Science & Technology

Katie McGinty: Smart solutions to decarbonize buildings | In the Green

Almost 90 percent of our lives take place indoors — and the buildings we spend most of that time in emit 40 percent of global greenhouse gases. Rethinking how to share, occupy and run the spaces we inhabit, chief sustainability officer at Johnson Controls Katie McGinty walks us through smart, efficient and eco-friendly ways to…

Published

on

Almost 90 percent of our lives take place indoors — and the buildings we spend most of that time in emit 40 percent of global greenhouse gases. Rethinking how to share, occupy and run the spaces we inhabit, chief sustainability officer at Johnson Controls Katie McGinty walks us through smart, efficient and eco-friendly ways to decarbonize buildings — and the compounding benefits of doing so. 

In the Green is a TED series featuring senior leaders from around the business world sharing important lessons about carbon emissions reduction that can be applied to workplaces everywhere. Presented by TED Countdown () and The Climate Pledge (). Visit for more.

Countdown is TED’s global initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis. The goal: to build a better future by cutting greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, in the race to a zero-carbon world.

Learn more about #TEDCountdown:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
Website:

TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

45 Comments

  1. Kishore S

    January 31, 2022 at 3:54 pm

    Why not plant trees in buildings?
    Is it possible?

  2. Zachary Sielck

    January 31, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    As if housing prices weren’t forcing more people into poverty. I thought the best way to fight this was to lift people out of poverty, not raise the beauracracy bar

    • bla blup

      January 31, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      The reality is. You save Co2 because the poor can’t afford houses and live in tiny apartments …houses in Germany with relative high standard cost arround 3 times as much as houses in the US and many can’t afford to build a house even if they work their whole life …

    • Zachary Sielck

      January 31, 2022 at 6:00 pm

      @bla blup I do not think this is the same in America. Land is not uncommon in the U.S. People that live in cities get priced out of updated apartments that adhere to these kinds of standards. The market pushes the average consumer towards less eco-friendly housing & energy.

  3. billy billy

    January 31, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    Why disable the dislikes?? Seems very controlling – and no its not Youtube but the channel itself that have done so – I have the extension that re-enables the Youtube change and is working on other channels.

    • Cats Paw

      January 31, 2022 at 4:44 pm

      please provide a link to one. i’ve not seen any yet

  4. SuperPhdiva SRB

    January 31, 2022 at 3:57 pm

    Carbon is a basic building block for so many things. Let’s stop with the nonsense, ok?

  5. توفيق عادل بستاني

    January 31, 2022 at 3:58 pm

    The need for a lot of money and efforts to achieve these solutions😶😶

  6. RRIDAFITNESS

    January 31, 2022 at 4:03 pm

    💃🏼💃🏼🔥🔥🔥🏅🏆🌿👍👍🏽

  7. pepeshopping

    January 31, 2022 at 4:07 pm

    THESE PEOPLE!!!
    You will NOT cut more than 20%!!!

  8. Madhu Tv

    January 31, 2022 at 4:17 pm

    Extremely amazing video ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever watched 😹😹😹

  9. Nanc Mam

    January 31, 2022 at 4:18 pm

    The gl0balists gotta push the “climate change” fear and propaganda to keep their pockets lined with our taxpayer dollars. We know it’s all a hoax. Just ask real, non-bribed scientists.

  10. Krunoslav Stifter

    January 31, 2022 at 4:36 pm

    Why don’t these watermelons de-carbonize their brain. This cult of insanity is way over the top.

  11. Alex Kyoni

    January 31, 2022 at 4:39 pm

    Really disappointed by TED for this choice: a politician that has no clue, pumping out statistics that are completely in crystal ball territory, thinking that every homeowner is willing to go into debt for a bet on saving a few bucks every year on future energy bills that have been exploding for the past 20 year due to weird tax reforms. Regulations on “more efficient” change almost every year and you’ll keep upgrading and going into even more debt…
    Young generations are already in debt… is the “new normal” to have ridiculous debt at the end of your life? Good thing younger generations can refuse to inherit the debt of their parents… until politicians change that, too…

    Also: who is going to pay for all the garbage and disposal if people were to renovate all their homes? Lets produce even MORE waste and dump it into landfills (where it contaminates groundwater) or oceans (where it’s already causing huge problems).

    Welcome to greenwashing TED… really disappointing.

    • Catastigma

      January 31, 2022 at 7:35 pm

      *a few buck every years * Watch out the price of electricity jumping by x50 in the next 20 years. ^^

      In the end if you donc go in-dept yourself and even add solar panel to your house, you will not have lightning at all in few decade.

      Instead of paying 80 usd for a video game that will last 8 hours. Save this money to do good reno.

      How many young people are in debt but it is entirely because they live 3 times above their average to spend more than 5000 usd on video games and entertainment content per year. How many stupid young people are struggling to eat and this walk with the latest iphone.

      I have a part-time job and I have no debt. and I even have more than 30k in savings in 8 years.
      No inheritance. fk all. I only remove the useless expense. no drug no alcool and no subscription, no gym, no restaurants.
      All that useless bourgeois stuff. Now you will be able to save money and invest in yourself and what realy matter.
      you don’t need a 1k usd TV. you don’t need a TV at all. you don’t need a car, take a fucking bike.

      If young people, and I was young like everyone else, are in debt it’s because they have absolutely no education in finance and money management. i was a fking morons, who ever looked at his bank account and has his expenses.

      I would like to thank my bank for offering management classes and a financial adviser who was able to explain to me and help me see beyond the end of my finger.

    • Alex Kyoni

      January 31, 2022 at 9:11 pm

      @Catastigma not sure what country you live in, but it seems you are really lucky… the young people I know have to get into debt to pay universities to get a good degree to later earn a decent living and then pay ridiculously high rent in cities where you would better get neither car nor bike (unless you feel suicidal), public transport is ok-ish. Also internet and a basic computer for studying costs money, too. Of course if you have rich parents that can pay all of that for you before you enter the workforce, cool. Many are not that lucky… jobs without a degree are badly paid compared to the basic cost for “low-cost” existential food… never mind “healthy/green” food.
      I actually don’t know any young people that pay that much on games… probably because I don’t game…?
      Just saw another video yesterday on house renovation… him doing a lot it himself he still spent the equivalent of 40k USD… thats a LOT of 80 USD games… but hey… I never took finance classes.
      I did however renovate my kitchen and bathroom after 20 years… it cost 50k USD… plumbing, electricity and all… (and here you HAVE to hire specialists, if you don’t you loose your house insurance… fire, gas-leak, short-circuit,… good luck)

    • bla blup

      February 1, 2022 at 5:16 pm

      @Catastigma I played a lot of games and I knew a lot of children and not even a single one of them used even close to 5k a year on video games….

  12. Gamma Light

    January 31, 2022 at 4:41 pm

    Let’s all make a conscious decision to stop buying or using plastics. Plants and insects contain the answers

  13. {-_-}

    January 31, 2022 at 4:45 pm

    Live in a SMALLER dome 🐒

  14. Christian Soldier

    January 31, 2022 at 5:00 pm

    Why don’t you try decarbonizing the jets that spray the ingredients to your climate change in the skies.

  15. John Spounias

    January 31, 2022 at 5:28 pm

    I had a meaningful and important comment that was removed, you should be ashamed of yourselves for such censorship. As I stated many people have attempted to do this on their own, its monopolies and cartels (politicians and code and zone enforcement) which are impeding progress and not we the people. We see through it. Am unsubbing TED tho.

  16. Nhật châu

    January 31, 2022 at 5:30 pm

    It is lunar new year and i’m already getting bad luck by seeing this video. Everything she said is so obvious and already been applied into real life and the reason why those solutions haven’t create enough effort is that those solutions haven’t been popular enough due to the poor financial stituation of many people and technology hasn’t developed to do that efective enough ( for example solar panel) ; so try to be more clever the next time you go to Ted

  17. Mike

    January 31, 2022 at 5:34 pm

    I am so done with Ted talks they are just getting worse and worse every time I watch one all they care about is liberal points of you I don’t care about liberal points of view how about some conservative info from you guys and deleting you goodbye

  18. Fardeen saifi

    January 31, 2022 at 5:49 pm

    That’s interesting.

  19. question ade

    January 31, 2022 at 6:07 pm

    More utter drivel 🤣🤣

  20. J.S[기마이]Varaba

    January 31, 2022 at 7:01 pm

    영상 잘보고 잘듣고 갑니다요

  21. George Soong

    January 31, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    Empty words. Show us the calculation. When you create jobs, that is cost.

  22. V G

    January 31, 2022 at 11:40 pm

    Someone needs to get a grip here, and it ain’t me. Good god, humanity evolved and will continue to evolve. Sustainable infrastructure is huge, it is essential, but this video is miserable, like someone pulling out a wisdom tooth.

  23. V Gray

    January 31, 2022 at 11:40 pm

    Someone needs to get a grip here, and it ain’t me. Good god, humanity evolved and will continue to evolve. Sustainable infrastructure is huge, it is essential, but this video is miserable, like someone pulling out a wisdom tooth.

  24. Email Ellis

    February 1, 2022 at 12:10 am

    No from dying person find the solution older people dying people when they are young they don’t care to find solution when they getting old are nearly going to the grave they start talking for solution found nonces

  25. Pape Dupont

    February 1, 2022 at 2:08 am

    Man made global warming is the biggest swindle of history.

  26. Brian Snyder

    February 1, 2022 at 3:38 am

    Most current homes made of plastics are in trouble during a fire. The fire spreads quickly n is toxic. We can do better. Why are these homes made of flammable materials?

  27. Albus Dumbledore

    February 1, 2022 at 4:48 am

    Lots of fake smart people in these comments…

    Shoot, just outed myself too.

  28. Аб дулла

    February 1, 2022 at 5:45 am

    We
    have a RESPONSIBILITY to join together
    on behalf of the world that we seek.

    world where extremists no longer threaten our people

    That is the world we seek.

    But we can only achieve it
    together🌎🌏🌍.

    who question
    whether we can forge this new beginning.

    Some are eager to stoke the
    flames of division, and to stand in the way of progress.

    Some suggest
    that it isn’t worth the effort — that we are fated to disagree, and
    civilizations are doomed to clash.

    Many more are simply skeptical that
    real change can occur.

    There’s so much fear, so much mistrust that has
    built up over the years.

    But if we choose to be bound by the past, we
    will never move forward.

    Thank you
    UN | الأمـــــمُ المتّـحــــدَة.

    Thank you.
    and ”We all have a role to play in Keeping the Promise
    of the # GlobalGoals.
    هذه هي قواسمنا المشتركة وهي تمثل أيضا آمال🌎 البشرية🌏 جمعاء🌍.”

    # I thank you.

  29. Szilard Pusztafalvi

    February 1, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    Hypocritical smoke screen. The only reason they want to push this is “Global warming”. Where was she 30 years ago. It is always make sense to be efficient not because a made up reason what blame you everything. Is she know the new AC s broke down in a few years and every repearman says keep the old ones? Same with appliances, nobody cares if a grige dies after or less than a year!!! Detachment from reality and hippocratic propaganda!

  30. Szilard Pusztafalvi

    February 1, 2022 at 12:38 pm

    One more thing what she is not saying: be green be homeless!

    • Jan Kowalski

      February 2, 2022 at 9:45 pm

      Exactly. Buildings are demonized the way a cave would be better solution.

  31. Rose Allen

    February 2, 2022 at 10:08 am

    Great Stuff. I started watching your videos last year as a beginner before giving stock market a trial. I was able to make $972,000 within 3 Months with a capital of $200,000. keep it up!

    • Paul Jack Vasilyev

      February 2, 2022 at 10:08 am

      Wow. That’s Impressive! How were you able to make that?

    • Rose Allen

      February 2, 2022 at 10:09 am

      @Paul Jack Vasilyev Despite the fact that I take glory for the achievement, I honestly have to tell you, i was guided by ASHLEY AIRAGAHI i found through a news blog. She aided me achieve that.

    • Paul Jack Vasilyev

      February 2, 2022 at 10:09 am

      @Rose Allen How can i reach this broker lady?

    • Rose Allen

      February 2, 2022 at 10:09 am

      @Paul Jack Vasilyev I just looked her name up on the internet and i got everything i need to know about her.

    • Day in a Life

      February 3, 2022 at 6:40 pm

      @Paul Jack Vasilyev She is not being honest paul. She is a bot trying to scam you.

  32. Jan Kowalski

    February 2, 2022 at 9:46 pm

    New jobs? Where? Perhaps in China that produces all kind of eco-equipment starting from solar panels.

  33. Gaasuba Meskhenet

    February 3, 2022 at 9:42 am

    now watch the video about posing as a billionaire to see the best views

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending

Exit mobile version