Theme: Environmental Sustainability

“We owe it to ourselves and to the next generation to conserve the environment so that we can bequeath our children a sustainable world that benefits all.” - Wangari Maathai

With a population of over 36,000 people, Richmond, Indiana is a beautiful and historic city that plays a role not just in Indiana, but in the larger world. Within Indiana, it has deserved its recent recognition as a Stellar Community, which will bring new investment to the city that will improve the lives of its’ residents and businesses. But Richmond is also an innovative, small-scale player in the current state of sustainability and the world environment. This year’s TEDx Richmond aims to showcase some of the smaller, more feasible ways towards environmental sustainability, by presenting various topics and issues currently relevant to the Richmond community.

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is a nonprofit organization that brings together intellectuals, leaders, doers and contributors from many fields - via conferences, events, and talks - to explore such individuals’ contributions to both global and regional issues and communities. TED Talks and other events highlight and bring attention to a wide range of issues. Many such issues are relevant not only to the specific communities that a speaker is from, but throughout the world, as the issues have global implications. TED gathers world-changers and provides a space and method, via talks and videos from leaders in their respective fields, for learning, discourse and sparking initiative. The organization provides exposure and opportunities for emerging and established global thinkers - those who have dedicated their lives to being at the forefront of local, regional, and global issues. TED further allows these voices to be heard by providing accessibility to the public, free of charge, on their website. Created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading,” the TEDx program is designed to give regional and local communities, organizations, and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences in their area. TEDx events are planned and coordinated independently, on a community-by-community basis, but with the guidance of the TED organization.

We believe environmental sustainability is one such topic which has implications across and within borders, at all community levels. With that in mind, we choose Environmental Sustainability as the topic of focus for TEDx Richmond 2013. The city of Richmond is deserving of more than just recognition for its’ typical infrastructure and living improvements that are to come, it is deserving of the title of being a leader in small-scale environmental and sustainability projects. These projects, some already a reality, will improve quality of life, contribute greatly to the economy, and make Richmond a serious player in the world-wide movement toward earth-friendly policies and sustainability innovation. Through TEDx Richmond, we seek to provide environmental and sustainability education on Richmond projects, as well as lay the framework for important discussions on environmentalism and sustainability, and to encourage personal initiative and collective participation with environmental and sustainability projects.

http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=60049

http://www.ted.com

Earlham College
801 National Road West
Richmond, Indiana, 47374
United States