As Denver’s Food Waste Recovery Program Administrator, I am always looking for ways to engage with the public about the negative impacts of wasting food. When the invitation to apply for TEDx Cherry Creek landed in my inbox, I had little hesitation about giving it a go. Food waste is still a novel subject, particularly […]

My first emotion upon opening my acceptance email from TEDxCherryCreek was shock. I was astonished that I got in. Then, pleasure; I was delighted. I am a professor and I use TED talks often in my teaching. I realized how lucky I was to get this opportunity to spread the word about one of my […]

Speaking at a TEDx Talk has been on my bucket list for years. Having spent a lot of time recently working on a project I’m very passionate about, I was excited to apply because I knew the idea of defaulting to plant-based meals would inspire many and could create real change. When I received my […]

To take a quote from the Selena Movie “me siento muy…… excited” to be a part of the TEDxCherryCreek climate countdown.  Being one of ten children I LOVE to talk and share my ideas (sometimes too much and to random strangers in the grocery store). So knowing that I have the opportunity to share my […]

Whose Idea? All of Ours It’s always thrilling to be seen. When Dafna reached out to me in July to ask if I might be willing to give a talk on how walking in community can be good for the environment, I responded with some gentle pushback and a slight reframing from my perspective as […]

I applied to be a TEDx speaker because I believe it is critical that more people view climate change as a health emergency. I am hopeful that by increasing communication and education regarding the ways in which human health is being negatively impacted by climate change, more people will be motivated to take action to […]

The journey to the TEDx stage required me to intertwine two of my identities/passions that I had been keeping separate.  While I had always served or volunteered for organizations that were fighting for equity and social justice, I rarely brought that work into my job as an energy engineer or sustainability professional.  For so long, […]

I got an extended vacation of 2 months this summer. I spent a lot of time outside playing with my various animals, painting furniture, and swimming in rivers. Being away from my computer most days, I didn’t see the email accepting my TEDx application for a week. Luckily, instead of allowing my lack of response […]

It was a warm Friday night. I had just gotten off work and walked in the door. I heard my mother calling my name from her bedroom upstairs. I go up and she tells me to get my computer. I don’t ask any questions and I simply comply. I re-enter her room and she tells […]

A few years after starting one of the first forest schools in Colorado, auditions for a TEDx event in Denver popped up on my Facebook feed. I knew I was onto an idea worth spreading so I applied. I was surprised when I became one of the top 25 finalists. However, only 15 of the […]

I hadn’t really given much thought to how someone ends up giving a TED Talk. I suppose I thought the path to the TED stage was paved either by a driving desire to be in the limelight or by the establishment of an indisputable reputation as THE expert on a particular topic. I don’t mind […]

I feel honored to be a part of the TEDxCherryCreekCountdown and to contribute to a collective of ideas and actions needed to reach a zero-carbon world. The TEDx stage provides a unique platform to spread awareness of the greatest challenges and opportunities that we face in the climate crisis. Climate change presents the world with […]

In my professional role as a water resources scientist, I have spent the past year helping to steer an innovative climate-risk analysis project for the state of Colorado. The “Future Avoided Cost Explorer” or “FACE” project aims to quantify our vulnerabilities and risks from flood, drought, and wildfire hazards across the entire state. I have […]