Sustainability by design (7 talks)

In a short, funny, data-packed talk at TED U, Catherine Mohr walks through all the geeky decisions she made when building a green new house -- looking at real energy numbers, not hype. What choices matter most? Not the ones you think.

TED2010, Filmed Feb 2010, Posted Apr 2010

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Researcher Kamal Meattle shows how an arrangement of three common houseplants, used in specific spots in a home or office building, can result in measurably cleaner indoor air.

TED2009, Filmed Feb 2009, Posted Mar 2009

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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. Read Mike's responses to questions about this talk.

TEDGlobal 2011, Filmed Jul 2011, Posted Oct 2011

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Product designer Eben Bayer reveals his recipe for a new, fungus-based packaging material that protects fragile stuff like furniture, plasma screens -- and the environment.

TEDGlobal 2010, Filmed Jul 2010, Posted Oct 2010

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TED Fellow and urban designer Mitchell Joachim presents his vision for sustainable, organic architecture: eco-friendly abodes grown from plants and -- wait for it -- meat.

TED2010, Filmed Feb 2010, Posted Jul 2010

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With wisdom and wit, Anupam Mishra talks about the amazing feats of engineering built centuries ago by the people of India's Golden Desert to harvest water. These structures are still used today -- and are often superior to modern water megaprojects.

TEDIndia 2009, Filmed Nov 2009, Posted Dec 2009

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In this funny and insightful talk, builder Dan Phillips tours us through a dozen homes he's built in Texas using recycled and reclaimed materials in wildly creative ways. Brilliant, low-tech design details will refresh your own creative drive. (Filmed at TEDxHouston.)

TEDxHouston, Filmed Oct 2010, Posted Nov 2010

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