Adventures in Sustainable Living

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast Episode 274 How to Transition to a Plant Based Diet Part One As you could likely guess, humanity is now faced with a long list of challenges that many would consider unsolvable. In addition to that there are so many opposing opinions about how to solve these issues, that most people suffer from information overload, feel completely helpless, and are convinced that their individual action makes no difference whatsoever.  In my opinion if we want to solve some of our toughest issues, instead of taking direct action, we need to address the source of the problem. In other words, we need to think upstream. And that is one of the many reasons that a plant based diet makes the most sense.  For the next several episodes I am going to talk about the advantages of this diet plan and what it can do for our health and our planet. 

In my opinion, one of the most significant social issues of our time is social media and the effects it has had on our culture and how it has fundamentally changed the fabric of our society.  Social media came rolling into our lives and promised a new way to communicate, make new friends, promote your business, and keep in touch with family. But years into this social frenzy, experts are now discovering that this trend actually has a significant down side.  That being said, just like most things, there are ways to use this technology to your advantage instead of allowing your life to run by an algorithm.  So join me for episode 273 Life Without Social Media Part Three.

Sooner or later the circumstances of your every day life are going to force you to make a trade off. It is part of being an adult, managing your own life and taking responsibility for your choices. Some times those trade off are beneficial. At other times we look back and say to ourselves “I’ll never to that again.”  Our modern lives are full of trade offs, many of which are the result of our choice of short-term convenience. From the foods we eat, the recreation we choose, the employment we take on, all are based on convenience.  While some of these examples may be obvious, other things such as the internet and social media are far more subtle in their detrimental affects on our lives. So join me for episode 272 Life Without Social Media Part Two Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living  Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E272 Life Without Social Media Part Two. 

Who cares about the price of tea in China? This is something my father said quite frequently. He used this whenever we were concerned or focused on something that had no bearing on what was actually going on in front of us.  Yet with the advent of the internet and especially social media, we are constantly bombarded with news feeds, friends, messages, posts, and everything else that fragments our attention and distracts us from what is going on right in front of us. Few things have influenced our culture and behavior more than the internet and social media.  Granted, there are many advantages to our technology. However, we are only beginning to understand the detrimental affect on our culture, daily behavior and even our mental health.  So please join me for E271 Life Without Social Media. 

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast Episode 269 A 12 Month Plan for Sovereign Living Part Two Most certainly we have all at one point in time come to the realization that we were tired of someone else telling us what to do. We become weary of someone making decisions that affect our well-being when we have no say in the matter. No where does this come more to the forefront of our lives as when we are teenagers.  We reach that point where we long to be adults, make our own decisions, go where we want, when we want and do what we want. We want to have ultimate power and responsibility over our lives. We celebrate the day it finally happens when we are adults. We are finally sovereign individuals. But, is this really what happens. So join me for part two of a 12 month plan for sovereign living.  Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E269, which is part two the the 12 month plan for sovereign living.

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast Episode 268 A 12 Month Plan for Sovereign Living Part One As you well know, independence, self sufficiency, and sustainable living are at the heart of much of my life.  I talk about it, write about it, podcast about it and live it everyday. But I also accept the fact that if everyone lived the way I do, our society and economy would simply not work. Furthermore I realize that how and where I live is not possible for most people in our culture. But what is possible for everyone is what I call sovereign living. This is simply a philosophy of self-ownership, where we take full responsibility for our lives, our values, and our decisions. It is about independence and not dependence. So join me for E268 A 12 month plan for Sovereign Living.  Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E268 A 12 Month Plan for Sovereign Living. 

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast Episode 267 The 30 Day Stop the Consumption Challenge Part Two In last week’s episode I laid the foundation of why and how we shifted to a consumer culture. Although this was a gradual shift, it was also highly planned and organized. The Industrial Revolution was only the beginning. For the first time in human history our societies were able to produce more than we needed to live day-to-day. Then the problem shifted from “Do I need this?” to “How do we sell all this stuff?”  The challenge we now face is the constant extraction of materials and production of products is pushing planetary boundaries. We are reaching ecological limits and facing resource depletion and environmental damage. Despite this we seem to ignore the need for change.  So stick around for the 30 Day Stop the Consumption Challenge Part Two. 

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast Episode 266 The 30 Day Stop the Consumption Challenge Part One Most everyone alive today has either grown up in or been conditioned to a consumer culture. We constantly purchase more than we need which of course requires the on-going production of more products. This in turn requires the extraction and processing of more resources which results in an enormous detrimental impact on our environment.   But as usual, I like to ask “How did we get here?” Furthermore, how do we change this part of our culture? Human existence was not always like this, that is a life that is organized around consumption. What most people don’t know is that this shift toward consumption was gradual, structural, and highly engineered.  But there is a way to change this cycle and it starts with the 30 day stop the consumption challenge.

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast Episode 265 12 Month Sustainability Action Plan It is sometimes difficult for me to believe that I have been living at the cabin for 30 years. I often reflect on how I went about building this isolated homestead, how much work it was and just how long it took. But I also commonly think about what I would change if I had it to do over again.  Most people would look at what I’ve done and think that such a lifestyle is completely out of their reach. However, it is easier than you think. A lot has changed since I first moved there. Technology has improved and so has our knowledge about how best to live sustainably.  If you do not believe that this is something you can do, then join me for #265 The 12 Month Sustainable Living Action Plan. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E264 which is part two of Food Waste: The World’s Most Solvable Environmental Problem.  In the last episode we covered the first five out of ten reasons why the reduction of food waste has such a significant positive environment impact.  Unlike so many other global problems, reducing our food waste is one of the easiest things we can do as individuals. There are ten reasons why food waste is the world’s most solvable environment problem. In the last episode we covered five of those reasons. Now, just for a quick review: -The solutions already exist. This means we do not need new technology or new science. The solutions are simple, proven, and accessible to everyone.  -Prevention is far cheaper than clean up. While most solutions for environmental problems focus on managing the damage after it has already happened, prevention of food waste cost less than disposal and the pay back is immediate.  -Individuals have the real power. While most global environment problems feel distant and abstract, food waste prevention can happen without waiting for governments, corporations and the implementation of new laws. We all participate in our food systems everyday so we have the ability to do something about it today.  -It reduces multiple environmental impacts at once. Because of the nature of our food systems, waste prevention effect climate change, addresses water scarcity, land degradation and reduces energy consumption all at once.  -Most wasted food is perfectly edible. Since our food systems are inefficient, risk-averse, and culturally distorted, they are built for waste. The majority of wasted food is actually perfectly edible and we can do something about it.  But, before we get to the next 5 reasons as to why food waste is the world’s most solvable environmental problem, let’s first talk about the good news story of the week. 

If you spend enough time watching the news, then you already know that our world has a long list of problems. Many of these issues, especially the environmental ones, seem so far out of our reach that we doubt whether or not our personal efforts will ever make a difference.   The good news is nothing could be further from the truth. There are a lot of things we do everyday that make a significant difference for a whole list of reasons. One of those things is controlling our food waste. This is far simpler than you think and the best part is that our actions have an immediate impact.  So join me for E263, Food Waste, The World’s Most Solvable Environmental Problem.

One of the advantages of working in different cultures is that you gain a completely different perspective on life. You step outside of your daily routine, experience different values, eat different foods, and make new friends. But such experiences also help you to realize some of the pitfalls of your own society.  One of my favorite places to live and work is the Caribbean. People seem much less stressed. They have a much slower pace of life and never seem to worry much about getting things accomplished right now. In fact, one of their favorite mottos is “rush slowly.”  While such a lifestyle may not be for everyone, I do think we can learn a lot or at least gain a new perspective from such a lifestyle. So join me for E262 The Art of Slow Living. Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E262 The Art of Slow Living.

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.