My life changed forever the day I watched my first TED talk on YouTube.
The video was about paper towels. Specifically, how Americans can collectively use 571,230,000 fewer pounds of paper each year by reducing our paper towel usage by one towel per person per day.
In just over four minutes, Oregon attorney Joe Smith gave a detailed demonstration on how to dry your hands using a single paper towel folded in half, as opposed to the wadded up papery mess of several towels we grab out of habit and abundance in public restrooms.
I think of Mr. Smith every time I wash my hands.
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas in the form of short, effective talks that are 18 minutes or less. TED began in 1984 as a conference that combined technology, entertainment and design.
Today’s TED has evolved to cover nearly any topic, from philosophy to social responsibility and, yes, even paper towels.
Independently run TEDx events share ideas in communities around the world. In 2010 The Creative Coast brought TED to Savannah in the form of TEDxCreativeCoast. The annual TEDx event has a different topic each year, and the speakers find creative ways to attach their idea to the topic.
The topic in 2013 was “decoding happiness,” and Murray Wilson spoke about the happiness he gets from driving a car. Last year, the topic was “exploring R/evolution,” and Camilla Meshiea Sheehan spoke about her evolving definition of her own beauty.
These are ideas that formed right in the Savannah area. I can’t wait to see what local speakers do with this year’s topic, “balancing act.”
Every human on this planet has an individual story and a unique set of beliefs and viewpoints. As we move through our lives, we collect experiences and ideas that shape who we are. One of the most powerful things we can do is to find our voice and share our ideas with those around us.
Who can you inspire by
sharing your secret to happiness, your philosophy on social responsibility or the story of how you came to be the person you are now?
I encourage you to visit tedxcreativecoast.com and TED.com and get inspired by the local, national and international videos available to stream on the site. Then ask yourself: “Who am I, what have I done, and how can I share this?” and apply to be a speaker at this year’s TEDxCreativeCoast.
This year’s TEDxCreativeCoast will happen Friday, May 1, at the Jepson Center. The deadline for speaker applications is Feb. 16, and tickets go on sale March 2.
Go to www.tedxcreativecoast.com for more details, applications, tickets as well as the entire library of previous local TEDxCreativeCoast speaker videos.
Jillian Stafford is the social media manager for The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Jillian can be reached at jillian@thecreativecoast.org.