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Sustainability Science

TEDxSouthamptonUniversity: Theme Sustainability- Success

Published: 25 March 2013
TEDxSouthamptonUniversity

The peace and tranquility of a typical Sunday on campus was shattered on 17 March when 100 guests arrived to experience the first University of Southampton TEDx conference around the theme of Sustainability.

Marking the beginning of the annual Multidisciplinary Research Week the conference delivered TED's mission of ‘Spreading Ideas',  with world leading researchers and experts on sustainability taking to the stage to ‘give the talk of their life in 18 minutes' (TEDx rules).

Inspiring guest speakers stimulated thought and debate on a diversity of subjects from the future of the deep ocean by Dr Jon Copley, to the environmental dangers of shampoo by Dr Denise Baden .   The audience listened in awe to plans for a self-sustainable island by David Green and the necessity of sustainable food security for the world by Professor Guy Poppy . Dr Mark Brandon the Principal Academic Advisor to the multi award winning BBC/OU co-production series Frozen Planet focussed attention on the Arctic where traces of pollutant fire retardants have been found in Polar Bears then our thoughts were bought to closer to home to hear of the challenges of waste, water and transport faced by our local authority by Professor AbuBakr Bahaj , Chief Scientific Advisor for Southampton City Council.

Bamboo banners, recycled laptops, a life sized rhino and a junk band all featured in the extraordinary day which bought home the message that we are all responsible for committing to global sustainability.

The full list of exhibitors can be found here: http://tedxsouthamptonuniversity.com/

Thanks to organisers James Dyke (host), Jon Akass (organiser), Ali Simmance, Lisa Then,  Maraim Masoud, Marina Marinkovic, Fiona Harvey, Jackie Milne, Digital Champions from CITE, the film crew, Marwell Wildlife for contributing the Rhino sculpture and the 20+ volunteers who all contributed to the day's success.  The event was kindly sponsored by Public Policy@Southampton and IBM .

View the thoughts from some of the top ‘thinkers and doers' in the sustainability field on the ‘Reflections on TEDx' page.

Help increase the reach and impact of University of Southampton research, follow @publicpolicyUoS

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