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The joy of taking out the trash | Aparna Nancherla

Take action on climate change at . Comedian Aparna Nancherla loves to take out the trash. In this funny and sharp meditation on garbage — “the stuff that our modern, consumerist, carbon-powered culture makes us buy endlessly, and often for no reason” — she shares thoughts on how to use less in a world that’s…

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Take action on climate change at .

Comedian Aparna Nancherla loves to take out the trash. In this funny and sharp meditation on garbage — “the stuff that our modern, consumerist, carbon-powered culture makes us buy endlessly, and often for no reason” — she shares thoughts on how to use less in a world that’s choking on ever-larger piles of waste.

This talk was part of the Countdown Global Launch on 10.10.2020. (Watch the full event here: .) 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. Get involved at

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

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43 Comments

43 Comments

  1. Erika Mants

    December 30, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    You know at first I was like cringe, but then she grew on me rather quickly. Sometimes it’s the simple talks like this that have simple messages but also a fun way of getting them across.
    A lot of things can’t be recycled but recycle anyway and also reuse what you can. Those are simple things I could live by, but it gets me thinking……can I think of a way to recycle what isn’t recyclable right now?!?!?!?! Who will be the person to figure this out first? How could items like pizza boxes or amazon packages with bubble wrap inside be more sustainable? Interesting haha

  2. Emerald Archer

    December 30, 2020 at 1:25 pm

    Fun times

  3. Paul Smith

    December 30, 2020 at 1:32 pm

    I enjoyed this talk! Thank you!

  4. Kasia

    December 30, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Wtf?!

  5. Matthew Morton

    December 30, 2020 at 1:44 pm

    Im a white man

  6. Dev inder

    December 30, 2020 at 2:01 pm

    Ok I am gonna say it. She low-key sounds like Sarah Paulson.

  7. Sandra Nosocialism

    December 30, 2020 at 2:11 pm

    Ted commercial?

  8. James Kulevich

    December 30, 2020 at 2:53 pm

    Stop wanting stuff…

  9. John Hoang

    December 30, 2020 at 3:04 pm

    Anyone else forwarded this to those responsible for taking out trash in house based on the title?

  10. Fisher of Zombies

    December 30, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    video is trash

  11. runny fatman

    December 30, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    video is trash

  12. hdmat101

    December 30, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    Kinda hard in an era of planned obsolescence where every year, companies want you to buy their “new” product. Eg iPhone. Moreover, people are encouraged to buy things that they want rather than what they need.

  13. David Sireika

    December 30, 2020 at 4:29 pm

    At the end of this year, TED has reached critical 2020

  14. Big Dee

    December 30, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    The self-loathing continues

  15. Pomabit Zaukin

    December 30, 2020 at 6:30 pm

    ????

  16. Stephen Powdexter

    December 30, 2020 at 6:33 pm

    Aspirational recycling. Mythical recycling. Fraudulent recycling. Dutiful recycling. Moral imperative recycling. Subliminal recycling. Most Recycling efforts fail and waste time and money. The main problem is getting people to put the gd trash in the trash can.

  17. Fred Dobbs

    December 30, 2020 at 6:40 pm

    Things start off well, when you begin a closed-set monologue with canned laughter. . . . It’s the only laugh she’ll get.

  18. Rylan Palmer

    December 30, 2020 at 6:49 pm

    Is this lady serious?

  19. EMS 76

    December 30, 2020 at 7:17 pm

    I have to admit, I’m tired of thinking about this stuff. I can’t imagine how much more disengaged people who don’t understand or believe climate science are. The only way forward is to find streamlined solutions that make it easy for people to do the right thing without even realizing they are doing it.

    • Conner Fleur

      January 1, 2021 at 1:53 pm

      Exactly!!

  20. A S

    December 30, 2020 at 8:41 pm

    Oh, I thought this was about removing Democrats from office.

  21. Your Master Gggg

    December 30, 2020 at 9:49 pm

    So cringe

  22. Joseph DiPrimio

    December 30, 2020 at 10:02 pm

    Very upbeat and creative. She’s perky too.

  23. Lisa Shung

    December 30, 2020 at 10:30 pm

    US trash is not another country’s treasure, it’s trash! Why didn’t America recycle the trash itself? It definitely has technology to make it a profitable business……don’t export it!

  24. Spastmatiker

    December 31, 2020 at 12:07 am

    Why does this sound like a great battlerap album title?

  25. Halil Ibrahim Alkoc

    December 31, 2020 at 12:33 am

    So that’s how my dates feel, it’s good to know they at least enjoy it

  26. Anônimo

    December 31, 2020 at 12:39 am

    Her way of talking is very entertaining and engaging.

    • bla . 24 years ago

      December 31, 2020 at 8:31 pm

      She just found a new job opportunities

    • bla *.* 24 years ago

      December 31, 2020 at 8:31 pm

      She just found a new job opportunities

  27. sewer cult

    December 31, 2020 at 4:32 am

    im so glad aparna appeared in my feed

  28. Carlos Pacheco

    December 31, 2020 at 6:16 am

    Taking out the trash

  29. J R

    December 31, 2020 at 6:44 am

    Solution: Wood

    Wooden cans, bottles, utensils, cups, plates, auto body panels, train cars, airplane wings/fuselages, etc.

    Wood is one of (if not) the greatest resources on Earth that is largely untapped, nearly infinite if managed well, highly accessible, and ACTUALLY disposable

  30. Corgi Jungle

    December 31, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    You can compost hair !

  31. Μικρές Διαδρομές Σάμου - Mikres Diadromes Samou

    December 31, 2020 at 3:54 pm

    Φανταστικό βίντεο !!!!!

  32. 이재영

    January 1, 2021 at 12:45 pm

    ‘All of seventh grade can’t be recycled.’ <<- I need someone to explain what this mean. help~

  33. 38 Amisha Rewale

    January 1, 2021 at 3:47 pm

    I’m here because I have to increase my vocabulary

  34. Walkaza

    January 1, 2021 at 7:03 pm

    ????I thought Aparna Nancherla was going to talk about men.

  35. Debajyoti Majumder

    January 2, 2021 at 11:27 am

    Damnn it felt like I was a child, and she was the teacher of my kindergarten

    • lateblossom

      January 6, 2021 at 12:22 am

      It’s the short shelf behind her, the background.

  36. Ehab Alwi

    January 3, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    She makes me uncomfortable. But she has a good presence

  37. suzi Manipur

    January 3, 2021 at 11:50 pm

    Happy new year ????????

  38. fernanda rodrigues

    January 4, 2021 at 1:59 am

    Nice

  39. Stewart Anderson

    January 4, 2021 at 11:36 am

    I came to TED for science, got some then it turned into this………

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Nonprofits & Activism

Meeting in the Middle Isn’t Enough for Today’s Trickiest Debates | Bill Heck & Stephanie Lepp | TED

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Can art help us usefully address polarizing issues such as gender, abortion or race? In a performance of “Faces of X” — a series that seeks to reframe culture-war clashes — actor Bill Heck stages different sides of a debate between capitalism’s champions and its critics, illuminating a new way to grapple with complex realities. After the performance, creator Stephanie Lepp offers three questions we should all ask to move to clear perspective and new understanding. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 9, 2025)

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#TED #TEDTalks #SocialChange

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Sometimes feeding just one child can seem challenging. Not for entrepreneur Wawira Njiru, who’s gone from serving lunch to 25 children from a makeshift kitchen to establishing her nonprofit, Food4Education, as a cornerstone of Kenya’s school meals system. Currently serving half a million meals to children every day, she’s now thinking even bigger. Hear about her incredible plan to serve delicious, nutritious daily meals to millions of kids across Africa by 2030. (This ambitious idea is part of The Audacious Project, TED’s initiative to inspire and fund global change.) (Recorded at TED2025 on April 9, 2025)

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The US political system is broken — and the solution might be in the palm of your hands, says political strategist Bradley Tusk. Drawing on his deep experience with government and technology, he makes the case for allowing Americans to vote on their phones, explaining how it can be done safely and securely. Learn why…

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The US political system is broken — and the solution might be in the palm of your hands, says political strategist Bradley Tusk. Drawing on his deep experience with government and technology, he makes the case for allowing Americans to vote on their phones, explaining how it can be done safely and securely. Learn why mobile voting could be the best way to increase voter turnout, reduce political extremism and save our broken democracy. (Recorded at TED2025 on April 10, 2025)

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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

#TED #TEDTalks #Politics

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