This Sustainable Life

I don't normally post other people's material, but 1) I found this video the most valuable I've seen on pandemics and 2) a previous guest, Dr. Michael Greger, created it.It's an hour, so I summarize its highlights in this episode, but watch the whole video for the comprehensive view with full data and references. My summary coversWhat current media coverage includes---the urgent, importantWhat it misses---the non-urgent, importantLong-term pandemics trendsRecent pandemics trends and why we are causing them to increaseHow we can decrease themThe video:Dr. Michael Greger's Pandemics: History and Prevention Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Attendees said my talks brought tears to their eyes.Technically I spoke at the UN last week and UNICEF this week, but virtually not physically there, and to Toastmaster groups organized by UN and UNICEF workers.Both talks were similar. I recorded the UNICEF talk. I spoke onA past New York City crisis---the 2003 blackoutLessons I learned from itHow we risk not learning from the COVID-19 crisisHow we can learn from itWhat I propose we learn from itTalks were limited to 5--7 minutes, so I could go to that depth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel talked so passionately about everything I look to bring out in other guests, I hardly spoke about his commitment with bringing bags. No problem, I loved hearing his views, history, and approach. I went with it.He also approaches the environment from food, though from a medical background. I just kept learning from him. Sadly, we as a culture keep moving toward disease and pollution, however much we want to move toward health and cleanliness.You and I can lead. This is our chance. Joel has been for decades. He's gotten results with the public through his books and his clients personally. You and I can build on what he started.I can't say much more than Joel did, connecting food and the environment and the benefit to us. Who knows, maybe our conversation will result in a PBS show.On a personal note, I'm glad to have heard his message of joy. Before these conversations I associated him mostly with medicine and nutrition. He covers those things, but with no lack of joy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An article I read about research into diversity asked about levels where different groups felt occupations became "sufficiently diverse." It looked at positions at tech companies, for example.I support diversity. I came across the article from the newsletter from Heterodox Academy, started by previous guest Jonathan Haidt, which promotes diversity, particularly of viewpoints. I would promote diversity in many places, yet there are many places I don't see diversity promoted or researched.Living in Manhattan, I see many doormen, building superintendents, building porters, takeout food deliverymen, construction workers, and so on. I know there are many people who work mines, deep sea fishing, and so on. I understand mostly men work these fields. I never see whites or women delivering food in New York by bicycle. Have you?Maybe I'm ignorant, but where is the push and research for diversity in these fields? I'm not asking rhetorically or to poke holes. I expect diversity in those fields would promote a healthier society for many reasons, includingPhysically dangerous fields dominated by men, when women entered them, became saferThe more opportunities for whites in fields like delivering food, the more they'll be pulled from other roles and the more the roles where they're underrepresented will change to appeal to executivesThe more people promote equality in dangerous or low-paying fields, the more credibility they'll gain, so they don't just look like they're trying to help themselves onlyThey may receive support from groups from whom they don't, like manual laborers who likely feel slightedPeople and society will rethink relationships between different workers and classesMartin Luther King, jr sought equality between all, not just to help some. Nelson Mandela learned Afrikaans to understand his captors. How much do people today seek equality across the board versus helping some groups but not others?Here's the first article I read that Heterodox Academy's newsletter linked to and got me thinkingDiversity: Measuring How and Why Groups See It DifferentlyThe primary research that article referred toDrawing the Diversity Line: Numerical Thresholds of Diversity Vary by Group Status, by Felix Danbold and Miguel M. UnzuetaAnother article on research by one of themHere’s What Happens When You Tell White People America Is Getting Less WhiteResearch by one of the researchers that starts looking into these questionsWhy Aren’t There More Women Firefighters? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you love hearing people at the peak of the human condition behind the scenes, you'll love this episode with Major League Baseball pitcher Brent Suter. I think you'll also hear the subtext of food connecting his family already and his teammates soon.Sports and foodI love sports, competition, and athletics. I love food, meaning fresh vegetables and fruit. This conversation with Brent, I felt like a kid in a candy store.This is one of the shortest times between episodes. As I mentioned at the end of last episode, Brent decided to commit to shopping at a farmers market after we stopped recording. He knew of places near him that he had meant to visit. He did the next day, then again the next weekend, and made some vegetable stews of his own, which he loved---the result, the process, the learning, and more.The mental game of professional sportsPrepare yourself for the future of athletics---eating delicious and healthy for himself as an individual, an athlete, a husband, and a human.He also indulged me in sharing about the mental side of professional sports, what facing a batter feels like, how he trains, how he handles success and failure.I hope you enjoyed our conversation even half as much as I did.Covid-19 note: Is it safe to eat produce from farmers markets? Yes and please do.Previous guest Marion Nestle is one of the world's top food experts and these posts of hers compile useful information:Is it safe to eat produce from farmers markets? Yes and please do.Is it safe to eat fresh produce? Yes (with caveats)Enjoy farmers markets, enjoy vegetables, and enjoy banding together as a national and eventually global team Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm releasing Jeff's part 2 at the same time as 1.5 since they're both short episodes and still haven't led to achieving his goal. You'll hear we joke about it but, if I'm open, I'm frustrated at what I feel as my failure.I intend in these interactions, beyond helping guests share and act on an environmental value, to deepen their appreciation of that value so they feel they acted meaningfully and want to share something joyful. I believe everyone cares about something environmental enough to unearth that meaning.Jeff seemed to appreciate the project as something to manage, but I failed at unearthing and deepening the environmental aspect of it. I'm not saying that's bad, but incomplete. For someone who has made such a successful app, business, and community, I would have thought I'd unearth and activate plenty in terms of results and feeling of meaning and purpose. I don't think I did.If you hear it differently, let me know. I view my conversations with Jeff as lessons to learn from, but I'm not sure what to learn.Learn about LitteratiDownload from Android or Apple Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeff felt his challenge wasn't big but openly shared that, in his terms, he failed at it.We all fail. I haven't studied it scientifically, but I believe that the more successful the leader, the more openly they share their failures. Jeff shares his and I learned from his openness and comfort with vulnerability.If you'd like to learn to face failure better, I predict you can learn from Jeff.It's short so I'm calling it episode 1.5 and will post episode 2 at the same time.Learn about LitteratiDownload from Android or Apple Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since I don't use many apps and pick up litter already, I felt modest expectations of Jeff's Litterati, but I love it. It delivers the main things I look for: fun, community, connection, effectiveness, and free---the opposite of what many people connect with litter.As I'm writing, the app has recorded over 5 million pieces of litter picked up by over 150,000 people in over 165 countries. I think we can safely say the app led to a huge majority of those people connecting and picking up those pieces of litter. I hope those of you who haven't picked up litter are feeling the tug to try it out.My experience is that the more you pick up, the more acting on litter goes to the clean part of your brain, not the dirty part, if you know what I mean. I don't feel like I'm touching dirt, I feel like I'm cleaning my world. See where waste ends up motivates me to buy less stuff with packaging and other sources of litter, which lowers demands and can change systems.Jeff started all that. This episode covers Jeff's start and leads to his first environmental challenge.Those considering acting entrepreneurially to solve environmental (or any other) problems can learn a lot from Jeff's experience and success.Learn about LitteratiDownload from Android or Apple Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode puts together the most important and fundamental considerations about the environment:What worksThe basic cause contributing to all environmental problemsEarth's carrying capacityAn attainable bright futureA means to reach it that has worked on a smaller scaleIt feels to me like a solid TED talk.On Alan Weisman:250: Why talk about birthrate and population so much?248: Countdown, a book I recommend by Alan Weisman258: The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman251: Let’s make overpopulation only a finance issueMy conversation with AlanOn Mechai Viravaidya, the Thai man who transformed Thai's birth rate through fun, not coercionTED: How Mr. Condom Made Thailand a Better Place for Life and LoveMy episode 279: Role model and global leader Mechai Viravaidya294: Population: How Much Is Too Much? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Roberta and I met last September. Our scheduled time to record came just after the covid-19 situation hit the US.We reflected on the change. The conversation is less scripted but of the moment.I decided to post it in the moment, foregoing editing (I hope you don't mind the sound quality [EDIT: Since posting, my editor worked his magic and improved the audio quality]), gaining poignancy.I don't have to say it, but we're living in a historical time. Everything is changing, but we don't know how or how much. It looks like big things will happen soon in this country. They already have around the world. We don't know what.Many of us are talking like this. I wanted to share Roberta's voice now.Earth's CallAim2FlourishLorna Davis on this podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.