TED Talks are always fascinating, and this discussion on the often misunderstood concept of embodied energy in green building is no exception. Catherine Mohr, a self-described geek who works in robotics, begins the talk with a humorous but compelling discussion: when you spill your local, organic yogurt, do you clean it up with a paper towel, a sponge, or a towel? What is the most environmentally friendly option? She then gives extensive data to evaluate all options, and comes to a very important conclusion: "Sometimes the things that you least expect have a bigger effect than all those other things you were trying to optimize."
As you can imagine, the spilled yogurt scenario goes to new heights when applied to building green, and energy in buildings in general. Mohr packs an incredible amount of information and data into this brief, 6-minute video, while keeping it entertaining, and staying focused on what is a very important point: that though there may be "1,001 articles telling us to optimize these little things around the edges," we should take care not to overlook the "elephant in the living room."
We were so impressed we thought we'd share:
Hope you enjoy, and be sure to check out Ms. Mohr's blog about green building.
Add comment