Join me in the studio of artist and activist Jay Critchley, a Provincetown legend known for his provocative work at the intersection of masculinity, environmental degradation, and consumption. Each year in his annual RE-ROOTER Ceremony, the artist includes the public in an attempt to discard the objects and experiences that prohibit us making from a deeper connection with the earth and human life, and to “re-root” ourselves to the earth. He also pushes a flaming Christmas tree into the Cape Cod Bay.

Down in Jay's former septic system we literally get deep, discussing everything from Jay's long history of combining political activism and creative projects to his celebration of limp penises to the problem with carbon captured broligarchs.

To keep the show going, ⁠become a Non-Toxic patron today⁠. And if you’re motivated by material possessions, we’ve got ⁠some great thank you gifts for our supporters.⁠ And ⁠sign up for our free Substack⁠, where you can stay up to date on all things Non-Toxic.

In this episode, I'm joined by Malcolm Harris, author of Kids These Days, Palo Alto, and What's Left: Three Paths Through the Planetary Crisis, out April 15, 2025 and available for pre-order.

His new book is a survey of left political-economic thought, broken down into what Malcolm sees as the three viable strategies for addressing the climate crisis. To end our economic addiction to fossil fuels, we can use the dark magic of marketcraft, build muscular public power, or we can go full communism. Or perhaps we will need all three, he says. "A strategy of strategies."

Malcolm and I also get into the pitfalls of market solutions and the so-called "abundance agenda," the masculine allure of eco-modernism, and why the left needs to find common ground instead of fighting each other.

Follow Malcolm on Twitter, and join him on tour for What's Left in  Philadelphia, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Portland, and Baltimore.

And read Malcolm's full review of Abundance, in The Baffler.

To keep the show going, ⁠become a Non-Toxic patron today⁠. And if you’re motivated by material possessions, we’ve got ⁠some great thank you gifts for our supporters.⁠ And ⁠sign up for our free Substack⁠, where you can stay up to date on all things Non-Toxic.

Like a rhizomatic network, Non-Toxic is linking and building with investigative climate journalist Amy Westervelt. She and the Drilled podcast team will be helping out with a special mini-season of Non-Toxic x Drilled, launching summer 2025.

For those of you who aren’t already devoted Drilled listeners, it’s one of the best climate podcasts out there. They’ve covered everything from the birth of climate denial to the criminalization of climate protest to Exxon’s corrupt efforts to secure deep sea drilling rights off the coast of Guyana. While working on Non-Toxic, I’ve always looked to Drilled as an example of the kinds of stories I want to tell and the impact I hope to have. So it’s really a dream to be working with them.

In the meantime, while I work on that, I'll be releasing bonus episodes on everything from male infertility to the failures of "abundance bros."

To keep the show going, become a Non-Toxic patron today. And if you’re motivated by material possessions, we’ve got some great thank you gifts for our supporters. And sign up for our free Substack, where you can stay up to date on all things Non-Toxic.