood.That perspective suggests that many past behaviors we consider unconscionable may have seemed even humane then, like walking up to a rhinoceros and shooting it in the head. If you can't imagine it going extinct because new ones will form, how is shooting it point blank any different than slaughtering any other animal?Since we are in future generations' pasts, how might they see our polluting behavior? If they live in messes we created, won't they likely see us as we see people shooting rhinoceroses point blank---that is, with horror?Does understanding others with compassion lead us to act with compassion? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tired of people saying what you do doesn't matter? Or personal action in general?They're confusing different types of action. In this recording I distinguish three of them so you can feel comfortable acting by your values without the naysayers and navel-gazers distracting you.The three categories arePersonal action, like avoiding packaged foodLeading others, like hosting a podcastInfluence one's local community, like sharing joyDistinguishing them protects me from feeling dissuaded when others confuse one person not polluting with that person trying to change the world. Nobody says, "why do you bother not murdering? You can't stop everyone from doing it." Yet they still say, "why bother avoiding meat? People will still do it."They're confusing personal action with leading others. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I talk a lot about the lack of leadership in the area of the environment. Many people talk about change but don't lead it. Many others judge but don't support, which leads people to hold back on trying.Well, the mayors of Orlando and Orange County Florida went out of their way and found me. Most guests I seek out. Instead, they took it on themselves to put themselves out there, risking judgment on an issue they don't have to.Most don't, I believe because it makes them feel exposed and vulnerable. But a top trait of effective leaders is that they like accountability.You don't have to make acting environmentally you main focus, but the start is to act, which they've done. From a leadership perspective for a public figure to step forward achieves more than whatever the outcome of his or her first step.If what they do seems hard, Jerry and Buddy's swimming upstream will make it easier so all who follow feel like they're swimming downstream.I intend to help them make personal action a trend among leaders, which wi

Why a military general? Isn't the US military one of the greatest polluters on the planet?My goal is to bring effective leadership to the environment and your life because spreading facts, figures, doom, and gloom isn't doing it. Leadership is about people. Technology and innovation have historically increased pollution, as I described in other episodes. Nearly everyone promoting technological solutions is unwittingly continuing the drive toward efficiency that created our environmental situation and continues to augment it.They miss that increasing efficiency doesn't necessarily lower total waste, which is our problem, as a glance at any plastic-covered beach or Beijing sky will attest. Again: efficiency has overall increased total waste.I invited Rip after reading about the Millennium Challenge, where, in preparation for Desert Storm, the military invited him to come out of retirement to lead the "red team"---a ragtag group to fight the "blue team", representing the 21st century US military strategy using e

The loudest voices these days seem to come from protesters because they design their actions for attention. They aren't necessarily the most effective.Many of us are outraged. Our emotions become intense. Emotional intensity drives us to do what we want most, which doesn't necessarily lead to what's effective. As I see it, people are venting more than leading.I criticize the lack of leadership around the environment because people overwhelmingly spread facts, figures, doom, gloom, and telling people what to do. In no area besides the environment do effective leaders say, "Here's how to lead: spread facts, figures, doom, gloom, and tell people what to do."Effective leadership works when based on the views and motivations of the person you're leading. For many that's uncomfortable. But it works.Fred and EDF's sober, thoughtful approach of working with big business is accessing the biggest potential change and leading them.I wrote a friend on a group geared toward confrontation:They seemed heavy on demands. I ho

Here are the notes I read this episode from:I see human population decreasing the Earth's ability to sustain life and human society.I have a goal of increasing that ability.Actually two goals: my other goal is for people to enjoy the process. This isn't about coercion but joy.If our human population is over what the Earth can sustain, then restoring that balance.Many people view CO2, methane, plastic, and the like as the enemy.We use them, we like them, or making them.They have no volition anyway. They react to our behavior.Some identify Exxon, Trump, or other people. But we spend money on Exxon and we do what Trump does.Paris Agreement example, SUVs, take outSome identify inequality. Poverty and outsourcing make it easier to polluteBut we had inequality before without so much destruction.Some identify lack of education, but scientists pollute. US is educated and pollutes.Not an intellectual issue. An emotional issue.Our emotions and motivations result in part from systems, but we could change the systems and

Here are the notes I read from for this episode. I've talked about what I call The Worst Problem in the World for about ten years, so I'm used to it and worked from scarce notes.The problemExample: Germans and JamaicansIn environment: people say others don't careMakes people feel misunderstood, disengage, makes you seem judgmentalRepels people we want to help mostWhat to do instead: respond with curiosityWhen I don't understand someone, I can learn from themMy multi-month conversation with a skeptic taught me more about my understanding than with any supporterMore than improve understanding about environment, helped me improve my ability to lead othersMy original post from almost ten years ago, The Worst Problem In The WorldA video I did on The Worst Problem in the World See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The notes I wrote and read from for this episode:Leadership means changing beliefs and goals. If you're doing anything else, you're following and perpetuating the system that created the results. Greater efficiency, recycling, reusing, etc are following, just accelerating, unless you change the goals. Are you clearly and overwhelmingly opposing growth and externalizing costs? If not, you're polluting.My most important goal is not efficiency. It will come if I achieve my goal. I talk a lot about how growth and externalizing costs produce pollution. My goal is not to reduce population and take responsibility. They will come if I achieve my goal. My goal is to change the beliefs that cause the behavior that produces the results. If you lower the population but keep the beliefs, we'll get back here. If we change our beliefs, the change will come. Only if we change our beliefs will change come. "Be fruitful and multiply" and "you have dominion" and "growth is good" and "a rising tide lifts all boats" . . . these a

Here is the text I read from for this post:My environmental role modelsWhy my role models? Because people keep saying what I do is inaccessible. That it's too much or extreme. That they need to balance. Well everyone believes they're balanced. I have to balance too.My difference is that I keep moving toward my values. Instead of letting Americans, the most polluting people in history, be my comparison, I find new role models.It's community. Once you start polluting less, actually putting effort in, not just straws or the latest trendy thing, but based on your passion, you'll find role models and keep doing more to live by your values because you'll like it.Bea JohnsonAuthor of Zero Waste Home, which I read and recommend as well as 4 TEDx talksFamily of four, less than a load per yearMy response to everyone who knee-jerk responds, "Oh, you don't have kids. If you had kids then you'd understand." Well, she has two kids and avoiding garbage brings them together, as it will everyone who tries instead of claiming