article thumbnail

The jaw-droppingly high, out-of-this-world carbon footprint of space tourism

Ideas.Ted

Not to be outdone, later in 2021, Elon Musk’s SpaceX will provide four to five days of orbital travel with its Crew Dragon capsule. In the stratosphere, nitrogen oxides and chemicals formed from the breakdown of water vapor convert ozone into oxygen and deplete the ozone layer which guards life on Earth against harmful UV radiation.

article thumbnail

Why we need to consider switching to a 4-day workweek — now 

Ideas.Ted

The solution: Share those productivity gains with workers, in the form of a shorter workweek. In the US, I am currently working on a campaign to encourage companies to adopt a four-day week; it launched in late June 2021. Shorter working hours also translate into lower energy consumption, less carbon emissions and less commuting time.

article thumbnail

16 planet-friendly gift ideas, recommended by TED speakers

Ideas.Ted

I love Biolite’s awesome commitment to serving both campers and people who still lack access to reliable power, and the company has also won the prestigious 2021 National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. I’m getting my pal who has frequent outages an Alpen Glow 500, so she can charge her devices with it too.

Gifts 102