Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Paul Hawken is a brilliant thinker, author, activist, and elder who masterfully distills wisdom about our planetary home.
I remember hearing Paul's 2009 commencement speech called "You Are Brilliant and The Earth is Hiring" where he said "You are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on Earth at a time when every living system is declining and the rate of decline is accelerating."
Paul is the author of nine bestselling books including 'Drawdown', 'Regeneration', and his latest book 'Carbon, The Book of Life'—an incredible book that came out in 2025 and masterfully distills endless planetary wisdom into simple truths we all need to hear. (I included it in 'The Very Best Books I Read in 2025.')
Grab a seat between us and let's talk about how nature cooperates, why fighting climate change is the wrong metaphor, why the climate crisis is a human crisis, how jargon disconnects, and what decades of activism have taught Paul about being human.
This conversation with a sage of sages stuck with me and I think it'll stick with you.
Let's flip the page into Chapter 157 now ...
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0:00: Welcome to Chapter 157 of 3 Books
9:30: Paul Hawken Setting the Scene
11:23: Quotes and Reflections from Carbon: The Book of Life'
24:03: Who really is Paul Hawken?
31:36: Book 1: Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37:11 Connection with the Outdoors
39:53 Thoughts for the Younger Generations
43:57 Ingredients for a Great Walk
48:56 How the Climate Movement Has Failed
1:13:13 Book 2: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
1:24:51 Thoughts on Legacy
1:27:36 Advice on Parenting
1:29:50 Book 3: Kokoro by Lafcadio Hearn
1:34:53 Principles of Eating
1:47:36 Spending time Outside
1:52:02 How We Live Today
1:59:22 Final Reflections
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SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
Paul Hawken is a brilliant thinker, author, activist, and elder who masterfully distills wisdom about our planetary home.
I remember hearing Paul's 2009 commencement speech called "You Are Brilliant and The Earth is Hiring" where he said "You are going to have to figure out what it means to be a human being on Earth at a time when every living system is declining and the rate of decline is accelerating."
Paul is the author of nine bestselling books including 'Drawdown', 'Regeneration', and his latest book 'Carbon, The Book of Life'—an incredible book that came out in 2025 and masterfully distills endless planetary wisdom into simple truths we all need to hear. (I included it in 'The Very Best Books I Read in 2025.')
Grab a seat between us and let's talk about how nature cooperates, why fighting climate change is the wrong metaphor, why the climate crisis is a human crisis, how jargon disconnects, and what decades of activism have taught Paul about being human.
This conversation with a sage of sages stuck with me and I think it'll stick with you.
Let's flip the page into Chapter 157 now ...
-
0:00: Welcome to Chapter 157 of 3 Books
9:30: Paul Hawken Setting the Scene
11:23: Quotes and Reflections from Carbon: The Book of Life'
24:03: Who really is Paul Hawken?
31:36: Book 1: Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
37:11 Connection with the Outdoors
39:53 Thoughts for the Younger Generations
43:57 Ingredients for a Great Walk
48:56 How the Climate Movement Has Failed
1:13:13 Book 2: Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe
1:24:51 Thoughts on Legacy
1:27:36 Advice on Parenting
1:29:50 Book 3: Kokoro by Lafcadio Hearn
1:34:53 Principles of Eating
1:47:36 Spending time Outside
1:52:02 How We Live Today
1:59:22 Final Reflections
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
