What's the key to using alternative energy, like solar and wind? Storage -- so we can have power on tap even when the sun's not out and the wind's not blowing. In ...
[LESS INFO] 5 VIEWS | ADDED 15:19:04 03/26/12
What's the key to using alternative energy, like solar and wind? Storage -- so we can have power on tap even when the sun's not out and the wind's not blowing. In this accessible, inspiring talk, Donald Sadoway takes to the blackboard to show us the future of large-scale batteries that store renewable energy. As he says: "We need to think about the problem differently. We need to think big. We need to think cheap."
Taylor Wilson: Yup,...
4 Views 14:28:08 03/22/12
Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something about both of those: Whe...
[LESS INFO] 4 VIEWS | ADDED 14:28:08 03/22/12
Taylor Wilson believes nuclear fusion is a solution to our future energy needs, and that kids can change the world. And he knows something about both of those: When he was 14, he built a working fusion reactor in his parents' garage. Now 17, he takes the TED stage at short notice to tell (the short version of) his story.
T. Boone Pickens: L...
11 Views 15:41:02 03/19/12
The US consumes 25% of the world's oil -- but as energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens points out onstage, the country has no energy policy to prepare for the inevitable....
[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 15:41:02 03/19/12
The US consumes 25% of the world's oil -- but as energy tycoon T. Boone Pickens points out onstage, the country has no energy policy to prepare for the inevitable. Is alternative energy our bridge to an oil-free future? After losing $150 million investing in wind energy, Pickens suggests it isn't, not yet. What might get us there? Natural gas. After the talk, watch for a lively Q%A with TED Curator Chris Anderson.
James Hansen: Why I...
23 Views 15:57:57 03/07/12
Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhel...
[LESS INFO] 23 VIEWS | ADDED 15:57:57 03/07/12
Top climate scientist James Hansen tells the story of his involvement in the science of and debate over global climate change. In doing so he outlines the overwhelming evidence that change is happening and why that makes him deeply worried about the future.
Pavan Sukhdev: Put ...
7 Views 15:17:13 12/14/11
Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we ...
[LESS INFO] 7 VIEWS | ADDED 15:17:13 12/14/11
Every day, we use materials from the earth without thinking, for free. But what if we had to pay for their true value: would it make us more careful about what we use and what we waste? Think of Pavan Sukhdev as nature's banker -- assessing the value of the Earth's assets. Eye-opening charts will make you think differently about the cost of air, water, trees ...
Britta Riley: A gar...
16 Views 16:12:54 11/25/11
Britta Riley wanted to grow her own food (in her tiny apartment). So she and her friends developed a system for growing plants in discarded plastic bottles -- rese...
[LESS INFO] 16 VIEWS | ADDED 16:12:54 11/25/11
Britta Riley wanted to grow her own food (in her tiny apartment). So she and her friends developed a system for growing plants in discarded plastic bottles -- researching, testing and tweaking the system using social media, trying many variations at once and quickly arriving at the optimal system. Call it distributed DIY. And the results? Delicious.
Justin Hall-Tipping...
3 Views 14:47:46 10/18/11
What would happen if we could generate power from our windowpanes? In this moving talk, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping shows the materials that could make that p...
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 14:47:46 10/18/11
What would happen if we could generate power from our windowpanes? In this moving talk, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping shows the materials that could make that possible, and how questioning our notion of 'normal' can lead to extraordinary breakthroughs.
Jae Rhim Lee: My mu...
11 Views 15:11:53 10/14/11
Here's a powerful provocation from artist Jae Rhim Lee. Can we commit our bodies to a cleaner, greener Earth, even after death? Naturally -- using a special burial...
[LESS INFO] 11 VIEWS | ADDED 15:11:53 10/14/11
Here's a powerful provocation from artist Jae Rhim Lee. Can we commit our bodies to a cleaner, greener Earth, even after death? Naturally -- using a special burial suit seeded with pollution-gobbling mushrooms. Yes, this just might be the strangest TEDTalk you'll ever see ...
Mike Biddle: We can...
3 Views 15:07:28 10/06/11
Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different...
[LESS INFO] 3 VIEWS | ADDED 15:07:28 10/06/11
Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Frustrated by this waste, Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.
Kate Hartman: The a...
14 Views 14:51:39 09/14/11
Artist Kate Hartman uses wearable electronics to explore how we communicate, with ourselves and with the world. In this quirky and thought-provoking talk, she show...
[LESS INFO] 14 VIEWS | ADDED 14:51:39 09/14/11
Artist Kate Hartman uses wearable electronics to explore how we communicate, with ourselves and with the world. In this quirky and thought-provoking talk, she shows the "Talk to Yourself Hat", the "Inflatable Heart", the "Glacier Embracing Suit", and other unexpected devices.
Alex Steffen: The s...
19 Views 15:37:10 08/08/11
How can cities help save the future? Alex Steffen shows some cool neighborhood-based green projects that expand our access to things we want and need -- while redu...
[LESS INFO] 19 VIEWS | ADDED 15:37:10 08/08/11
How can cities help save the future? Alex Steffen shows some cool neighborhood-based green projects that expand our access to things we want and need -- while reducing the time we spend in cars.
Jessica Green: Are ...
22 Views 14:22:50 08/04/11
Should we keep the outdoors out of hospitals? Ecologist and TED Fellow Jessica Green has found that mechanical ventilation does get rid of many types of microbes, ...
[LESS INFO] 22 VIEWS | ADDED 14:22:50 08/04/11
Should we keep the outdoors out of hospitals? Ecologist and TED Fellow Jessica Green has found that mechanical ventilation does get rid of many types of microbes, but the wrong kinds: the ones left in the hospital are much more likely to be pathogens.
Fiorenzo Omenetto: ...
28 Views 14:45:56 05/10/11
Fiorenzo Omenetto shares 20+ astonishing new uses for silk, one of nature's most elegant materials -- in transmitting light, improving sustainability, adding stren...
[LESS INFO] 28 VIEWS | ADDED 14:45:56 05/10/11
Fiorenzo Omenetto shares 20+ astonishing new uses for silk, one of nature's most elegant materials -- in transmitting light, improving sustainability, adding strength and making medical leaps and bounds. On stage, he shows a few intriguing items made of the versatile stuff.
Angela Belcher: Usi...
12 Views 15:09:48 04/27/11
Inspired by an abalone shell, Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures that humans can use. Selecting for high-performing genes through...
[LESS INFO] 12 VIEWS | ADDED 15:09:48 04/27/11
Inspired by an abalone shell, Angela Belcher programs viruses to make elegant nanoscale structures that humans can use. Selecting for high-performing genes through directed evolution, she's produced viruses that can construct powerful new batteries, clean hydrogen fuels and record-breaking solar cells. At TEDxCaltech, she shows us how it's done.
Rob Harmon: How the...
21 Views 15:35:10 03/11/11
With streams and rivers drying up because of over-usage, Rob Harmon has implemented an ingenious market mechanism to bring back the water. Farmers and beer compani...
[LESS INFO] 21 VIEWS | ADDED 15:35:10 03/11/11
With streams and rivers drying up because of over-usage, Rob Harmon has implemented an ingenious market mechanism to bring back the water. Farmers and beer companies find their fates intertwined in the intriguing century-old tale of Prickly Pear Creek.
Van Jones: The econ...
20 Views 17:45:35 01/19/11
Van Jones lays out a case against plastic pollution from the perspective of social justice. Because plastic trash, he shows us, hits poor people and poor countries...
[LESS INFO] 20 VIEWS | ADDED 17:45:35 01/19/11
Van Jones lays out a case against plastic pollution from the perspective of social justice. Because plastic trash, he shows us, hits poor people and poor countries "first and worst," with consequences we all share no matter where we live and what we earn. At TEDxGPGP, he offers a few powerful ideas to help us reclaim our throwaway planet.
Eric Sanderson pictures New York -- before the City 10/12/09
400 years after Hudson found New York harbor, Eric Sanderson shares how he made a 3D map of Mannahatta's fascinating pre-city ecology of hills, rivers, wildlife -- accurate down to the block -- when Times Square was a wetland and you couldn't get delivery.
