This Sustainable Life

Tensie and I talked about wine, creating and changing habits, and eating bugs, which happens when you work with the Rainforest Alliance.We also talk about dealing with people when you change, influencing them, and perspectives that make these things work. The people she influences run multi-billion dollar companies.Tensie described and lives the point of this podcast: a lifetime of acting on your values, what you care about, not imposing on others, and having fun.I didn't hear a whisper of guilt, blame, doom, gloom, helplessness, despair, or what many people associate with acting on the environment.I talk to a lot of people who say that they're doing all they can for the environment---usually people still with a lot of easy changes they'd probably like once they did them.Despite all she's done, she found something she could work on. However modest, it didn't stop anything else. On the contrary, it led to more---more self-awareness, fun, interacting with others, and leading others.When you expect the change to improve your life, you find more. Why wouldn't you, as Tensie did? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Lee Dumas took on one of the biggest and longest-term commitment of any guest. Six months in and he's only half through it.He also inspired me back as much as any guest, which is probably related---not to think about things or talk, but to action. As with all environmental action, I expect I'll enjoy it after the initial challenge. I like running as I always have, so trying running how I talk about with him will challenge me.You'll hear how his challenge become something heEnjoysShares with his familyShares with his communityLeads others with, who also enjoy and share it.Learns fromWill augmentDo you think acting on the environment is a distraction? That it keeps you from getting ahead? That it's dirty?I just checked John's site. Last month, June 2018, he made $165,644. That's a typical month. He can pay people to pick up garbage. Yet he enjoys doing it. He shares it. Others follow him.Maybe acting on his values is what led him to success like that. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dorie shares about the six-month habit she committed to---one of the longest of any guest.Wait, can you just decide one day to start or stop a habit? Isn't that supposed to be impossible?Listen to Dorie's results. She's a master of habits: how to create them, start them, and teach others to do so. She shares how she works.With some guests you feel like they're always conscious of the microphone. Not Dorie. Most of us are so genuine with friends and family. I think we all wish we could stay that way in public, without pretense or affectation.We have a lot of mutual friends. Every one of them will tell you that she's incredibly open, sharing about herself. She shares how she achieves this personal mastery, methodically and effectively.This conversation is more about personal leadership, which environmental action needs, if you ask me. Few people who work on the environment show it.We met at the café of her commitment so you'll hear we're on the street. I liked the informality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This podcast continues to break ground.Jeff Brown returns for an unprecedented 4th time. We dive deeper into his work with his home owners association (HOA)---how he created a team of people from his community, how he's making things happen, and his results.We talk about how it need only take a simple decision, a few conversations, and some work---but work you enjoy that creates community---to change this world.Jeff's success inspired me to talk to my co-op board to start creating a sustainability committee. I hope it inspires you too. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does sacrificing something you love mean a worse life?Balint shares his enthusiasm to experiment and find new recipes, tastes and experiences---I would say not despite but because of his choice to act on his values. What you value is better for you.. In his words: "The world is more colorful."His experience shows the difference to your life between talking about acting and acting (not to mention that talking about environmental change doesn't change the environment, and most people stop at talking).Creating momentum toward goals we care about leads to support from others and enthusiasm and joy in yourself.Will Balint continue and augment his commitment? What’s next for him and his challenges? Listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If anything marked the beginning of the industrial revolution, it was James Watt’s steam engine. It wasn’t the first steam engine, but was more efficient than any before.More efficient means using less energy and less pollution, right?Wrong.Each engine, yes, but more people used engines, so Watt engines used more energy and polluted more than anything. They drained mines, which helped collect more coal, which fed more engines.The direct result is today’s polluted world. If you fantasize that technological improvements will, after centuries since the industrial revolution increasing pollution and demand for natural resources somehow, magically, in your lifetime change their effects, you’re dreaming.Two main effects drive this pattern—obvious when you see them, however counterintuitive at first. People believe self-serving myths in the opposite direction of millennia of countervailing evidence, probably because they prefer comfort and convenience over the guilt that would come from conscious awareness of how they’re hurting other people. We know the polluted world we were born into. We know the pollution we’re causing—that is, unless we keep lowering our self-awareness with myths.Efficiency increases overall use, not decreasesWhen costs drop, people use more. For example:LEDs are more efficient than incandescents and now people light things they didn’t—by more than the energy saved.Gas engines are more efficient today than decades ago and people make cars bigger, heavier, and faster—so mileage is lower than many cars from half a century ago.A similar effect: building more lands and roads creates more traffic. People already project that autonomous vehicles will increase traffic too.If you think electric cars, solar power, nuclear power, a hyperloop train system, etc will lower pollution, you’re ignoring history.Making a system more efficient achieves its goals moreSteam engines, LED bulbs, nuclear reactors, and technology in general are elements of a system. Even the whole economy is an element of a global system including the environment and other human systems.The goals of this overall system have long included growth and individual comfort and convenience. As long as those goals remain, technological innovation will drive them over competing considerations such as conservation and community.We took generations to learn that building more roads increased traffic, congestion, pollution, time lost, and so on. In that time we locked in infrastructure parts of which will endure centuries, increasing traffic, congestion, pollution, time lost, and so on.As long as we hold on to these myths that solar planes or whatever will lower overall pollution, we’re locking in more damage.How you know itIf you think, “Technology may have increased pollution since the steam engine and before, but this time it will be different,” then you see that we have to change just applying technology as we used to.You know that for a different result we have to do things differently. Efficiency alone won’t reduce pollution and will likely increase it.There is a way outWe don’t have to work within the system. We can work on it.Instead of making the existing polluting system more efficient, we can change the system. That’s the point of my Leadership and the Environment podcast. Leaders change systems. Some do, anyway.Steam engines, LED bulbs, nuclear reactors, and technology in general affect parts of this system but they don’t change it overall.Changing the beliefs and goals of a system change it. I’m trying to help people change their beliefs and goals—not just anyone but influential people that many follow. If we don’t change the most influential people then people will keep following them and not adopt new beliefs and goals.We’ve done it before. We can do it again.Christianity was more merciful than many systems before it.Buddhism was more compassionate.The Enlightenment more observation-based.Science more skeptical.We’ve changed systemic goals many times.We can change from growth—always wanting more—to enough, or as I think: loving what you have. When you realize you can’t have everything, you learn to appreciate, celebrate, and love what you have—in my experience more than when you believe the fantasy.We can change from individual comfort and convenience to responsibility and caring how we affect others. As any parent, pet owner, or team member will tell you, taking others into account and caring how you affect them increases your compassion, empathy, and overall emotional reward. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael's book tour was taking him to China, up and down the U.S. east coast, and across the country, but he kept at his commitment. Tell me if you don't hear him smiling in talking about it.He said it was easy, but many people considering the same action put it off.His book covers systemic change, focusing on the role of business. I find that his personal action brings in a missing piece of what you can do here and now.Partly acting here and now achieves something, but individual actions don't achieve that much, as he points out and we all know.More importantly, acting here and now leads to acting on bigger, more effective things. People who don't start little things never reach big, effective things. People who do, do.Maybe most of all, acting on your values on whatever scale improves your life. When the action take no time or other resources and make you smile, why not? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right off the bat you can hear my joy to hear how composting has changed Robbie’s life. I used to see composting as an odd thing that I probably should do but didn't know how so didn't. I think most people see it that way, especially if they don't have gardens.In this episode Robbie shares about composting and giving slop for pig feed. He talks about how he loves the idea that what would be trash goes instead into the soil.His enthusiasm to act more is apparent, but I want to make sure he acts on his values---what he cares about, which leadership concerns, not just complying with something I suggest, which is more the domain of management. Leadership leads people to do more because they wantto. Seeking compliance based on authority often provokes resistance---the opposite of leadership.Consistent change, even if small at first, can create big improvements. What big changes will come up? What’s next for Robbie? Listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tensie is helping unravel my preconceived notions of academics focusing more on facts than action.Maybe because she was President of the Rainforest Alliance. Maybe because I met her when she brought the U.N. Secretary General to NYU.You'll hear other global organizations and people she's influenced, led, and collaborated with in a remarkable and effective career so far.She brings a new perspective on leading organizations to this podcast, as I've mostly focused on leading people.She shares stories that massive change is possible. She lived it. She talks experience, not just theory.She also shares practical advice and histories of what worked and what takes more patience since it's not easy. Always dealing with people. Some points you'll hear from her work:- Effective leadership is rarely, if ever, about being right.- Empathy helps lead about people and organizations. You still have to understand organizations as you do people.- It's hard in practice -- emotionally, internally. Maintaining integrity while empathizing with people doing things you disagree with.- But if you want change, being effective is more important than venting.A younger, angrier, less skilled me would only think to protest organizations I disagreed with. As she shares, confrontation is still important, but also to engage and lead.Hard work is exciting. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Balint took on one of the bigger challenges on this podcast---one that nearly everyone knows the value of, many mean to do, but few do. He cut his beef intake from almost daily to once a month.How did he do it? How did his body react? His relationships? His health? Would he do it again?He shares how he became more aware of the different forms of protein and how his eyes and palate opened up to new tastes and dishes. He shared how it affected his relationship with his girlfriend.Most people I talk to know beef as one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, resource depletion, and other environmental effect. Balint shares some numbers he's long known but didn't act on, such as how much water beef production takes, which caught me off guard.Still, his main thrust is not water use or gas emissions but his taste, health, and joy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.