Bill Ford, great-grandson of Henry Ford, talks about the future of mobility and how we need a giant leap to solve the current transportation problem in cities around the world. He calls for a diverse range of solutions, and emphasizes that “emission-free traffic is still traffic”.
Paul Nicklen: Tales of Ice-Bound Wonderlands
As the world becomes increasingly urban, the conscious disconnection between humans and the natural world worsens. We simply don’t make the connection between the lives we live and the destruction of the Earth’s natural systems. Photographer Paul Nicklen gives an incredible example of our lack of knowledge about the natural world as he braves freezing Antarctic waters to dive with and photograph Leopard Seals, animals we have come to know as “ruthless killers” by seeing them only on the Discovery Channel and in other media. Nicklen eliminates this stereotype through the story he tells and emphasizes the importance to consider the habitats we are destroying by going about our carbon intensive lives.
Greenpeace Executive Director arrested during peaceful protest
Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, was arrested in Greenland for boarding a Cairn oil rig as a peaceful protest. Naidoo boarded the oil rig to present the captain with a petition signed by more than 50 000 people that requests that Cairn halt all drilling operations in the Arctic. The campaign driven by Greenpeace was sparked by Cairn’s failure to submit an oil spill response plan. Some experts argue that an oil spill in the Arctic simply can’t be cleaned up. A number of Greenpeace protesters boarded the oil rig during the two weeks before Naidoo did so. Naidoo’s action represents a form of leadership that can be respected. Join the fight to protect the Arctic by adding your name to the petition.
Kumi Naidoo is a South African who was kind enough to share a video message for TEDxStellenbosch 2010.
Amazing Water Visualisation
Two Harvard GSD students developed this incredible visualisation of water supply and usage around the world. It ended up winning visualizing.org’s World Water Day Challenge. Click on the image to open the infographic in full screen and play around.