If you’ve been using social media for a while, chances are you’ve run into Chris Agnos’ work via Sustainable Human.

With a following of over 1.5 million people, Chris’ Sustainable Human Facebook page  attempts to dive into the deep roots of our many sustainability crises.

New Stories for the Sustainable Human

Like Sacred Economics author Charles Eisenstein, Chris believes the solution to our unsustainable cultural system lies within the stories we tell ourselves.

For example, the story that says humans are basically self-interested and that Nature exists solely so that we can exploit her resources, tends to result in materialism and destruction of the planet.

But the story that says humans are basically kind and generous and just one of many organisms living symbiotically with Mother Earth, can create something much more beneficial.

That kind of thinking resulted in Chris’ now famous viral video, “How Wolves Change Rivers.”

A New Gift Economy

Like many who saw it, I was touched by how well “How Wolves Change Rivers” illustrates the hidden yet profound effects that one animal can have on its environment.

Later, when a friend pointed out the Sustainable Human page and an associated community effort to spread more of these stories, I immediately signed up!

When Chris posted an editorial detailing the merits of a new social media platform called Tsu, I had to check it out. I’m so glad I did because it was on Tsu that I met my friend and co-host of The Sustainable Living Podcast, Marianne West!

When I recently learned about Chris’s latest project – The  Sustainable Human Gift Economy – I joined immediately and was thrilled to get the opportunity to provide social media and content marketing support for the effort.

In this interview, Chris and I discuss the concept of sustainable living, marketing, the importance of choosing stories that serve us, and much more.

Join Dr. Kelly and Chris Agnos this week as we discuss the world-wide shift towards an economics of consciousness. Technological unemployment, extreme inequality, and exponential growth are eroding the foundations of our current economic system. Politicians and elites invested in the status quo are incapable of coming up with solutions within the current economic framework. It may be up to each of us to begin taking the steps towards a voluntary, gift-based economic system that may also restore that lost sense of community many of us feel in the modern world.

Chris is a social / cultural engineer and storyteller. He has been running the Sustainable Human Facebook page with a following of over 1.5 million people attempting to dive into the deep roots of our many sustainability crises. Chris has spoken at TED and has recently flipped the idea of an organization upside down in a way that he hopes will offer an alternative narrative for people to voluntarily choose to bring about a world of sustainable abundance for all. Find out more at sustainablehuman.com

Superhero Academy Podcast
Chris Agnos – Sustainable Man

For full notes and key points, please visit LINKSOON

Summary
In this podcast, Marc Coppola interviews Chris Agnos, the founder of Sustainable Man, a Facebook page and website that is making waves in the world of sustainability. Chris created Sustainable Man to discuss issues on sustainability, to find out the root reasons why we aren’t sustainable as a civilization and a culture. People already know the solutions to problems on connection and environment, and if we do something about it, we know we can change the situation. We feel trapped in our patterns of living and in our story. We live in a dynamic world. We can do something, no matter how little, to contribute to the environment. We are connected to the world and every action we make has an impact on it. We have to change our lifestyle today to be part of the solution and collaborate with like-minded people who value sustainability in order to create a new and better world for all of us to share in the New Story.

Main Questions Asked
• What is the story of Sustainable Man? How did you get to this point? [22:55]
• Why are you doing Sustainable Man? What is your goal in doing it? [23:00]
• What is Sustainable Man working on next? [23:04]

Powerful Quotes
• “When we become aware that we live in stories it’s important for us to choose a story that’s aligned with how we want to be in the world and who we want to be in the world.” – Chris Agnos [09:00]
• “It’s as important to take action as it is to tell the story.” – Marc Coppola [13:25]
• “You are nothing but the sum total of your relationships.” – Chris Agnos [20:20]
• “That’s why we’re here in this planet is to have as many great experiences as we can.” – Chris Agnos [38:35]