9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Do you remember these[br]glow-in-the-dark little stars

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which you had on the ceiling[br]when you were a boy or a girl?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It is light.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It is pure light.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think I've been staring[br]at them way too long

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when I was a five-year-old,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you know?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's so beautiful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
No energy bill,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
no maintenance;

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it is there.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So two years ago,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we went back to the lab,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
making it more durable,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
more light emitting,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the experts.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And at the same time,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we got a request from this guy --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Van Gogh.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The famous Van Gogh Foundation,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who wanted to celebrate[br]his 125th anniversary in the Netherlands.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And they came to me and asked,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Can you make a place

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where he feels more alive again[br]in the Netherlands?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I liked that question a lot,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so in way,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we sort of started to connect[br]these two different worlds.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is how my brain works,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
by the way.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Oh, I would love to keep on[br]doing this for an hour.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this is the result that we made:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a bicycle path which charges[br]at daytime via the sun,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and glows at night,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
up to eight hours.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Hinting towards a future[br]which should be energy friendly,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and linking up the local grounds

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as Van Gogh literally walked[br]and lived there in 1883.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And you can go there every night for free,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
no ticket needed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
People experience the beauty[br]of cycling through the starry night,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
thinking about green energy, safety --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I want to create places[br]where people feel connected again.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And it was somehow great to make[br]these projects happen

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the industry,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the infrastructure companies,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you know?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So when the [.... ....] start to call --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
how much for 10 kilometers?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yeah, really,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's a weird call you're going to get,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but it's fascinating

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that this is not just some sort of one-off,[br]nice-to-have special,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I think this kind of creative thinking,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
these kinds of connections,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if the new economy --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
World Economic Forum,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the think tank in Geneva,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
made an interview with a lot[br]of smart people all around the world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
asking what are the top 10 skills[br]you and I need to become successful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And what is interesting[br][about] what you see here --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's not about money,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or being really good in C++,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
although these are great skills to have,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have to admit.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But look at number three:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
creativity.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Number two:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
critical thinking.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Number one:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
problem-solving --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
complex problem-solving.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All the things that robots[br]or a computer is really bad at.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this makes me very optimistic,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
very hopeful for the new world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that as we will live[br]in this hyper-technological world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
are human skills --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
our desire for empathy,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
our desire for curiosity,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
our desire for beauty --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
will be more appreciated again,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and we will live in a world[br]where creativity is our true capital.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And a process like that --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a creative process like that,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I don't know how it works for you,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but in my brain it always[br]starts with a question:

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
why?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Why does a jellyfish emit light?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or a firefly?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or why do be accept pollution?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is from my room[br]in Beijing three years ago.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Left image is a good day --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Saturday.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I can see the cars, the people, the birds,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
life is OK in a dense urban city.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And on the right image --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
holy moly.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Pollution.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Complete layers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I couldn't even see[br]the other side of the city.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this image made me really sad.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is not the bright future[br]we envision here at TED,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is the horror.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We live five to six years shorter,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
children have lung cancer[br]when they're six years old.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so in a weird, beautiful way,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I at that moment became[br]inspired by [raging] smog.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And the governments all around the world[br]are fighting their war on smog,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but I wanted to make something[br]within the now,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and so we decided to build[br]the largest smog vacuum cleaner

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the world.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So it sucks up polluted air,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
cleans it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then releases it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we built the first one.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So it sucks up 30,000[br]cubic meters per hour,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
cleans it on the nano level,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
2.5 [... ...] particles,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
using very litle electricity,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and then releasing the clean air

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so we have parks,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
playgrounds which 55 to 75 percent[br]more clean than the rest of the city.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And every month of so,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it opens like a spaceship --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
like a Marilyn Monroe with the --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
well, you know what,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
anyway.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So this ...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is the stuff we are capturing.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is Beijing smog.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is in our lungs right now.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If you live next to a highway,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's the same at 17 cigarettes per day.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Are we insane?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
When did we say yes to that?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we had buckets[br]of this disgusting material

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in our studio,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and on a Monday morning[br]we were discussing.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We were like, "Shit,[br]what should we do with it?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Should we throw it away?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Like, like, help!

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And then we realized --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
no, no, no, no, no,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
waste should not exist.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Waste for one should be[br]food for the other.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So here, maybe show it around.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Do not put this in your coffee.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we realized that 42 percent[br]is made out of carbon,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and carbon of course,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
under high pressure,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you get ...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
diamonds,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
yes.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So inspired by that,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we compress it for 30 minutes --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Compression sound)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and making smog-free rings.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so by sharing a ring,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you donate 1,000 cubic meters of clean air

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to the city where the tower is in.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have one here --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
A little floating cube.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I will give one to you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm not going to propose,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
don't worry.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Are we good?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yeah, we're good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You can show it around.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we put this online --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Kickstarter campaign,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
crowdfunding.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And people started to preorder it,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but more importantly,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they started to prepay it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So the finance we made[br]with the jewellery

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
helped us to realize,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to build the first tower.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And that's powerful --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so the ways [....],

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
was the enabler.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Also the feedback from community --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
this is a wedding couple from India,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
when he proposed to her[br]with the smog-free ring

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a sign of true beauty,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a sign of hope.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And she said yes.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I love this image so much[br]for a lot of different reasons.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And right now the project[br]is touring through China.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Actually, we have the support[br]of China's [central] government.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So the first goal is to create[br]local, clean-air parks,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and that works already quite well --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
55, 75 percent more clean.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And at the same time,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we team up with the NGO's,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the governors,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the students,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the tech people,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to say, "Hey, what do we need to do

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to make a whole city smog-free?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's about the dream of clean air.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We do workshops;

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
new ideas pop up.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
These are smog-free bicycles,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I'm Dutch, yes?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have this bicycle DNA[br]inside of me somewhere.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so it sucks up polluted air,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it cleans it and releases it

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the fight against the car,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
in the celebration of the bicycle.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so right now we're working[br]on a sort of "package deal" so to speak,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where we say,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"smog-free towers, smof-free rings,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we go to the mayors[br]or the governors of this world,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and say, "we can guarantee[br]a short-term reduction of pollution

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
between 20 to 40 percent,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
please sign here right now."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Yes?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So it's all about connecting[br]new technology with creative thinking.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And if you start thinking about that,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there is so much you can imagine,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so much more you can do.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We worked on dance floors

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which produce electricity[br]when you dance on it.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We did a design for that --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
2008.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So it moves eight or nine millimeters,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
produces 25 watts.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The electricity that we generated,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it is used for the lighting[br]or the DJ booth.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So some of the sustainability[br]is about doing more,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
not about doing less,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but also on a larger scale,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the Netherlands --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
where I'm from --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we live below sea level.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So because of these beauties,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
the [off... .... ],

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
32 kilometer,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
built by hand in 1932,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we live with the water,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we fight with the water,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we try to find harmony,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but sometimes we forget.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And therefore we made [... ....],

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a combination of leads and lenses,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which show how high the water would be,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
global change,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
if we stop.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
If today we all go home and say,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Oh, whatever, someone else[br]will do it for us,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
or we wait or government or whatever,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you know,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we're not going to do that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It goes wrong.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And we place this in public spaces[br]all around the world.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thousands of people showed up.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You're too nice, you're too nice.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
That's not good for [design].

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So thousands of people showed up,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and some actually were scared.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
They left,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they experienced the flood in 1953.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And others were mesmorized.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Can we make floating cities?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Can we generate electricity[br]from the change in tide?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So I find it so important[br]to make experiences --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
collective experiences where people[br]feel connected with vision,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
with the future,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and triggering what is possible.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
At the same time,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you know these kinds of things,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they're not easy, yes?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's a struggle.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And what I experienced in my life

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
is that a lot of people say[br]they want innovation,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and they want the next[br]and the new, the future,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but the moment you present a new idea,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there's this weird tendency to reply[br]to every new idea with two words,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
which is ...

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
No, not "how much?"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It's more annoying.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
What is it, guys?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Or you're really blessed people --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's really good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Yes, but,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
very good.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Yes, but it's too expensive,[br]it's too cheap,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's too fast, it's too slow,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it's too beautiful, it's too ugly,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it cannot be done,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
it already exists."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I have heard everything about the same[br]project in the same week.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I got really, really annoyed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I got a [bit] gray hair,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
started to dress in black[br]like a true architect --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and one morning I woke up and I said,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"Daan, stop.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is dragging you down.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You have to do something with this.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
You have to use it as an ingredient,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
as a component."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And so we decided to build,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to realize the famous "Yes, but" chair.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And this is an existing chair[br]by [... ... ],

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a Dutch design,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but we gave it a little "update,"

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
a little "hack" so to speak,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
so we placed a little voice[br]recognition element right here,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and so the moment you sit on that chair,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and you say those two horrible,[br]creative- destructive, annoying little words,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
you get a short,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
but pretty intense

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
little shock on the backside[br]of your bottom.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Laughter)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And that works --

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
yeah, that works.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So some clients have left us,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
they got really mad.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Fortunately, the good ones have stayed.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And of course we also[br]apply it to ourselves.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
But ladies and gentelmen,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
let's not be afraid.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Let's be curious, yes?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And you know,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
walking through TED in these days

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and hearing the other speakers,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and feeling the energy of the crowds,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
I was remembering this quote[br]of the Canadian author, [Arthur Mcluen],

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
who once famously said,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
"On spacecraft earth,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there are no passengers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We are all crew."

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I think this so beautiful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
This is so beautiful.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We're not just consumers,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we're makers.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
We make decisions,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we make new inventions,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
we make new dreams.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And I think if we start implementing[br]that kind of thinking even more

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
within today,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
there's still a whole new world[br]to be explored.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
All right,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
thank you.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
(Applause)

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Thank you.