Theme: We need renewables and EVs - What about congestion and social isolation?

Renewable EV charging can reduce fossil fuels, but will they relieve traffic congestion? If they become unaffordable to buy and own, they may only make it worse. What about the harmful tire particulates that continue to pollute the air and water? While convenient, cars isolate people from their community, increasing separation, polarization, and despair. How can we improve our interactions with people?

TEDxSantaBarbaraSalon - Virtual Event
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Brad Weed

Critical Geography Writer and Sustainable Transportation Advocate

I grew up in Norwalk, Iowa, home to two superheroes: Aquaman and Superman. I studied computer cartography at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a result, I landed a job in Santa Barbara doing 3D computer graphics software development at Wavefront Technologies. In 1992 I joined Microsoft and got a break designing the Word ruler in 1993. I helped define the design and user research disciplines at Microsoft. Designing complex software like Office and Windows for billions of people worldwide is heady. The world is melting, cities are stuffed, streets are clogged, and I’m a geography major. It’s superhero time. I got my master of sustainable transportation degree at the University of Washington, having learned technology would indeed play a role in enabling a sustainable future. Yet, the bigger problem is nudging human behavior, mapping ethical policy paths, respecting the environment, and rethinking our economic models — the genesis of my newsletter, Interplace.