PAUL HAWKEN-Step back, reframe, connect-CARBON: The Tree of Life
Written on May 8th, 2025I don’t say I’m concerned about “the environment.” Rather I see our goal as a healthy relationship with the rest of nature. PAUL HAWKEN’s new book CARBON: The Tree of Life takes a step back from the problem-solving approach of most of his work. He calls us to a deeper understanding of our place in the scheme of things as absolutely essential not just to deal effectively with the climate crisis, but with most of the other ways we fall short of what’s possible in our individual lives as well as the larger world. His two previous books: DRAWDOWN: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming and REGENERATION: Ending the Climate Crisis in One Generation. You can learn more at paulhawken.com
THE SQUARE (2013)-Director & Producer of Oscar-nominated doc on Egyptian protests that overthrew Mubarak
Written on May 3rd, 2025When we the people are called to show up in the streets over and over in growing numbers till the powers that enable Trump withdraw support and authoritarian dominoes fall, here’s my 2013 conversation about Egypt’s Arab spring. The documentary THE SQUARE puts you in Tahrir Square as revolution swirls around you. The film follows a handful of activists risking their lives to build a new society. Though the Muslim Brotherhood ultimately replaces one authoritarian rule with another, the protests ended Mubarak’s 30 years of dictatorship. I speak with JEHANE NOUJAIM, Director, KARIM AMER, Producer, and KHALID ABDALLA, participant. Watch: youtube.com/watch?v=2a6SLuVtiVU
JAMES THORNTON-ClientEarth-Crushing polluters in court around the globe
Written on April 26th, 2025Wrapping up Earth Month, I speak with JAMES THORNTON, founder of ClientEarth, the preeminent environmental law group, with 300 lawyers holding governments and companies accountable across the globe. He steps down as the group’s president this month after 18 years. Their work training the Chinese – including their Supreme Court – in environmental law is remarkable. What I’ve learned about their successes has given me hope – something that can feel all too endangered these days. Listen in, if you could use a bit of the same. You can learn more at Clientearth.org
Thornton-04-14-2025-transcript
PAUL HAWKEN (2021)-REGENERATION: Placing Life at the Center of All We Do
Written on April 18th, 2025Trump sows cruel, careless, criminal, incompetent chaos – even in Earth Month. Here’s my 2021 conversation with PAUL HAWKEN about his book, REGENERATION: ENDING THE CLIMATE CRISIS IN ONE GENERATION, and the organization dedicated to making that a reality. Here’s a chance to step back or sink deeper into the promise and the challenge of making a regenerative society. As an approach, regeneration expands the scope of our response to the challenge of climate change by linking and weaving it with other critical challenges we face – economic inequality, social injustice, and endangered democracy – and placing love of life at the center of all we do.
Fox’s Lone Liberal-JUAN WILLIAMS-The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement
Written on April 10th, 2025In 1987, 33-year-old JUAN WILLIAMS wrote the bestselling history Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years 1954–1965, which accompanied the PBS series of the same name. Now 71, after 10 years at NPR and 28 at Fox News, he’s written New Prize for These Eyes: The Rise of America’s Second Civil Rights Movement. He sees this movement rooted in Obama’s 2008 election and highlighted by 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests. We compare the two movements and respond to the current cruel and criminal chaos of Trump 2.0. You can find Juan’s latest commentaries at thehill.com/opinion/columnists/juan-williams/ This episode was recorded as a LiveTalksLA event March 17th, 2025 in LA.