4 TED Talks for Anyone Thinking About a Green Career

Some of the leading fields for budding scientists and environmentalists are in green technology and sustainability development. Whether you are a current college student or a seasoned environmental scientist, there is always more to learn in this fast-growing discipline. The following talks come from some of the best minds in environmental activism and science, and environmentalists of all ages and backgrounds are sure to find these TED talked riveting and informative. If you are interested in the environment or a green career of any kind, these four talks are a must-listen:

1. Let the Environment Guide Our Development

Johan Rockstrom is a professor of natural resource management at Stockholm University and the Executive Director of the Stockholm Environment Institute. He presents this TED talk on his development of a new way to look at the availability and health of the resources on Earth as nine different “planetary boundaries.” These boundaries would represent the nine different systems on Earth that need to be sustained for planetary balance, such that, if one gives way, the rest would tumble.

2. Greening the Ghetto

In this talk, Marjora Carter, a MacArthur-winning activist gives a first-hand account of her fight to improve the environment in the South Bronx. She learned and shares the reasons why some of the areas that suffer most from urban policy flaws are of low-income minority populations. As a microcosm of a flawed system, the environmental issues in these areas shed light onto the overarching problems in urban policy in the United States today.

3. Jeremy Jackson: How We Wrecked the Ocean

Jeremy Jackson, a leading coral reef ecologist, gives a talk that sheds light onto the true state of the Earth’s oceans today. Backed with photos and statistics, he portrays the oceans as they really are: polluted, overheated and overfished. He also maps out a way to move ahead and save the resources still left. “It’s not about the fish; it’s not about the pollution; it’s not about the climate change,” Jackson said. “It’s about us and our greed and our need for growth and our inability to imagine a world that is different from the selfish world we live in today.”

4. How to Make Filthy Water Drinkable

In one of the most groundbreaking innovations in recent history, engineer Michael Pritchard unveils the portable Lifesaver filter for the TED community. Using nanotech technology, the device can take any filthy water and make it completely drinkable in seconds. The idea for the device and the beginning of its development came after Pritchard witnesses the failure of world aid to survivors of Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami when it came to water distribution. The Lifesaver filter can clean 6,000 liters of water before it needs to be replaced and could stand as the mark of a new model for water aid and availability across the globe.

Article by Angelita Williams, an education blogger who loves writing about all the latest online learning trends in the industry. When she’s not writing articles, Angelita is probably trying a recipe from her library of cookbooks. You can reach her at angelita.williams7@gmail.com.