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Building trust across America's divides
In this powerful talk, Meg Whitty shares lessons from childhood campaign trails in rural Iowa that shaped her career building coalitions for sustainable aviation fuel. Drawing from experience across agriculture, energy, and aviation sectors, she reveals how authentic trust unlocks solutions to seemingly impossible challenges. Whitty demonstrates how the same communities devastated by hospital closures and economic decline can lead the clean energy transition, creating jobs while solving aviation's 3% contribution to global emissions. The presentation examines specific techniques for bringing together competing interests around shared goals, challenging false choices between economy and environment. Her message resonates particularly with leaders seeking to bridge political and geographic divides.
How cities can save the world
From McDonald's solar-powered flagship to the flood-resilient Riverwalk, Carol Ross Barney showcases how thoughtful design creates healthier, more resilient, and livable cities.
AI uses too much energy—nanotech is the solution
Mark Hersam is a nanotechnologist who believes that understanding materials at the shortest of length scales can provide solutions to the world’s largest problems. Using an interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of neuroscience and nanoelectronics, Hersam presents a solution to the greatest societal threat posed by AI.
Evolving fashion from destructive to seductive and constructive
After decades of designing clothes for women, Maria Pinto has uncovered a deep truth about fashion and making intentional decisions about what we wear: You must first ask, “Who am I?” Maria explores seduction, beauty, sustainability, and the nature of making decisions that are intentionally grounded in who we are and who we hope to be.
Climate action is 90% mindset and starts with a conversation
Doug Farr is fascinated with humanity’s struggle to talk about the Climate Emergency—our unsettled emotions, how we think the world works, and the negotiation we all go through before committing to take climate action. In this funny and provocative talk Doug shares how his own personal climate action journey led him to redo his house, stay home more, and co-found the Climate Action Museum.
How can we make better batteries?
Dr. Shirley Meng makes the case for hope by demonstrating some of the exciting technologies and new batteries her lab is developing that could close the energy storage gap we need to create a democratization of energy that also enables a fully renewable energy grid.
This Unlikely 1960s Space Tech Can Help Save the Bees
One of humanity’s best and hardest-working friends has existed with us for millions of years, so why is our friend suddenly facing the risk of death and what space-race technology can help prevent it? Highlighted by the U.S. Department of Energy, National Geographic, and Al Jazeera, Rob Davis reveals an unexpected and once-in-a-generation size opportunity to help our hardworking friends. Could a system that nourishes and enriches life on Earth also increase economic prosperity? This talk focuses on bees, pollinators, energy, sustainability, habitat, monarchs, solar, birds, solar farm, agriculture