Over the past couple of years, you have listened me talk about a wide variety of topics focusing on sustainable living. While researching these topics, I have repeatedly come across articles that would condemn us for destroying the planet with the end message focused on how we should change the way we live.

What I have notice over that past couple of years is that trend of what sustainable living focuses on is starting to shift in a good way. As we approach 2026, sustainable living is shifting towards practical, consistent actions rather than perfection, emphasizing local, social, and achievable changes that tend to foster well-being and environmental protection.

So join me for E261 Seven Tips for Sustainable Living in 2026

Very early in the production of this podcast I produced an episode on the greenest countries in the world, meaning those that are the most environmentally friendly. Countries that are on this list are evaluated by very specific metrics and it takes decades of change to end up on this list.

What always astonishes me is that the countries that are at the top of the list are some of the smallest countries in the world. Those at the bottom of the list are some of the largest and most wealthy countries.

But, as you know, countries are made of people and it is the people that ultimately make the difference. So, what can we all do to help our countries be more green? To find out, join me for E260

Humanity is now the dubious owner of a long laundry list of environment issues that we have to solve. Obviously some are more pressing than others. Despite this, we tend to go about our daily business as if nothing is wrong. Why is that?

Do you ever stop to ask yourself why nothing ever really gets done.

On the other end of the spectrum, has there ever been a time when someone looked at you and commented about how lucky you were. Meanwhile you are thinking “What I accomplished was not a matter of luck but the result of years of hard work.”

So, what do these two scenarios have in common? If you want to know, then join me for E259, Habits for Sustainable Success: The Little Things Make the Difference.

Over the last several hundred years there have been an increasing number of people moving to urban areas. But have you ever ask yourself if it is healthier to live in the city or in a rural area. Or is it more environmentally friendly to live in the city versus the country side. Which lifestyle has the least environmental impact?

There is no doubt that urbanization has reshaped our land, our lifestyles and our resources systems. But, few people comprehend that this lifestyle is profoundly unsustainable. Despite that, more and more people are becoming suburbanites.

But it is possible to change all that with the right balance and of course intentional living. So join me for E258 How to Transform Our Urban Areas into a Sustainable Metropolis

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 257

How to Solve Our Global Challenges in One Generation

Years ago I built this really nice storage shed at the cabin. It is where we store a lot of our extra dry goods and it also houses our chest freezer. But, despite the size of the shed, it is in a perpetual state of disarray. I have this really bad habit of just closing the door and ignoring it.

I sometimes think that our world is a lot like my storage shed, in a perpetual state of disarray. And most of us go home at night, close our doors and forget about it. Now this sort of approach of course is not the answer to my storage shed or our global challenges. So join me for E257 How to Solve Our Global Challenges in One Generation.

Most of us love going to the beach. There is something soothing about listening to the sound of the waves, relaxing in the sun and then cooling off with a refreshing swim. If you enjoy snorkeling, that adds another layer of enjoyment. If you are a scuba diver like I am, that adds a completely different dimension to enjoying the ocean.

But what most people do not realize is that the oceans are not just vast bodies of water. They are literally the foundation of Earth’s life support system, influencing everything from the air we breath to the food we eat and the climate we depend on.

Yet once again, we are altering the very foundation of a vital ecosystem. So join me for E256 Ocean Acidification-The Silent Threat Beneath the Waves.

One of the things that humanity does best is to go about our daily business despite warnings that we should change. The reason for this is that we are better at responding to emergencies than we are about planning for the future. As long as life seems good we just keep doing what we are doing and all warnings that we are headed for a cliff are just noise in the background.

Climate change is a perfect example. The first seminal paper about climate change was published in 1896. We are now seeing the obvious effects of climate change. But, there is another, more subtile looming problem that most of us do not even know it exist.

So join me for part two of Food Scarcity and the Urban Diet Pressure Loop.

When you live in a developed country where life tends to be stable, it is easy to get the impression that all is good in the world and there are no worries. Most of us calmly go about our daily business and much of the time the vast array of global issues are out of sight out of mind. For example, we are oblivious to the fact that millions of people in the world go hungry everyday.

Furthermore, it is even more difficult to believe that what we eat everyday contributes to food scarcity and hunger. Who would have ever thought about that.

So join me for episode 254 and learn how the urban-diet pressure loop contributes to food scarcity, environmental degradation and world hunger.