Dear Nelson, In our previous email, we introduced you to our mission and our latest media. Today, I want to tell you about our work to replace single-use plastic with reusables and transform the way we make, use, and throw away Stuff. Plastic bottles are emblematic of today’s plastic crisis – they’re fueling the petrochemical build out, are the greatest source of plastic packaging pollution, and have a clear alternative: the reusable bottle. At the core of the plastics crisis lies the idea of ‘disposability,’ which we’ll tackle through a multi-year initiative to bring back the refillable bottle. With this campaign, we will: Turbo charge deposit return systems to capture beverage bottles Call on Coca-Cola and other companies to prioritize reuse and refill, instead of single-use plastic Win policies that ensure the beverage industry sells a portion of its bottles in reusable containers. This policy-forward solution will divert billions of plastic bottles from landfills and the environment, while demonstrating how we can build a circular economy. And we need YOUR help to make it happen. Here’s what you can do today to help: Make sure we have your zip or postal code – that way, we can send you the most relevant ways to take action. Update your profile now. Sign the petition and urge Coca-Cola to Bring Back Refill!  Our work continues – and we're glad to make you a part of it! After all, none of this would be possible without a Community of movers and shakers just like you. Thank you for taking action with us! Onward together, Sam and The Story of Stuff Team

The Story of Stuff Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations to The Story of Stuff Project are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law in the United States.   visit storyofstuff.org  | unsubscribe

Dear President Biden.

 

DEAR PRESIDENT BIDEN:

I suggest you switch jobs with your vice president. It will take the heat off you while allowing you to remain in the upper echalons of power. You step down one step and not the whole staircase.

As for the question of your age, use China as an example.  Elders in China are respected for good reason...they are dangerous!  You also have the potential to be dangerous but unlike China's Communist government, and Putin's dictatorshiip, you are not trying to run everybody else's government!

Admit your age! Yes, I am old but whom would you rather have in government, an honest old man with a good heart or a slightly younger Trump who has admitted publicly to being the friend of murderous dictator Putin. Putin has sent Fifty thousand young men to die in the Ukaraine...SO FAR! 

You can state that you do not agree with nor condone genocide anywhere on Earth and will do your best to bring peace back to the world by re-invigorating the United Nations and also by passing laws to stop dangerous polluters from warming our planet. A fact that must be acknowledged.

Thanks for reading!

If you meet them, say hello to Michelle and Barack Obama for me. I once sent them a few letters like this.

Signed:  Joseph N. Raglione

Executive director:

The World Friendly Peace and Ecology Movement.

human4usbillions@gmail.com

NO OFFSETS FOR POLLUTERS.

Nelson:

Ever played Monopoly and felt like someone was cheating? Well, imagine that game, but instead of fake money, real ecosystems and biodiversity are at stake. We have fresh research that reveals a concerning trend: a surge in lobbying efforts from corporations advocating for false solutions which undermine Canada’s nature protection commitments. From logging giants to mining companies, they’re all maneuvering behind the scenes.

So, what are these corporations lobbying for? The natural resource sector (including logging, mining, agribusiness, and energy interests) is pushing for offset-enabling policies rather than new regulations to actually protect nature. [1] These offsets let companies compensate for environmental damage elsewhere. For instance, biodiversity offsets could entail restoring habitat in one area to offset destruction somewhere else. Nelson, nature destroyers should not be granted loopholes to cheat nature—we need to urge the government to focus on real solutions, like stronger regulations on industry and new legislation. Will you add your voice so we can be louder than the lobbyists?

SEND OUT A TWEET TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO DITCH FALSE SOLUTIONS

If you are not on Twitter (X), copy/paste the following text in an email to your friends and family:   The natural resource sector is pushing for offset-enabling policies rather than new regulations to actually protect nature. These offsets let companies compensate for environmental damage elsewhere. Nature destroyers should not be granted loopholes to cheat nature—we need to urge the government to focus on real solutions, like stronger regulations on industry and new legislation. Will you add your voice so we can be louder than the lobbyists? Sign here: https://act.gp/42vUwBS

It's like a twisted game of real-life Monopoly, with big resource extraction companies playing the role of top players. They're snatching up properties—forests, waters, and lands—as if they’re entitled to all of it. And these nature destroyers even want a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, which is why they are lobbying for offset measures that allow them to continue their destructive practices while merely paying lip service to nature protection.   In fact, our brand new report reveals that since the Trudeau government took office in 2015, lobbying from extractive industries at the federal level has skyrocketed: we've observed a staggering 222% surge in meetings between big natural resource sector companies and key nature government departments. [2] Meanwhile, over 2,000 wild species across Canada are at risk of extinction, like the spotted owl, of which only one remains in the wild. [3, 4] That's right - in the middle of a worsening nature crisis, extractive industries seem to be doubling down on their efforts to keep doing business as usual while nature pays the price.   Instead, we need swift progress by the federal government to keep its promise and pass a strong Biodiversity Act before this year’s Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations in October. Justin Trudeau - listen to people, not polluters!

SEND OUT A TWEET TO URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO DITCH FALSE SOLUTIONS

If you are not on Twitter (X), copy/paste the following text in an email to your friends and family:   The natural resource sector is pushing for offset-enabling policies rather than new regulations to actually protect nature. These offsets let companies compensate for environmental damage elsewhere. Nature destroyers should not be granted loopholes to cheat nature—we need to urge the government to focus on real solutions, like stronger regulations on industry and new legislation. Will you add your voice so we can be louder than the lobbyists? Sign here: https://act.gp/42vUwBS

Hooray Winabago! Thanks for creating the first ERV freedom machine.

FREEDOM

        FREEDOM IS A GREAT WORD BUT THE REALITY CARRIES A PRICE.

I want to travel in North America and around the world unencumbered by travel expenses. I also do not want to spend my retirement money on Gas for a vehicle that creates Carbon Monoxide pollution everywhere I roll. I need an imaginative solution and the answer is... an ERV!

 Wouldn't it be great if I had a battery powered Electric Recreational Vehicle or ERV?!

 Would it not be fantastic if Solar Panels covered the ERV and they had the capacity to charge the ERV'S battery and to provide heating and cooling and lighting day and night! A self powered Recreation Vehicle with a bed and bathroom and small kitchenette to carry me around North America almost free of charge. I may have to stop infrequently at recharging stations but my freedom machine would provide almost limitless capacity to travel anywhere I wanted! There is that word again...FREEDOM!!        

A freedom machine!

Hey Elon Musk!

 What do you think of this idea? I'm sure you could do it but if not how about General Motors? Would they consider the concept? Ok! Hey, Volkswagen! Remember your Hippy Van with the tiny motor? We skinny and unemployed kids had to get out to push-start the motor! I made it to old age but that won't stop me from riding in a new freedom machine? HEY WINABAGO! THANKS FOR CREATING THE FIRST ERV! 

I suggest governments and large companies consider creating millions of ERV freedom machines to help the millions of homeless poor refugees now arriving from places like Ukraine. ERV'S would provide shelter and provide refugees the opportunity to spread out while locating homes and jobs.

Thanks for reading!

N.J.R.

4 Secrets of high performing teams./Eric Barker

4 Secrets Of High-Performing Teams (Click here to read on the blog) No doubt there’s a lot wrong with the modern workplace. Open-plan offices? It's like trying to work in the middle of a daycare. The cubicle? A solitary confinement cell decorated in dismal shades of practicality. And the meetings. Oh, the meetings. Time bends and distorts, leaving us trapped in an eternal now. The clock ticks so loudly you can hear the sound of your youth escaping. But this all pales in comparison to the challenge of work teams. Those glorious microcosms of corporate society, where people from different backgrounds, skill sets, and hygiene standards come together to accomplish the impossible: not murdering each other. You get to witness the full spectrum of human emotions, from "visibly hungover" to "quietly sobbing in the bathroom." So how do we improve teams at work? Research has answers. Ready to make those collaborative efforts a lot more productive – and maybe even enjoyable? Let’s get to it... Creating A Team... Or Maybe You Shouldn’t. In the modern workplace, assembling a team is the go-to solution for, well, everything. Need to change a lightbulb in the office? Form a team. Have to pick a brand of coffee? Team. There’s one question that needs to be asked more often: Do we really need a team for this? Teams are not always a great idea. Research validates what you’ve intuitively suspected – individuals become less productive once they’re part of a group. Studies frequently use words like “process loss” or even “collaborative inhibition.” According to University of North Carolina professor Bradley Staats, productivity per person can drop 40% even on a small team. How does this happen? Most of it comes from the energy wasted in email chains, organizing, logistics, etc. It's like planning an epic road trip but spending the whole time in the driveway arguing over the playlist. You waste more hours in meetings discussing what you're going to do rather than actually doing it. Everyone's so busy being a team player that they forgot to do the actual playing. As Po Bronson writes, “In studies of thousands of companies that have implemented teamwork, there’s no firm evidence that, on average, they make any more money, or are even more productive, after instituting a team-based structure.” So what if you really do need a team? It should be as small as possible to get the job done. Every person has to be able to develop a relationship with everyone else on the team. Small enough where you can actually remember everybody’s name without resorting to labeling them "Loud Guy," "Tall Lady," and "Emails Too Much." Bob Sutton, professor at Stanford University and author of “The Friction Project”, says once you get past 5 people, quality declines quickly. Overhead doesn't just expand; it explodes in a supernova of Outlook invites and PowerPoint. Every new team member is another email chain, another "quick catch-up call," another soul unwittingly drafted into the endless war on efficiency. Sometimes, the real team player is the one who avoids making a team in the first place. Okay, assuming the project does require a team, how do you make the group more effective? Believe it or not, 90% of a team’s fate is determined before they ever start working... Team Effectiveness J. Richard Hackman of Harvard studied teams ranging from airplane cockpits to symphony orchestras. What did he find? He calls it the “60/30/10 Rule.” 60 percent of a team’s success is “Who’s on the team?” 30 percent is how you organize it. And 10 percent, at most, is leadership. If you make clear what every member is responsible for, you get the most out of that 30 percent. The number one easy thing you can do to improve a team’s performance is to clarify roles. But the biggest issue is that 60%. And that means having A-players. You know the type. They don't just meet deadlines; they make deadlines sit in the corner and think about what they've done. They're the ones bringing a knife to a gunfight and still winning. Their passion for Excel borders on the erotic. Bow before their pivot table prowess. The difference between the best and worst workers is staggering. Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton, who studies top performers, found that in nearly all fields analyzed, the number of accomplishments by the top 10% will equal the number of accomplishments by the bottom 90% combined. Let that sink in. But let’s be real: you're not gonna have A-players. They're about as rare as a quiet child on a long-haul flight. You’re more likely to have coworkers whose very presence makes you question the existence of a higher power. So how do you find diamonds in the rough? We often think about the performance of individuals but we rarely consider context. How you do “Moneyball” for team members is by looking for the obviously bright people struggling in spots where they’re all but set up to fail. Those are the people you want to steal. Rescue these misfit toys from the Island of Unappreciated Talent and watch someone else’s C-player become your A-player. Okay, you have your crew. How do the best teams deal with one another? Team Interaction A study was done of over 350 employees in 60 business units at a financial services company, and guess what they found? The secret to a team's success lies in how the members feel about one another. Team members have to like each other. You know it makes a difference. But this can’t matter as much as having smart people, right? Wrong. What makes smart individuals is not what makes smart teams. Another study found that what makes sharp groups is not their average IQ but the average of their social skills. This effect is so powerful you can even quantify it. High-performance teams averaged 5.6 positive interactions for every negative one. And that may even be something of a human universal: what do happy marriages have in common? Yup: John Gottman found it was 5 positive interactions for every negative one. There’s an old saying that “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” And this turns out to be very true. Research shows team trust is not determined by an average of the members; it hovers at the level of the least trusted member. Now some are going to hear that and immediately think, “Oh, then we should get rid of all the negative people.” To which I say: WHOA, HOLD ON A SEC. Of course, you don’t want toxic people. But this constant corporate emphasis on everyone and everything being warm and fuzzy all the time needs to stop. Simply put: You need one team member who is not a team player. You need a disagreeable person. Not a jerk -- but somebody who says the honest thing that’s not going to be popular. Yes, you need them. Desperately. Without the Non-Team Player, your group is a ticking time bomb of unchallenged ideas. Without Captain Buzzkill over there, you're two steps away from group-hugging yourselves into oblivion. You need someone who’s willing to rock the boat. Someone willing to say, “This is ridiculous. We’re screwing up.” “Oh, you’re saying we need someone to play Devil’s Advocate.” No. Wrong. Bad. Studies show playing Devil’s Advocate only works when it’s sincere. Otherwise, it becomes just another box to check, and the feedback is ignored. You need the cranky person lurking in the corner with a raised eyebrow. They're here to throw a wrench in the gears of groupthink. While everyone else is patting each other on the back so hard they're performing the Heimlich maneuver, the Non-Team Player is busy saving you all from driving off the cliff of collective stupidity. And then we have that final 10% of Hackman’s equation: what makes a great team leader? Team Leadership What do you think the best leaders in the US Navy are like? You’re probably imagining Captain Granite-Jaw, a leader so tough he uses a cactus as a stress ball. He's the kind of guy who thinks that “team morale” is achieved by yelling louder. But that’s not the case. It’s more like Captain Cheerful -- the kind of officer who probably high-fives the dolphins. The Navy annually hands out prizes for efficiency and preparedness and they most frequently go to divisions with commanding officers that are supportive. Which squadrons rarely get the award? Those with leaders that are negative and controlling. And what’s the difference between a “manager” and a “leader” – other than the latter being a lot more popular in LinkedIn bios? John Kotter of Harvard found management is about consistency and order; leadership is about fulfilling human needs and creating change. Managers keep things running smoothly. Being a leader is much harder. It’s spending your day as an unlicensed therapist, navigating through an obstacle course of egos, insecurities, and the occasional emotional outburst. Being a leader is an informal role. In other words, you don’t need to wait for a promotion to be a leader, you just need the qualities of a leader. In fact, promotions don’t create leaders nearly as often as leadership creates promotions. What should you do to become a better leader? Three things: develop your people skills, grow your network, and have a future focus that sets a course for the group. That “setting a course” part is vital: “One study of more than five hundred professionals and managers in thirty companies found that unclear objectives became the biggest barrier to effective team performance.” This can sound daunting. It doesn’t need to be. A huge part of team leadership is merely creating the right environment. Do that well and a lot of things fall into place automatically. A good team environment has 3 parts: safety, vulnerability, purpose. Safety Alex Pentland at MIT says the thing that’s critical is “belonging cues.” Pentland found they were the number one predictor of team performance — more predictive than intelligence, skill or leadership. So make sure everyone is getting a chance to speak. That people are paying attention to one another and making eye contact. That body language is respectful and everyone feels heard. Vulnerability No, it’s not easy to be as open and raw as a daytime talk show guest. But making ourselves vulnerable builds connection and trust. And research by Jeff Polzer at Harvard shows there’s a vital other side to that as well — how team members respond to vulnerability. Admitting weakness is so powerful that it’s even done by the last group you’d ever expect to show vulnerability: Navy SEALs. After SEALs complete a mission they do what’s called an “After-Action Review.” And the words most encouraged in the meeting are: “I screwed that up.” By admitting weakness group members learn to trust, to be honest, and to ask for help. And by reviewing their mistakes they improve. Purpose Good leaders create a story: This is who we are. This is what we do. This is what we stand for. These are our goals. Might sound silly for a group that’s auditing insurance contracts but it can be the difference between team spirit and feeling like a loose group forced together by bureaucracy. Okay, we’ve covered a lot. Time to round it all up – and learn what it takes to inspire and motivate a team... Sum Up Here are the secrets of high-performing teams... Creating A Team. (Or Maybe You Shouldn’t.):Ask the unasked question: do you really need a team? And if you have more members than a 90’s boy band, you're in trouble. Every time a team is unnecessarily expanded, a productivity fairy dies. Team Effectiveness: 60 percent of a team’s success is “Who’s on the team?” 30 percent is clarifying roles. And 10 percent is leadership. So get A-Players. The difference between the best and worst performers is the difference between a firecracker and the Big Bang. Team Interaction: They need to like each other. Social skills, not average IQ, is what makes smart teams. And you need a disagreeable person. Somebody more Wednesday Addams than Mary Poppins. They might not be the hero you want, but they're the hero you need; the one who'll pull the emergency brake on the runaway train of groupthink. Team Leadership: Even in the Navy, the best squadrons are led by commanders who are less like Captain Bligh and more like Mr. Rogers. Create an environment with safety (Does everyone feel they can speak?), vulnerability (good old-fashioned emotional nudity) and purpose (“This is who we are. This is what we stand for.”) and you’re most of the way there. Research shows you inspire people by reminding them why their jobs are important. What positive effect are they having? Find a way to make this visible. Similarly, Teresa Amabile at Harvard found what really motivates people is a feeling of progress toward important goals. Like points in a video game or completed miles in a marathon, when we see we’re making progress, we keep going. Implement some of the above and it might be more than fear of living under a bridge that gets you moving at the office. When you’re working with a great team, every day feels like you've hit the jackpot in the lottery of office life. It’s less of a never-ending slog and more like a sitcom where everyone's quirky but lovable. You half expect a laugh track to play every time someone makes a joke in a meeting. You start to wonder if you're actually at work or if you've accidentally joined a cult... But it's a nice cult, with great dental and a 401(k) plan. ***If you are one of those lovely people who bought "Plays Well With Others" please leave a review on Amazon here. Thanks!*** Email Extras Findings from around the internet... + Want to know a cheap pill that can make you smarter? Click here. + Want to know the best way to brag in a job interview? Click here. + Want to know an underdiscussed thing that can make you more attractive? Click here. + Miss my prior post? Here you go: This Is How To Spend Your Money To Maximize Happiness. + Want to know a easy way to improve your relationship? Click here. + You read to the end of the email. Obviously, we make a great team. And thank you for perfectly executing your half of the project. Yes -- it's Crackerjack time: Sometimes we all feel weird, alone, or ashamed. Truth is, most of what we feel everyone deals with. It's reassuring to understand that we're not alone. So what are the most common things people are ashamed to tell their therapists -- that are actually very normal? For the answers, click here. Thanks for reading! Eric PS: If a friend forwarded this to you, you can sign up to get the weekly email yourself here.

Dear Prime Minister Trudeau:

In Canada's wilderness, only one spotted owl remains—a stark symbol of a crisis. [1] This heartbreaking reality is directly linked to your inaction to create a nation-wide nature protection law. This morning, a friend on behalf of the lone spotted owl took a message to your doorstep: "Nature is in crisis, and your words are empty without action. Pass a biodiversity protection law before the next Nature COP negotiations; the clock is ticking! "

The spotted owl's decline to a solitary individual in Canada is intricately tied to the absence of adequate measures, during almost a decade in power, from your Liberal government. But the spotted owl is not an isolated case: with over 2000 species at risk in Canada, current laws are failing nature. [2] We need legislation that holds the government accountable and ensures that Canada actually meets biodiversity targets, especially after chronic failures to deliver on previous ones. [3]

The plight of dwindling species like the spotted owl has not gone unnoticed: over 60,000 people across the country have raised a red flag by signing our petition calling for the swift passage of new nature legislation. [4] Today, alongside activists, volunteers, and supporters from every part of Canada, we are reminding you, prime minister Trudeau, that inaction is no longer an option. You need to hear us loud and clear and help to pass a strong Nature & Biodiversity Act before this year’s Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations in October. Will you help the spotted owl deliver her message to all government politicians on both sides of the political spectrum?

Yes, I will help the owl deliver her message.

Over a year ago, your government actually signed a global biodiversity agreement then committed to passing nature protection legislation to make it a reality here in Canada. The Liberal government recently reaffirmed that commitment at the end of 2023. [5, 6] But words upon words and “formal announcements” amount to blah blah blah as the clock keeps ticking. It’s time for real action from you AND YOUR GOVERNMENT PRIME MINISTER JUSTIN TRUDEAU, not just words.

Urge your government to pass a law to protect nature.

If a lone spotted owl is a reminder of anything, it's this: we don't need to wait until species are on the brink to act. A strong nature protection law for Canada means preventing further losses. It's up to us to speak the words they cannot and bring those to the ears of our elected representatives.

Thank you for being a crucial part of this movement,   Léanne, Digital Campaigner, Greenpeace Canada

Sources: [1] ‘There’s Only One Spotted Owl Left in the Canadian Wild. Can She Be Saved?’, June 2 2023, The Walrus [2] ‘More than 2,000 wild species face a high risk of being wiped out in Canada, report warns’, November 30 2022, CBC [3] Report: Protecting Nature, Protecting Life, Greenpeace Canada, June 2022 [4] Petition: ‘Protect biodiversity in Canada: Urge Justin Trudeau to pass a law to protect nature before Nature COP this year’, Greenpeace Canada [5] Government of Canada takes action to restore and protect nature with commitment to introduce a nature accountability bill in 2024, Government of Canada, 9 Dec 2023 [6] Nature groups give high marks for Canada’s new commitment to a high ambition action plan to halt and reverse nature loss, Greenpeace Canada, 15 December 2022

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