Smart solutions to decarbonize buildings

TED Talk, "Smart solutions to decarbonize buildings"
TED Talk, "Smart solutions to decarbonize buildings" TED

Join the Lingua Habit community to see the upcoming Conversation Clubs, suggest and vote on content and reach fluency, faster to do your best work at home and abroad with international colleagues and clients.

A short, vocabulary-filled listening on our architecture, constructions and greenhouse gas emissions.

Summary: "Buildings are bad news for the climate -- the indoor spaces we spend most of our lives in emit 40 percent of the world's greenhouse gases. Rethinking how to create and occupy the spaces we inhabit, Katie McGinty, chief sustainability officer at Johnson Controls, walks us through smart, efficient and eco-friendly ways to decarbonize buildings -- and the benefits to both business and the planet."

Vocabulary focus: contribute, emissions, consumption, decarbonize, replace, incandescent, sensors, ratchet, blasting, upfront, upgrading, generate, savings, sustainability, net-zero, fore, translated, empowerment, ownership, engagement, piecemeal, catalyzing, tangible, mortar, partnership, flexible, agile, assets, tackle. Link to full definitions.

Speaker: "Kathleen "Katie" McGinty, Sustainability expert, is vice president and chief sustainability and external relations officer for Johnson Controls, a global leader for smart, healthy and sustainable buildings technology. Johnson Controls signed The Climate Pledge in 2021, joining hundreds of leading global companies with a commitment to be net zero carbon by 2040."

Transcript - "Smart solutions to decarbonize buildings"

  1. "Buildings contribute about 40 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
  2. They represent the biggest growing piece of electricity consumption and demand in the world.
  3. We're not cracking this climate change challenge unless we decarbonize those buildings.
  4. When you look at a building, there are key aspects of it that enable it to run.
  5. It’s the heating and cooling; it’s the lighting; it's all of our appliances.
  6. All of those things together add up to a very significant energy load and a big cost.
  7. That's what we can go after. Replace the old HVAC.
  8. Get rid of the old incandescent lights and add the new LEDs.
  9. Put in those windows that have high efficiency.
  10. That's where digital smarts come in, where you can add sensors in a building that say, “Hey, nobody’s in this part of the building, so let's ratchet back that air conditioning that’s otherwise blasting.” And don't worry about the upfront cost.
  11. Why? Because upgrading will generate savings that now can be used to finance the project in the first place.
  12. You're cutting 20, 40, 80 percent of that energy bill.
  13. When organizations begin to look at this journey toward sustainability and net-zero, a whole lot of unexpected promise comes to the fore.
  14. The head of a public housing authority, for example, just wanted to cut some costs, but get into the effort.
  15. And here's what came to life.
  16. That the new community solar garden became green energy efficiency tech jobs for the local community.
  17. And that translated into something else: a sense of empowerment, ownership, engagement by that community, and effort to bring cost down lifted the entire community up.
  18. We're at a turning point where piecemeal action is catalyzing whole communities to take action like never before, and they can do it on the basis of the tangible examples that prove the point that climate action is actually not only good for the environment, but it cuts costs and it creates jobs at the same time.
  19. You know, buildings are pretty important in our lives.
  20. Buildings aren't just bricks and mortar.
  21. With technology and partnership, we can change those buildings into flexible, agile assets, and it is bringing us the opportunity to tackle big issues like climate change."

Did you know the following questions were generated with Artificial Intelligence from reading the above transcript?

  • Which of the following is true about buildings and global greenhouse gas emissions?
    • A) They contribute a significant amount.
    • B) They are the biggest contributors.
    • C) They are a small part of the problem.
  • What is the biggest obstacle to decarbonizing buildings?
    • A) The high upfront cost.
    • B) Lack of knowledge about how to do it.
    • C) The fact that they are a small part of the problem.
  • What are some of the key aspects of a building that use energy?
    • A) Heating and cooling, lighting, and appliances.
    • B) The heating and cooling, the lighting, and all of our appliances.
    • C) Heating and cooling, lighting, and windows.
  • How can digital smarts help save energy in buildings?
    • A) By adding sensors that detect when nobody is in a certain area
    • B) By automatically turning off the air conditioning when no one is home.
    • C) By monitoring the energy use of appliances.
  • What is the reason for the high upfront cost of decarbonizing buildings?
    • A) The need to replace old HVAC systems.
    • B) The need to install new windows.
    • C) The need to replace old lighting fixtures.

Listen again and fill the gaps: aspects of, contribute, efficiency, electricity consumption, emissions, generate, global, greenhouse gas, incandescent, upfront cost.

"Buildings _____ about 40 percent of _____ _____ _____. They represent the biggest growing piece of _____ and demand in the world. We're not cracking this climate change challenge unless we decarbonize those buildings. When you look at a building, there are key _____ it that enable it to run. It’s the heating and cooling; it’s the lighting; it's all of our appliances. All of those things together add up to a very significant energy load and a big cost. That's what we can go after. Replace the old HVAC. Get rid of the old _____ lights and add the new LEDs. Put in those windows that have high _____. That's where digital smarts come in, where you can add sensors in a building that say, “Hey, nobody’s in this part of the building, so let's ratchet back that air conditioning that’s otherwise blasting.” And don't worry about the _____. Why? Because upgrading will _____ savings that now can be used to finance the project in the first place. You're cutting 20, 40, 80 percent of that energy bill."

Is it time for your team to stop changing language academies and agencies every academic year and finally reaching real professional fluency in English?

Talk to the Lingua Habit team about setting up a demo and action plan for your sector and departments!