I watched two TED talks concerning sustainable design of buildings and road systems. Building design is deeply tied to my career of interest, Civil Engineering. The first was Michael Pawlyn’s ‘Using Nature’s Genius in Architecture.’ I selected this talk because I find materials science very interesting, and because civil engineers serve as the link between materials scientists and architects, creating innovative configurations and combinations of materials to produce a desired look. I learned of a project in the Sahara Desert to create lush, green swaths of growing crops and solar plants. I learned that there are machines used in the region surrounding the Sahara that mimic a certain beetle’s ability to condense water from the sea on its shell and use this water to sustain itself. The talk presented the ideas of a cyclical use of resources, with waste from one process spawning production in another, as well as many other examples of how people are creating synthetic materials to emulate useful structures in nature. The second video I watched was Enrique Penalosa’s ‘Why Buses Represent Democracy in Action.’  Penalosa spoke primarily of unique methods for reinventing how cities are planned and built. His argument was that cities should be designed around people, not cars. This means implementing a new system of roadways with large pedestrian and bike-only sections to balance the overcrowding of cars in  inner city districts. Civil engineers are primarily responsible for creating systems of roads. If there is a change in the way roads are built, then civil engineers are at the forefront of the change. Sustainability in design is one very important reason that companies hire civil engineers. These engineers must create new ways to conserve materials, cut costs, and build efficiently. This means education in sustainable design is absolutely necessary for a student in the field of civil engineering.