TED Talks
TED: How buildings can improve life - inside and out | Doris Sung
Architect and building tech innovator Doris Sung presents a compelling vision for reimagining building facades as active contributors to urban life and public health. Showcasing innovative technologies - like buildings that filter...
TED Talks
TED: The invisible networks shaping your everyday life | Deb Chachra
The basic infrastructure that controls plumbing, electricity and more is vital to your individual agency, says engineering professor Deb Chachra. She offers a crash course on how these systems connect to shape our lives — and suggests...
SciShow
How To Clear Icy Roads, With Science
Icy roads are a huge hazard, and typical methods of de-icing them can be pretty toxic to wildlife. Which is why researchers have been so fixated on finding better alternatives, from brine to pig pee.
TED Talks
TED: Lessons from the past on adapting to climate change | Laprisha Berry Daniels
Laprisha Berry Daniels' grandparents left the Southern United States and migrated north to Detroit in the 1950s — a move that could be considered a big "climate change." Now, as a public health social worker, Berry Daniels mines the...
TED Talks
TED: Can a simple brick be the next great battery? | John O'Donnell
The world relies on manufacturing, and manufacturing relies on heat — a massive contributor to global carbon emissions, responsible for a quarter of the world's fossil fuel use. Energy entrepreneur John O'Donnell has figured out a...
SciShow
How To Clear Icy Roads, With Science
Icy roads are a huge hazard, and typical methods of de-icing them can be pretty toxic to wildlife. Which is why researchers have been so fixated on finding better alternatives, from brine to pig pee.
TED Talks
TED: How to harness abundant, clean energy for 10 billion people | Julio Friedmann
We can produce abundant, sustainable and cheap energy — for everyone, says physicist Julio Friedmann. He explores the infrastructure, innovation and investment needed to supply energy to 10 billion people, offering case studies from...
TED Talks
TED: The secret perks of driving electric | Cynthia Williams
Electric vehicles need to be more than just eco-friendly — they have to be more chic, convenient and affordable than their gas-powered alternatives, says sustainability leader Cynthia Williams. She explores what it'll take for an...
TED Talks
TED: Why you should ditch deadly fossil-fuel appliances | Donnel Baird
In the US, people spend the overwhelming majority of their time inside buildings that burn fossil fuels, which are bad for both the environment and human health. (Think: breathing in air pollution from gas stoves, furnaces and water...
TED Talks
TED: How business can drive solutions to social problems | Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor
Driven by the belief that businesses can — and should — invest in the communities around them, Intercorp founder and philanthropist Carlos Rodríguez-Pastor has built schools, pharmacies and a literal bridge to better serve Peru's growing...
TED Talks
TED: Can AI help solve the climate crisis? | Sims Witherspoon
AI can be a transformational tool in our fight against climate change, says Sims Witherspoon, a leader at the AI research lab Google DeepMind. Using wind power as her case study, she explains how powerful neural networks can help us...
TED Talks
TED: Detroit's climate crisis -- and how to build a resilient future everywhere | Anika Goss
How can cities become resilient to the shocks of climate change? As a leading force behind Detroit's ongoing revitalization, Anika Goss spends a lot of time thinking about this question. Connecting the city's industrial past to its...
TED Talks
TED: How to make sure materials get reused -- again and again | Garry Cooper
What if we could harness the power and value of all that we discard? Circular economy builder Garry Cooper presents a compelling vision for transforming cities into sustainable, circular economies, citing real-world examples of how...
SciShow
How Can I Make A Traffic Light Turn Green?
If you've ever been stuck at a red light on a country road, you know it can be annoying. No other cars for miles, but you can't shake the feeling that if you run the light, one will appear out of nowhere and slam into you. Today we have...
TED Talks
TED: What happens to gas stations when the world goes electric? | Emily Grubert
When the world goes fully electric, what happens to the cars, tools and livelihoods that rely on fossil fuels? Civil engineer and environmental sociologist Emily Grubert visualizes what a clean energy future will look like, outlining the...
PBS
This super strong concrete could repair aging bridges. Here’s what’s standing in the way
There's a dire need to repair aging infrastructure in the U.S., and an innovative building material could be a game changer. Embedded with steel fibers, ultra-high performance concrete is about five to 10 times stronger than standard...
PBS
How faculty mentors can help first-generation students succeed
A new initiative by the University of California system uses first-generation faculty to guide first-generation students, with the goal of decreasing dropout rates. As part of our series Rethinking College, Hari Sreenivasan visits UCLA...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: What happens if you cut down all of a city's trees? | Stefan Al
By 2050, it's estimated that over 65% of the world will be living in cities. We may think of nature as being unconnected to our urban spaces, but trees have always been an essential part of successful cities. Humanity has been uncovering...
TED Talks
TED: A 3-part plan to take on extreme heat waves | Eleni Myrivili
The deadliest severe weather phenomenon is something you might not realize: extreme heat. Eleni Myrivili, chief heat officer of the city of Athens, Greece, explains that extreme heat and heat waves are often overlooked because they're...
TED Talks
TED: Medical tech designed to meet Africa's needs | Soyapi Mumba
In sub-Saharan Africa, power outages, low technology penetration, slow internet and understaffed hospitals plague health care systems. To make progress on these problems in Malawi, TED Fellow Soyapi Mumba and his team created a new...
TED Talks
TED: The next generation of African architects and designers | Christian Benimana
Christian Benimana wants to build a network of architects who can help Africa's booming cities flourish in sustainable, equitable ways -- balancing growth with values that are uniquely African. From Nigeria to Burkina Faso and beyond, he...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The true cost of gold | Lyla Latif
In 2020, Mali produced over 71 tons of gold— an amount worth billions of dollars. But Mali saw only $850 million dollars from that gold. And this situation isn't unique: a number of other gold-rich countries in Africa aren't seeing the...
TED-Ed
The life cycle of a cup of coffee | A.J. Jacobs
How many people does it take to make a cup of coffee? For many of us, all it takes is a short walk and a quick pour. But this simple staple is the result of a globe-spanning process whose cost and complexity are far greater than you...
TED Talks
TED: The biggest risks facing cities -- and some solutions | Robert Muggah
With fantastic new maps that show interactive, visual representations of urban fragility, Robert Muggah articulates an ancient but resurging idea: cities shouldn't just be the center of economics -- they should also be the foundation of...