Last week I was in Waikiki and I saw something that I see all the time: A girl taking a selfie in front of the iconic, beautiful scenery of Waikiki beach. She pulled out her phone, flashed a huge smile with every one of her pearly white teeth showing, and
[4/9/2026 - This post is about my recent podcast episode interviewing Chris DeArmitt. If you're interested in hearing the interview, you can find it here: https://verdantgrowth.blog/tslsfn-the-plastics-paradox-w-chris-dearmitt/] There's a specific feeling you get when someone tells you something you want to believe
The sustainability world has a pretty clear verdict on plastic. Chris DeArmitt disagrees. A PhD polymer scientist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and author of The Plastics Paradox, DeArmitt has read thousands of peer-reviewed studies without funding and made it his mission to translate complex science into clear,
Pat Maher is the CEO of Atkins Ranch, the New Zealand-based collective of over 100 family farms producing 100% grass-fed, pasture-raised lamb for premium markets in the U.S. and Canada. Under his leadership, the company champions regenerative agriculture with third-party verification that promotes soil and ecosystem health while strengthening
The Moment of Change Sitting behind the wheel of my car, staring into the glaring red brake lights of the car in front of me on the H-1 highway. The idyllic, world-famous Waikiki just several miles away to my left, beautiful green mountain ranges (think Jurassic Park) in the distance
Ken Callison is an entrepreneur, researcher, and author of the new book The Way to World Peace: An Idea Whose Time Has Come. Written in a moment of rising geopolitical tension, nuclear risk, and environmental instability, the book reframes world peace not as a lofty ideal but as a practical
Julie Brams is an Earth-centered psychotherapist, meditation teacher, and author of The Nature Embedded Mind: How the Way We Think Can Heal Our Planet and Ourselves. Her work sits at the intersection of psychology, ecology, and social justice, exploring how our deep sense of separation from nature affects both personal
In this solo episode, Eugene steps out from behind the interview mic to reflect on where Solve for Nature has been—and where it’s going next. He shares why sustainability often feels like “suffering,” why that framing misses the point, and how real, lasting change starts with values, not
Today I’m thrilled to welcome Matthieu Mehuys, Belgian-born landscape architect, regenerative garden designer, award-winning author, and an inspiring voice in practical ecological living. Raised on a farm and trained in landscape design, Matthieu has spent years helping everyday people transform their yards into thriving, biodiverse ecosystems that save time,
Hillary Rosner is an award-winning science journalist whose work has appeared in National Geographic, The New York Times, and The Atlantic. Her new book, ROAM: Wild Animals and the Race to Repair Our Fractured World, explores how roads, fences, and cities have fragmented the planet—and how reconnecting habitats could
It's Christmas Eve. I'm writing this post, and to be honest, it's too late to do me any good this year. But my experiences from this year led me to writing this in hopes of starting something good. Even if it's too
Last week, I was contacted by a reporter from Civil Beat (https://www.civilbeat.org/) asking me about my proposal I submitted to the Honolulu City Charter. In preparation for the conversation, I decided to write a quick elevator pitch for why I think people-focused cities are better. After writing