Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are the Keys to Sustainability, by David Owen, should be required reading for anyone working or providing input in the transportation, city planning and energy – specifically, sustainability – spaces.
After finishing the book earlier this year, I wrote the author the email below to express my appreciation. I’m including my email here because it serves as a nice nice introduction and summary of my key takeaways.
This is Part III of my series, Work is Fun. Here is Part I and Part II.
In the winter, the weather outside bled through the office windows, accentuating the filth and decay surrounding us inside.
The drab, hazy grey skies mirrored the blank and fading walls.
Snowflakes fell lightly through naked branches like the gathered dust that tumbled down from the drapes and bookshelves above our desks.
This is Part II of my series, Work is Fun. Here is Part I and Part III.
Morale dipped after a week of working with the drone boss. You wouldn’t have been able to tell at a glance because our faces remained blank as ever.
Our reports, on the other hand, were filled with egregious, unprofessional typographical errors revealing the downtrodden mood wafting across the front lines.
This is Part I of my series, Work is Fun. Here is Part II and Part III.
“Are you happy?”
The question from my boss sifted through the cramped office and clung to us like crop dust.
Huddled on stained couches and broken chairs, we all paused from hammering on our laptops to consider the question. A few people looked up and shrugged ambivalently.
He walked out of the room. We let out a collective sigh and got back to work.
It was early morning and the rise of clicking keyboards, buzzing phones, flickering fluorescent lights and looming deadlines smothered any remnants of self-reflection.
The MBA journey began with an arduous application process. Then, it officially launched with an inspiring first semester and a busy first year. Now, after two tough years that kinda flew by, I finished strong, graduated and celebrated with a two-week trip to China.
I’ve said it a million times, but getting my MBA is already one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and one of my proudest accomplishments .
It’s right up there with becoming an Ironman, and hitting a home run (opposite field) in the top of the ninth in the sixth grade little league All Star game (even though we went on to lose in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a walk-off home run, soon after my moment in the sun).
