Who is leading in climate research?

Have you thought about who is leading in the area of climate research? I don't mean who is doing the most research or the best research or publishing the most. I mean from a leadership perspective: who is leading people, setting direction, creating a vision, and motivating others to act toward a goal? What is the goal of climate research if not to figure out how to set policy for how people act in ways that affect the greenhouse effect? In the United States, we are not lowering our emissions overall. We're increasing them. What research scientists are doing, it's…

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Enron Environmentalism (Inc.)

Enron Environmentalism Enron looked profitable when it compartmentalized and hid its losses. Do you compartmentalize and hide your pollution? I just had lunch with a man who described himself as fanatical about the environment--in particular, about water bottles. He illustrated by describing how fastidiously he handled them. As he started his story, I expected him to describe how he never used water bottles. Americans have such clean and drinkable water that water made unclean makes front page news for weeks. Specifically, he lives near Manhattan, and our water wins blind taste tests with consumers. The EPA finds it meets or exceeds all safety requirements. I figured he knew that 91% of plastic isn't…

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Remember the “Crying Indian” Anti-Litter Ads From the 70s? You’ll Cry More at Our Pollution Levels Today (Inc.)

Remember the Single-Tear Anti-Litter Ads From the 70s? You'll Cry Too at Our Pollution Levels Today The chart below puts Keep America Beautiful's "Crying Indian" public service announcement in today's deplorable context A headline in The Guardian two days ago, "$180bn investment in plastic factories feeds global packaging binge" led me to some statistics about plastic production. Plastic Production Then The chart I saw, reproduced below, showed dramatic increase around 1970. Normally I wouldn't think much of that date, but it reminded me of the so-called "crying Indian ads,"--the Keep America Beautiful public service announcements from my childhood. I hadn't thought of them…

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Updates on Limits to Growth, finally!

One of my top resources on the environment is the book Limits to Growth. Reading it was revelatory. They approached the environment the way I thought made sense, then created a model, researched the numbers, plugged them in, and got answers. What made sense was what they call a systemic approach---not to look at one of all the interacting parts, but to look at the whole system, including how the parts interacted. For example, I sensed that just improving technology didn't feel like it would solve everything. The Green Revolution, for example, led to more food, but used fossil fuels…

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Leadership and the Environment debuts at #38! Please read to help share.

Thanks to all of you---listeners and guests---Leadership and the Environment launched at 38: to overwhelmingly 5-star reviews: I don't know how many people listened and subscribed, but it's short of the billions whose beliefs and behavior have to change to clean the air, water, and land we share, so we have a way to go. The measure of success is not ranking, but measurables like amount of litter, number of extinctions, depth of topsoil, wars over resources, as well as people's happiness, joy, and deliciousness resulting from their new beliefs and behaviors. Social Media shares Please help share about Leadership…

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The Perfect (helpful) Storm

Here is an email I'm sending tomorrow, relevant to people who care about Leadership and the Environment: Hello friends, family, and people I've worked with this year​, I'm writing you who have seen my passion evolve in 2017 from launching my book to launching my podcast, Leadership and the Environment.​ Please listen if you haven't, especially Episode Zero, which gives its back story. But first read on. The podcast goal and my great passion is to help people change how they see acting on the environment from sacrifice and lonely to rewarding and part of a large, growing community. I'm interviewing…

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How to review a podcast on iTunes (Video)

Apple approved my podcast, Leadership and the Environment, for iTunes yesterday. If you want to help the environment, I hope you'll review it there. Why review Leadership and the Environment? Leadership and the Environment helps people who want to change their behavior but feel discouraged. Americans pollute and degrade the environment more than almost anyone. Everyone I know wants to degrade less, but does little. I see a leadership vacuum---someone to help people achieve their goals. Leaders help people find meaning and purpose. Leaders help change beliefs and goals. The mainstream belief that growth solves most problems is exacerbating the…

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Readers: What they care about regarding the environment

Readers responded more thoughtfully and with more variety and sensitivity than I expected when I asked them: If you care about the environment, what do you think of when you think about caring about it? Some people think of childhood memories, others the Grand Canyon, others fishing, and so on. Can you email me what caring about the environment makes you think of? in my post "Do you want to make the world a better place (and yourself)?", announcing my launching my podcast, Leadership and the Environment. Here are some of their responses: Jared Angaza: To answer your question about…

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Leadership and the Environment is Live!

[Below is the content of my fourth email announcement of my podcast, which I just released. It’s over 12 years in design, based on 3 years of testing the underlying techniques and 1 year making the podcast. I intend for it to change culture, I hope broadly and fast enough.] Hello all, Leadership and the Environment is live! The first four episodes are up, featuring Dan Pink, multiple #1 NY Times bestseller, over 40 million TED views Marshall Goldsmith, multiple #1 bestseller, #1 rated leadership coach Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and New Yorker writer Michael Bungay Stanier, WSJ bestselling…

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How to Lead People So They Want You to Lead Them Again… and help the environment

[Below is the content of my third email announcement of my podcast, which I’m releasing tomorrow. It’s over 12 years in design, based on 3 years of testing the underlying techniques and 1 year making the podcast. I intend for it to change culture, I hope broadly and fast enough.] Hello all, It's my second-to-last email on my podcast launch. I'm enjoying the email dialogs on leadership and the environment arising from my last email, especially the diversity in views. Thank you for emailing and sharing! ... I'm happy to answer more. We were talking about leading people and systemic…

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How to change a system (and enjoy the process)

[Below is the content of my second email announcement of my podcast, which I’m releasing this Thursday. It’s over 12 years in design, based on 3 years of testing the underlying techniques and 1 year making the podcast. I intend for it to change culture, I hope broadly and fast enough.] Hello all, Thank you to all who responded with their passions on the environment. I was pleasantly surprised by how many wrote, and the feeling behind the notes. You're the reason for the podcast. Helping people achieve goals they care about is the foundation of the leadership I teach.…

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Do you want to make the world a better place (and yourself)?

[Below is the content of my first email announcement of my podcast, which I'm releasing this Thursday. It's over 12 years in design, based on 3 years of testing the underlying techniques and 1 year making the podcast. I intend for it to change culture, I hope broadly and fast enough.] Hello all, Do you want to improve your leadership skills? To be part of a team building something greater than yourself? To leave the world better than you found it? People around me are like that. It's what I teach through my book and courses. I'm writing to announce…

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The Business Skills That Will Solve Global Warming

My Inc. post today, "The Business Skills That Will Solve Global Warming," begins The Business Skills That Will Solve Global Warming Science and education got us far, but won't get us to the finish line. We need to understand what motivates people and use it to change our behavior. As New York City prepares for another 74 degree November day this week, it's getting harder to remember that warm weather isn't climate. Sadly, the evidence for climate change is overwhelming anyway, along with its calamitous predictions. Want to change a nation's behavior regarding climate? Leaders know what will work more than anyone, and not just bringing…

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An ideal year’s outcome

A recent workshop I attended had me write my dream of a "Year of Opportunity"---that is, what I'd like to make happen if I achieved everything I could. Normally we don't share our greatest hopes and expectations since they enable others to judge us---for dreaming too much, for being unrealistic, for thinking too much of ourselves, for not achieving our dreams, and so on. So what? I'm going to share anyway. It's mostly about the podcast I'm working on, Leadership and the Environment, as the start of a movement to change mainstream beliefs and behaviors so people want to lower…

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Lead Yourself Before Blaming Scientists for Not Solving Global Warming

My Inc. article today, "Lead Yourself Before Blaming Scientists for Not Solving Global Warming," began Lead Yourself Before Blaming Scientists for Not Solving Global Warming Everyone is quick to point fingers. We're less quick to take responsibility, but that's what leaders do. Leaders take responsibility. We know the futility of blaming others, however much we indulge in doing so. We can't change the past. We can, however, act in the present. A leadership and business perspective can help a lot in climate change, and I don't mean by promoting technical innovation. Twice in the past two days, and many times…

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The environment: Little things matter but NOT because they add up

The internet is filled with "10 tips to lower your carbon footprint" and "21 easy ways to help the environment." Here's a screen shot: There are too many pages of them to count. They aren't working. Sure, some people might change a light bulb or two, but greenhouse gas levels aren't decreasing, nor is pollution, nor resource depletion. The number one problem with "little tips" People say enough little things add up to big differences. When the people leading others to consume fossil fuels wantonly are the Koch Brothers and Donald Trump, the measure of change is against their results…

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What could make me give up leading in the environment?

Following up yesterday's advice from Dov Baron to answer the 5 whys, the next question he recommend me answering was what could make me give up leading in the environment. Listen to the conversation (on iTunes) My first answer is if people changed their behaviors enough that the work was unnecessary. Since the overwhelmingly most common behavior people show when I prompt them to think about changing their behavior is to justify why they shouldn't change, I don't see this change happening without significant leadership. Frankly, I'm disheartened by how much people put their interests ahead of everyone else's... how much…

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Leadership and the Environment podcast overview and structure

Overview Leadership and the Environment features influencers who care about the environment leading by example by taking on personal challenges to live by their values---a challenge in today's world. Guests have loved it for showcasing them as authentic, empathetic leaders and giving them a chance to act on values that they've put on hold. Guests don't need environmental expertise. They including luminaries such as Dan Pink, multiple #1 NY Times bestseller, over 40 million TED views Marshall Goldsmith, multiple #1 bestseller, #1 rated leadership coach Frances Hesselbein, Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree, CEO of Girl Scouts, named "Best leader in…

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Happy 200th Birthday to Henry David Thoreau

My post on Inc.com today, "Happy 200th Birthday to Henry David Thoreau," (the editors changed the headline) began Happy Birthday to Henry David Thoreau, a True Family Businessman The entrepreneur and supporter of self-reliance, simplicity, and small government was born 200 years ago. 200 years ago today, Henry David Thoreau was born. July is a big Thoreau month. On July 4, 1845 he moved to live by Walden Pond, pictured above, for 2 years. He spent a night in jail, July 24 or 25, 1846, to avoid supporting slavery, inspiring generations. Most periodicals reporting on his birthday talk about nature,…

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Patagonia founder acting on his values, even at the company’s expense. Still works out.

I rarely simply post someone else just talking, but my focus lately on motivating people to act on their values against comfort and convenience has resulted in such a desert that the video below was too refreshing not to share. No one I talk to considers avoiding one flight. No one who visits can stop bringing garbage. Yet this man keeps choosing actions that would appear to hurt his company, yet he's become a billionaire and they haven't. For example (at 38:18 in the second video below), he had his company research the toxicity of materials his company used. When…

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Leadership and the Environment podcast episode #5: The slideshow, June 23, 2017 [video]

I've delivered this talk a lot lately. It continues to iterate and I'm years from being able to deliver it at the I-Have-A-Dream-level quality to motivate people as the cause demands, but I consider it ready. Please share! (with @spodek) I welcome suggestions to improve. This is the 90-minute version. I will create shorter versions too. Most of all, please contact me to join the movement. I'd love to hear from everyone interested in helping, whether you can help with the areas I name or otherwise. Remember to do part 1---an effective personal challenge---first. Please tell me if you take…

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Leadership and the Environment podcast episode #4: My talk, recorded live, June 19, 2017

Still a work in progress, below is my latest keynote on Leadership and the Environment. I gave it to a live audience, June 19, 2017. Sorry, no video. Since it’s still a work in progress, so I welcome suggestions for improvements. [EDIT: click here for the audio]

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Why I turned down nearly $10,000 to teach for an Ivy League school for a week in Shanghai

Columbia University offered me nearly $10,000 to fly to Shanghai to teach an entrepreneurship class, block-week style, meaning a semester in a week, 9-5 each day. I've taught that way before and got great results. I love teaching entrepreneurship. I'm not bragging to say that my reviews say I'm exceptional at it. I love my alma mater, Columbia, and as an adjunct professor, experience teaching at Ivy League schools helps my career. I had developed the relationships with the department that offered me to teach with them for years. I had worked on making this opportunity happen for years and…

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Leadership Lessons from Authoritarianism, and the Pursuit of Sustainability: The Bare Naked Interview

Emily Ann Peterson hosts the Bare Naked Bravery Podcast, "a weekly podcast exposing the threads of heroism behind the stories and people we love most," and she just posted her interview of me. First, she teaches bravery like I teach leadership---active, experientially, step by step---so we spoke the same language about what we practiced in complementary areas. She subtitles her bravery lessons: "Put Yourself Out There Step-By-Step." She's a musician and music is usually taught that way, so I imagine she's experienced in it. Second, she was one of the first to delve into my growing passion for leading people…

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Call for action to you – for a new path to reduce climate change

Prepare for one of my most important podcasts from someone who knows the science behind the environment. Want to improve the environment? You may remember Balint, a fellow scientist who got a PhD in physics became an entrepreneur got passionate about improving in business, and teaches experiential project-based learning. from his first podcast interview of me, which covered leadership and education. We continued our conversation and spoke the way only physics PhDs can. I shared what I've posted here about my developing plans to start a movement on leadership and the environment. We decided to record another conversation on it…

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