Spreading great ideas. Of course, that’s what TED is all about. But if ideas stay just that, ideas, then nothing really changes. TEDxAmsterdam wants to go beyond the realm of ideas, and actually start working on Ideas Worth Doing.
So, earlier this month, the teams for five mindblowing ideas definitely worth doing, gathered at the the Dialogues House for an inspirational kickoff. As always when like-minded people meet for the first time: enthusiastic chatter and new initiatives rose to great heights throughout the evening.
Five ideas: One ideal
The five teams presented themselves to each other in the ‘Green Room’: a place filled with chairs looking like Skippy Balls (or was it the other way round?). Five vastly different projects, but with a shared ideal: let’s change the world for the better.
All’s fair
First off, team FairTransport laid out the harrowing facts (‘16 cargo ships create as much pollution as all the cars in the world!’), only to come with the simple and effective solution of the Ecoliner: a high tech sailing container ship. Sound like science fiction? Not quite. The first Ecoliner is set to sail in 2013.
Big Boost
Then team Boosting Burundi swept the room with their passionate talk about this hidden treasure of Africa. Their aim: getting this former war torn African state – one of the few democracies in this continent, mind you – back on the map for tourism and business. After Leanne Bogers’ enthusiastic talk, I’m quite sure everyone in the Green Room is planning their next holiday in Burundi. I know I am!
In the green
Saving Kilimanjaro is aiming for a lot more than just that majestic mountain. As Dennis Karpes explained, it is about making the dryest areas in the world green again. With a simple piece of equipment that every person of every age and culture recognizes: a shovel. Expanding on Peter Westerveld’s technique of contour-trenching, it is possible to make desertified areas fertile again for both people and animals. Mind blowing, how simple and effective this idea has proven to be. It works. Just dig it!
Sustainable business
The idea behind The Winddrinker is about more than just technique. At its basis, there is a machine that changes brackish or salt water into drinking water with the use of reverse osmosis and wind energy. But this idea is also about empowerment: allowing locals to become Winddrinker-entrepeneurs as a way to finance the technique. As the winner of last year’s TEDxAmsterdam Award, the Winddrinker truly embodies the philosophy of Ideas Worth Doing.
Meet the Iraqis
Lastly, Andra Iacob from TEDxBaghdad took the stage. “TEDxWhat??”, you say? That’s right: Baghdad. Now here’s an Idea that’s already Doing it. And yes, there is a date: November 11th will be the day of the first ever TEDx event in Iraq. The team behind this idea was bursting with thoughts and initiatives. Surmounting many obstacles – like sheer distance, cultural sensitivities and political turmoil, to name a few. Hats off to all the accomplishments of this team already.
Just do it
So, the chatter and creative mayhem of the kickoff went on into the night, pushing each team another step closer to their goal of actually Doing it!
Join us!
Please follow the progress of each team along the way, by checking out the websites and blogposts. Or better yet: become part of the action and help out! We are always on the lookout for talented and inspired professionals willing to lend their expertise. Right now, there are specific vacancies waiting to be filled. Check out DOING on TEDxAmsterdam.com and let us know what you can do!
Together, we can turn these five inspirational Ideas Worth Doing into Ideas All Done!
Martijn Winkler (Moodfactory, Twitter: MartijnWinkler)
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