Theme: TEDxCountdown local event

TEDxWallingford is an independently-organised TEDxCountdown event. It brings together nine speakers; local, from the wider UK and international, who are all passionate about their 'ideas worth spreading' about solutions to the climate crisis.

Wallingford Online
87 High Street
Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 0BW
United Kingdom

Alexandra Whittington

Futurist

Alexandra Whittington is a consultant, educator, writer, and researcher who is recognised as one of the world’s top women futurists. She has taught as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Houston since 2009, where her students describe her as “passionate” about the future. Her courses explore the impact of technology on society and the future of human ecosystems. She has published dozens of articles exploring diverse aspects of the future, often from a feminist perspective. Alex has coauthored/coedited several books including A Very Human Future (2018) and Aftershocks and Opportunities: Scenarios for a Post-Pandemic Future (2020). She is on the Futurist Board at the Lifeboat Foundation and contributor to the Lifeboat blog. She referees academic articles for journals, is an XPRIZE Community Member, and has served as a volunteer for the Association of Professional Futurists. Alex has degrees in anthropology (BA) and studies of the future (MS) from the University of Houston.

Edd Keene

Musician

Edd Keene is a multi-instrumentalist live looping performer. He has been captivating audiences at home and abroad since 2007 with his skilful weaving together of saxophone, flute, guitar, bass, drums and vocals all live on stage with no pre-recordings or safety net.

Erik Agudelo

Games-based learning professional

Erik is a firm believer that the way we educate people will change for the better as people from different industries, from all corners of the world, and from different backgrounds, contribute to this change. He was born in Venezuela and for the past 20 years or so, has been proud to call himself an Irish citizen. Currently, he is collaborating with the University of Economics in Krakow and Trinity Colleg,e Dublin to further his research on the use of games in learning and development. He is the founder of Play Learn Develop and also a vegetarian. Some of the toughest challenges he's facing at the moment are getting funding to develop his research and learning Polish

Rebecca Craske

Environmental education facilitator

Rebecca is an environmental professional passionate about the natural connections we have, and have lost, between each other, our natural environment, and the myriad of systems in between. Her focus is science based, systemic, emotionally intelligent, reflective learning and engagement practices. She provides individuals and organisations the information, space and experiences needed to explore sustainability and natural connection in a way that leads to forward focused, practical action with a view to systemic/holistic change.

Scott Provence

Instructional designer and author

Scott Provence is an award-winning instructional designer and author. He has delivered programs throughout the U.S. and Canada, and built material for everyone from one of the world's largest private employers to the U.S. Department of Justice. Using a unique combination of instructional and game design, Scott's passion is turning expert-level concepts into engaging products for a general audience. He is the author of the new book, Fail to Learn: A Manifesto for Training Gamification.

Simon Biltcliffe

CEO, business expert and Marxist-capitalist

Simon Biltcliffe is an award-winning CEO, international public speaker and business expert; widely acclaimed for his talks on his Marxist-capitalist business model, as well as talks on employee motivation and running a thriving organisation in the 21st century. Driven by his strong moral values, Simon implements capitalist principles in his business to generate the wealth of the organisation and Marxist principles to redistribute that wealth back to the company and the wider community. The success and originality of this business model has led to Simon speaking on this topic at various conferences and events.

Sophie Segal

Impact Entrepreneur

Sophie Segal is an impact entrepreneur with a focus on customers. Curious and creative at heart, she is a changemaker, innovative thinker and engaging trainer who loves to spark the unexpected in people's minds. She co-founded Co-CREATE ImpACT to help companies engage their employees in sustainability and the circular economy by using play-based learning and immersive game workshops in an innovative and fun way! She also helps companies transitioning to circular business models to design customer experiences that resonate and convert. Sophie also and leads the Circular Economy Club in Reading, UK.

Sue Roberts

District Councillor and Environmental Campaigner on Nature Restoration

Sue has served her home town of Wallingford as both a Town Councillor and later, a District Councillor, as well as being involved in the Transport Group of Sustainable Wallingford. As an environmental campaigner she fights overdevelopment and loss of communal facilities, working towards a new target for nature restoration (back to the ‘50s) to nurture our precious land for climate control and for nature, whilst building homes for need not greed. She holds a doctorate from Oxford University on the social behaviour of wild rabbits, a once familiar sight in the UK, but sadly now on the endangered species Red List.

Thalia Carr

Sustainability leadership coach and facilitator

Thalia is a big picture thinker and the picture for the planet, our life support system, is not good. After a career in community development, teaching and behaviour change in private, public and third sectors, she set up Thalia Carr Coaching, to help mid-career sustainability professionals to rediscover confidence, clarity and agency to increase their impact and build a better world. Alongside coaching, Thalia facilitates open spaces where groups and networks can speak and share openly to come to good decisions. One such network is the Oxford Women in Sustainability group, part of an international network helping women to flourish in their sustainable careers. Thalia is the Oxford Hub Lead. What motivates Thalia is deep concern for the environment. She sees her part as supporting and enabling the people working to protect and restore our planet, as well as informing and inspiring others to understand the situation as it is and to join together to bring about radical change.