TEDx Southampton 2016
TEDx Southampton 2016 happened today – the subjects were diverse and the speakers varied in style. I enjoyed most of them but there were two, in particular, that I thought might change my behaviour in future…
Tony Curran was speaking about the carbon-footprint of our food. He linked to the XKCD representation of the relative weights of the the population of land mammals. If you’ve not seen it before, the small fraction of wild animals might surprise you. Look at the fraction that is cows! Reducing the amount of beef we eat (even if you swap it for chicken) could have a big impact on the planet. He also talked about the importance of eating things in season and of choosing foods that come by land/sea not flown by air or grown in a hot house. He has a handy PDF guide to whch foods are in season.
Megan Streb talked about the importance of livable spaces. She extolled the virtues of knowing your neighbours, kids playing outside and communal outdoor spaces with seating. She talked about the possibility of closing streets for parties (or more regularly for kids to play). It was definitely food for thought and it gave me some ideas to think about which is what you hope for when you go to a TED event.
I’ll definitely be keen to go to a 2017 event if one happens.