Some of you will have seen this before, but it's Spring and a lot of people have been asking me about worm composting. So here, for your delectation, via the Lower East Side Ecology Center (LESEC), are directions for keeping your own worm bin. If you live in New York, you can get worms from […]
No Impact Man
The place of desire
I think a lot about the place of desire. An incorrect relationship to desire, I believe, has got us in this mess. Certainly an incorrect relationship to desire has often got me in a mess! On the other hand, I don't believe desires are meant to be eradicated. Desires are part of the grand scheme. […]
Advice from an Accidental Activist
The following article was originally published in Yes! Magazine at this location. Other articles I've published in Yes! include: "Ten Ways to Change Your Life," "Fight Climate Change: Live the Good Life," and "Christmas with No Presents." So many of us have good ideas for helping the world. But we tuck our ideas away. I […]
What I have to remember
Yesterday, President Obama, speaking in Tucson, Arizona in the wake of the recent shootings, said: “At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized, at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we […]
Thoughts on communicating on climate–my remarks at climate negotiations communication conference
In 2006, I became increasingly concerned both about climate change and the military action taken by the United States to secure its access to oil supplies in the Middle East. As a journalist and author, I wanted to find a way to make the case for a lower reliance on fossil fuels and other natural […]
Becoming your real self to help the world
Recently, I gave a talk in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the Girls Preparatory School. The talk was more or less about how the world is in so much trouble that it needs every sort of talent and passion in order to help it. In other words, if you care about world problems, you don't have to […]
One American’s effort to bond over our shared concerns intead of fighting over our differences
I've been worried for a long time that the entire world is held up in solving its problems by the division in the American political system. It's the Republicans' fault. No, it's the Democrats' fault. No, it's the Republicans' fault. No, it's the Democrats' fault. No, it's the Republicans' fault. No, it's the Democrats' fault. […]
To hell with sustainability
Here's a talk I gave a few months ago, in which I argue for a new definition of progress. I argue that we should not just be aiming to "sustain" our current way of life. Instead, we should be looking for a way of life that is both better for the planet and better for […]