Robert Reed explains how diverting waste from landfill and instead composting it is our biggest opportunity to improve the way society handles waste. It positively impacts climate while helping farmers improve their crop yields. Robert Reed is an environmental advocate who serves as a spokesman for Recology, a leader in sustainable waste management and a pioneer in recycling and curbside composting programs.Before joining Recology, Robert spent a decade working as a journalist for daily newspapers, earning a California Newspaper Publishers Association Award for his reporting on environmental issues.Since 1993, Robert has been leading Recology’s outreach and education initiatives, playing a key role in helping San Francisco become the first major city in North America to implement curbside food scrap collection for composting, a program that has the potential to change the way the world does garbage.Robert has welcomed delegations from more than 135 countries, including government officials, business leaders, and environmental experts, all eager to see San Francisco’s industry-leading recycling and composting programs firsthand.As part of his community service, Robert has volunteered with Zero Waste France and delivered composting presentations in 35 cities across France. He assisted national officials in developing plans to launch food scrap composting in Paris and hosted the French Senate’s environmental committee in San Francisco. His efforts contributed to France passing a national law requiring every municipality, serving 68 million citizens, to make composting accessible and convenient for residents and businesses.Robert has been invited to speak at major international events, including the first Zero Waste Conferences in Paris and Montreal, and has appeared in five documentary films, notably Tomorrow, which screened in French theaters for 42 weeks and has been viewed by audiences around the world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
More from TED
- 15:03AI is Reshaping Social Habits | Onur Korucu | TEDxDublin SalonAI is not just transforming business or technology, it’s reshaping our social habits, relationships, and mindsets.As we stand on the edge of this new era, we have both the responsibility and opportunity to consciously shape AI to serve humanity, foster inclusion, and preserve what makes us human.Onur explored this from her different lenses; as an Engineer & Business Leader she examined AI’s transformative potential, where data science fuels a ‘butterfly effect’; small innovations today shaping the intelligent systems of tomorrow.As a Tech Lawyer she delved into the legal, cultural, and ethical complexities of AI, and how trust must be built across diverse frameworks, just as one learns and adapts while traveling through different cultures.And as a Woman and Member of Society Onur reflected on how AI mirrors our humanity, our biases, our creativity, our capacity for equality.For the first time, we face an intelligence beyond gender, language, or origin. How we guide it will define the inclusivity and ethics of the future we create. Onur Korucu is a Non-Executive Director, Managing Partner, and Advisory Board Member operating across EMEA and the US, specialising in AI governance, cybersecurity, and data protection. With dual expertise in engineering and IT law, she advises global firms, governments, and tech leaders on ethical, compliant innovation and sustainable digital transformation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- 6:37Finding Your Rhythm | Param Thakker | TEDxYouth@DPSDParam Thakker will share his story of discovery with us. Through music, he discovered lessons of resilience, growth, and authenticity. Param Thakker is a student at DPSD with an interest in music and clear speaking abilities. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
