Zero sum game: A situation or interaction in which one participant’s gains result only from another’s equivalent losses. Sometimes, we imagine business works that way. But what a sad, sorry way to look at the world. And if we do look at the world that way, does it make us happy? Let me explain: The […]
Society
A bridge across the aisle on climate change
Recently, I received an email from a military officer who I happen to know because he is an expert on subversive warfare, which, in a way, was the subject of my last book. He is a Christian and, I’m pretty sure, a Republican. All the same, without invitation from me, he has become reader of […]
Exchange of love
Click image to enlarge This is going to sound corny, but let’s assume that after basic needs are met, what we really want is love. Social scientists can dress up the word love as “social status” or what have you, but what status gets us in the end is love. Why am I harping on […]
Equity or the end of the planet
Yesterday I posted this joke: Q: What’s the difference between a developer and an environmentalist? A: A developer is someone who wants to build a cabin in the woods; an environmentalist is someone who already has one. What struck me about it was the truth in it, a truth we need to be aware of. […]
Are we heading towards a different/better/worse world?
Tonight I was on a panel with the author and social critic James Howard Kunstler, of whom many of you have probably heard (The Long Emergency and Geography of Nowhere, among many others). Kunstler writes and talks about many things, including the post peak oil world. (For those of you who don’t know about, its […]
Urban rooftop farming will save the world
I dedicate this post to the staff of Just Food, an excellent organization that works to ensure the availability of fresh food in all New York neighborhoods by supporting community gardening and forging connections between communities and local farmers. Read about Just Food here, but more importantly, throw money at them here. I am proud […]
We’ve changed our lifestyles. What about our politicians?
If you’re not from New York, you may think this post doesn’t apply to you. But please bear with me. You’ll see that it applies to us all. This week, we in New York City saw the death of Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan–which would have reduced gridlock in New York by charging certain drivers […]
Greening my city makes me happier to live in it
Part of the No Impact project is to have a positive impact to offset the unavoidable negative impact of, well, being alive, and part of that has been to the work of environmental organizations. As a result of that, Wednesday night was a mega-proud night for me because I got invited to be a member […]