Franziska Trautmann

Waste alchemist

Why you should listen

A chemical engineer and the cofounder of New Orleans-based glass recycling company Glass Half Full, Franziska Trautmann has turned millions of pounds of glass into sand to be used for coastal restoration, disaster relief, construction and more in Louisiana and beyond. With backing from the National Science Foundation, her team has completed four coastal restoration projects and restored more than 1,700 meters of coastline.

Franziska Trautmann’s TED talk

5:29

Franziska Trautmann

Your empty wine bottle could help rebuild coastlines

Posted Oct 2024

More news and ideas from Franziska Trautmann

Live from TEDNext

Reveal: Notes from Session 2 of TEDNext 2024

October 22, 2024

Dedicated to unlocking the possibilities within everyday struggles, Session 2 of TEDNext 2024 covered everything from recycling glass bottles to battling perfectionism. Speakers presented in a format new to the TED stage, speaking for exactly five minutes with prepared slides auto-advancing behind them every 15 seconds. This format, developed and perfected by Ignite Talks over […]