Featured Talk: Save What You Love by Jonathan Franzen
TEDxSantaCruz is excited to announce the release of local resident and renowned writer and essayist Jonathan Franzen’s TEDxSantaCruz 2019 talk about climate crisis and the urgent need for humanity to adapt to current realities of the Anthropocene, including the sixth mass extinction. Entitled Save What You Love, he invites us to acknowledge harsh facts of the climate crisis, and to work fiercely and urgently to preserve as much of the planet’s biodiversity even as efforts to mitigate the crisis continue.Featured Talk: “In the Dark” | August Lee Stevens & Angela Chambers
Angela Chambers and August Lee Stevens blend song & dance. August’s indie soul & folk music pairs with Angela’s interpretive dance. August, a musician & singer-songwriter, tells intimate stories through her indie soul and folk music. She recently released her debut EP, Better Places, with Women’s Audio Mission (WAM). Angela is a community leader and dance artist focusing on personal transformation & social activism at Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center & the Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative.
The Power of Reconnecting with Our Food | Terry Carr
To make nutritious foods accessible to all, Terry Carr, an industrial designer and grandson of farmers, created Mana, an indoor vertical farming system. Mana allows people to grow and share fresh fruits and vegetables at home. Terry, passionate about health and the environment, focuses on eco-friendly designs, including automotive and clean energy innovations, and co-founded a company to promote in-home food cultivation.
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The case for a birdwatching vacation | Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela
Birdwatching tourism, or “tororois,” can boost conservation and local economies in the Global South. Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, a Colombian conservation ecologist, uses spatial tools to study human impacts on birds and prioritize areas that benefit both biodiversity and communities. This tourism brings economic resources to remote areas, promoting conservation and appreciation for biodiversity.
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“Sweet Thing” | August Lee Stevens, Daniel Nemire & Keith Greeninger
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Daniel Nemire: Young Man: A Soulful Acoustic Journey into Growth and Reflection
Daniel Nemire shares his song "Young Man" on acoustic guitar in this moving and upbeat performance. Through impressive finger-picking techniques and soulful vocals, Daniel illustrates a picture of adversarial love, communication, growth, and the lessons learned along the way. As the frontman of hard rock band King Tide and also as a prolific solo acoustic artist, Daniel explores various genres in his guitar and vocals.
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Cross-cultural connection through the night sky | César Rojas-Bravo
The Power of Networks | Alex Chavez-Guerrero, Jacob Martinez & Martín Vargas-Vega |
Networks uplift underprivileged communities, from farmworker areas to Silicon Valley. Collective support, mentorship, and philanthropy breaks barriers, ignites success and resilience. Jacob Martinez, founder of Digital NEST, empowers rural youth, including Latina girls in computer science. Alex Chavez-Guerrero, a Watsonville-based software engineer, advocates for social capital impact at DigitalNEST. Martín Vargas-Vega, a philanthropist and software engineer, leads Latinos In Tech; overseeing grant distributions to Latinx-led nonprofits.
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“In the Dark” | August Lee Stevens & Angela Chambers
Angela Chambers and August Lee Stevens blend song & dance. August’s indie soul & folk music pairs with Angela’s interpretive dance. August, a musician & singer-songwriter, tells intimate stories through her indie soul and folk music. She recently released her debut EP, Better Places, with Women’s Audio Mission (WAM). Angela is a community leader and dance artist focusing on personal transformation & social activism at Tannery World Dance & Cultural Center & the Santa Cruz County Black Health Matters Initiative.
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The Rise of Tiny News | Kara Meyberg Guzman
As traditional newspapers shrink and disappear, a reinvention of local journalism is underway. Across the U.S., independent entrepreneurs are redefining the mission, scope, and delivery of local news to serve their communities. Kara Meyberg Guzman, CEO and co-founder of Santa Cruz Local, shares why this moment is full of hope. Kara Meyberg Guzman prioritizes serving marginalized communities through fair, accurate, and accessible news. As board president of the Tiny News Collective, a national nonprofit, she supports early-stage news entrepreneurs aiming to serve their communities, believing in the power of local media to elevate diverse voices for effective local democracy.
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Embrace the Rain for Climate Change | Nicole Beck
Climate change is a major threat to our generation. Dr. Nicole Beck highlights rainwater's transformative power for community resilience. With a Ph.D. in aquatic chemistry, she brings science to decision-makers. As CEO of a tech firm, she uses stormwater GIS software to help local governments and landowners manage urban runoff, focusing on informed land management and water resource protection.
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