Ideas worth spreading

This app makes it fun to pick up litter

1,546,726 views |

Jeff Kirschner |

TED Residency

• December 2016

The earth is a big place to keep clean. With Litterati -- an app for users to identify, collect and geotag the world's litter -- TED Resident Jeff Kirschner has created a community that's crowdsource-cleaning the planet. After tracking trash in more than 100 countries, Kirschner hopes to use the data he's collected to work with brands and organizations to stop litter before it reaches the ground.

The earth is a big place to keep clean. With Litterati -- an app for users to identify, collect and geotag the world's litter -- TED Resident Jeff Kirschner has created a community that's crowdsource-cleaning the planet. After tracking trash in more than 100 countries, Kirschner hopes to use the data he's collected to work with brands and organizations to stop litter before it reaches the ground.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Download the Litterati app and join the community!

Help fund Litterati and join the mission to create a litter-free world.

About the speaker

Jeff Kirschner

See speaker profile

Jeff Kirschner created a global community that's eradicating litter one piece at a time.

Random House Books for Young Readers, 1971 | Book

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to get better. It’s not." This story inspires me every time. It beautifully illustrates the danger that corporate greed poses to nature and reminds us how it takes the courage of an individual to defend those who can’t defend themselves. Such a simple, yet powerful message.

Phil Jackson | Penguin Books, 2014 | Book

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

Between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in professional sports. And while the stories of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal are fascinating, what I found most insightful were the lessons of authentic leadership and selfless teamwork.

Steve Case | Simon & Schuster, 2017 | Book

The Third Wave

This is a roadmap for the future. Part memoir, part manifesto, Steve Case puts forth a clear and compelling case for why new companies will have to rethink the way they do business. From their relationships with customers and competitors, to how they collaborate with governments. The Third Wave offers wonderful advice for anyone building for tomorrow.

Guy Raz | Listen

How I Built This

This NPR podcast tells the stories behind the innovators and entrepreneurs. It’s great to hear about those who started with nothing and through grit, perseverance, and luck, built it into something.

Directed by Vik Muniz | Watch

Talk about eye-opening, this fascinating documentary will take you to a place few have seen - the world’s largest landfill. Located outside Rio de Janeiro, Jardim Gramacho is a place where men, women, and children pick garbage for a living. Contemporary artist Vik Muniz works with the "catadores" (those who sift for recyclables) to produce enormous portraits of these people, while learning about their daily lives living in the trash.

Directed by Andrew Stanton | Watch

This Pixar classic requires no introduction. WALL-E is the last robot left on Earth. He spends his days cleaning up the planet, one piece at a time. If you haven’t seen it, stop watching my TED Talk and go do so immediately.

| Explore

Check out these amazing organizations!

5Gyres
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Let’s Do It World

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Download the Litterati app and join the community!

Help fund Litterati and join the mission to create a litter-free world.