Humans are builders and creators—but how can we build thoughtfully, without waste? These talks explore sustainable design—both past and present—and its beautiful, inspiring results.

Bjarke Ingels' architecture is luxurious, sustainable and community-driven. In this talk, he shows us his playful designs, from a factory chimney that blows smoke rings to a ski slope built atop a waste processing plant.

From powering the planet with untapped clean energy to making climate action go viral, these 10 transformative ideas from the intersection of tech and sustainability are driving positive change — and building a greener future for generations to come.

I wish my artwork could persuade millions of people to join a global conversation about sustainability. I wish we could launch a ground-breaking competition that motivates kids to invent new ideas in sustainable living. I wish I could create an IMAX film that would make my work accessible to a broader audience. The plan Create a website to rai...

Explore captivating ideas from tech pioneers who are shaping a smarter, greener and more inclusive tomorrow. From redefining architecture's energy dynamics to forging the future of bionics, this is the intersection of sustainability and innovation.

Do you know where everything you buy comes from? Olivia Tyler illuminates the daunting challenges companies face when enforcing sustainability across their supply chains.

Sustainability is pretty clearly one of the world's most important goals; but what groups can really make environmental progress in leaps and bounds? Chris McKnett makes the case that it's large institutional investors. He shows how strong financial data isn't enough, and reveals why investors need to look at a company's environmental, social an...

At his carpet company, Ray Anderson has increased sales and doubled profits while turning the traditional "take / make / waste" industrial system on its head. In a gentle, understated way, he shares a powerful vision for sustainable commerce.

Travel and flying are here to stay -- but we need to do them responsibly. In conversation with TED's head of curation Helen Waters, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss shares three steps the aviation industry needs to take to achieve its pledge to be net-zero by 2050 and discusses what you can do to shift airlines towards sustainability. "We have a 2...

The big blue buildings of Ikea have sprouted solar panels and wind turbines; inside, shelves are stocked with LED lighting and recycled cotton. Why? Because as Steve Howard puts it: “Sustainability has gone from a nice-to-do to a must-do.” Howard, the chief sustainability officer at the furniture megastore, talks about his quest to sell eco-frie...

As of 2018, there are around 2.5 billion smartphone users in the world. If we broke open all the newest phones and split them into their component parts, that would produce around 85,000 kg of gold, 875,000 of silver, and 40,000,000 of copper. How did this precious cache get into our phones--and can we reclaim it? Kim Preshoff investigates the s...

Jackie Savitz works to protect the world's oceans. A marine biologist, she is passionate that saving the seas will benefit us all.

"Sustainability has become more marketing than action," says environmental business journalist Esha Chhabra. Challenging conventional business models solely focused on profit, she shares how regenerative companies that embed purpose into every facet of their operations can drive real change — and make things better for people and the planet.

Michael Green wants to transform an industry that generates almost 40 percent of the world’s carbon emissions -- our built environment -- by creating cities made of natural, carbon-sequestering biomaterial structures instead of concrete and steel.

Diébédo Francis Kéré and his architectural firm design buildings that are good for the environment -- and those who use them.

Enrique Peñalosa is the mayor of Bogotá, Colombia. He advocates for sustainability and mobility in the cities of the future.

Sharing the inside scoop on how the world's largest food company aims to reach net zero by 2050, Nestlé North America CEO Steve Presley joins TED's Lindsay Levin to discuss the progress they've made so far and where they're investing for sustainability. A big focus will be regenerative agriculture -- producing food in a way that helps the planet...

The energy grid of the future demands a massive amount of materials: billions of solar panels, millions of wind turbines and more. Climate strategist Marielle Remillard reveals why there may be critical shortages ahead — and breaks down how this could also be the biggest business opportunity since the Industrial Revolution.

How does a biscuit make it from the farm to your plate? Sustainable development leader Aruna Rangachar Pohl unpacks the long journey of one of India's most beloved snacks, revealing how the current industrial farming model is eating the planet. Learn about the foundation she started to promote eco-friendly agricultural practices — and hear the s...

Cultivating the power of sustainable materials, Elora Hardy leads Ibuku, creating bespoke bamboo homes in her native Bali.

You might not expect the chief operating officer of a major global corporation to look too far beyond either the balance sheet or the bottom line. But Harish Manwani, COO of Unilever, makes a passionate argument that doing so to include value, purpose and sustainability in top-level decision-making is not just savvy, it's the only way to run a 2...

By 2050, global food production must double to keep up with population growth. How does the man "who buys the most food in America" think this can be accomplished? Jack Sinclair, Executive Vice President of the Walmart US Grocery division, shares a few ideas on what we can do to produce more, sustainability. (One of them: re-use the apples in Am...

The word "sustainability" gets thrown around a lot these days. But what does it actually mean for humanity to be sustainable? Environmental data scientist Hannah Ritchie digs into the numbers behind human progress across centuries, unpacking why the conventional understanding of sustainability is misleading and showing how we can be the first ge...

As a "corporate suit" (his words) and former VP of sustainability at McDonald's, Bob Langert works with companies and their strongest critics to find solutions that are good for both business and society. In this actionable talk, he shares stories from the decades-long transition into corporate sustainability at McDonald's -- including his work ...

Climate change is a global issue and action must come from every aspect of society to yield the needed change. How can corporations make a difference without losing profit? Keith Weed argues that sustainability and economic growth can go hand-in-hand, after implementing a few key approaches.

The fashion industry has a big carbon footprint. How can we find a sustainable solution that fits?

What if solving poverty, caring for nature and fostering well-being were the ultimate goals of the economy, instead of growth for its own sake? Environmentalist and economist Gaya Herrington proposes a shift in thinking from "never enough" to "enough for each," asking us to contemplate whether the end of exponential growth on a finite planet wil...

Three billion people in the world don't have access to a consistent water supply, due to issues not limited to infrastructure, supply or mismanagement -- and for some, water may flow every two days or even ten. Sustainability engineer Anu Sridharan launched an organization in India that wants to fix this using cellphones and the power of crowdso...

Dealing with the waste of a consumer society is one of the greatest challenges of our modern times. But UPS' Sustainability Director, Peter Harris wonders: what if waste weren't waste at all? He proposes a plan where methane from the trash we produce fuels the machines that transport our critical goods; a closed-loop, circular economy that power...

Buying cheap clothing online can be satisfying, but it comes with not-so-hidden environmental costs. When designer Diarra Bousso was growing up in Senegal, her family bought and created new outfits for longevity rather than on impulse — an intention she carries forth in her fashion tech brand. Outlining three sustainable principles, including cr...