'Hey Bill Nye, What Can One Person Do to Save the World?' #TuesdaysWithBill | Big Think

Hey Bill Nye, What Can One Person Do to Save the World?'
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This week, Bill Nye dishes out some warm and fuzzy feelings (served on a bed of seriousness) through a kind and inspiring response to Victoria, a middle school student from Washington state who is looking for some clues about how to counteract climate change, and make an individual stride towards a better world.
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BILL NYE :

Bill Nye, scientist, engineer, comedian, author, and inventor, is a man with a mission: to help foster a scientifically literate society, to help people everywhere understand and appreciate the science that makes our world work. Making science entertaining and accessible is something Bill has been doing most of his life.

In Seattle Nye began to combine his love of science with his flair for comedy, when he won the Steve Martin look-alike contest and developed dual careers as an engineer by day and a stand-up comic by night. Nye then quit his day engineering day job and made the transition to a night job as a comedy writer and performer on Seattle’s home-grown ensemble comedy show “Almost Live.” This is where “Bill Nye the Science Guy®” was born. The show appeared before Saturday Night Live and later on Comedy Central, originating at KING-TV, Seattle’s NBC affiliate.
While working on the Science Guy show, Nye won seven national Emmy Awards for writing, performing, and producing. The show won 18 Emmys in five years. In between creating the shows, he wrote five children’s books about science, including his latest title, “Bill Nye’s Great Big Book of Tiny Germs.”

Nye is the host of three currently-running television series. “The 100 Greatest Discoveries” airs on the Science Channel. “The Eyes of Nye” airs on PBS stations across the country.
Bill’s latest project is hosting a show on Planet Green called “Stuff Happens.” It’s about environmentally responsible choices that consumers can make as they go about their day and their shopping. Also, you’ll see Nye in his good-natured rivalry with his neighbor Ed Begley. They compete to see who can save the most energy and produce the smallest carbon footprint. Nye has 4,000 watts of solar power and a solar-boosted hot water system. There’s also the low water use garden and underground watering system. It’s fun for him; he’s an engineer with an energy conservation hobby.

Nye is currently the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s largest space interest organization.
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TRANSCRIPT:

Victoria: Hi there Bill. My name is Victoria. I am a middle school student from Washington state. Environment is quite humid right now and it's time to make a change, but a lot of people don't see the threat or they don't want to make a change. My question is how can we to prepare the planet and what actions we can start right now to save the world? I know it's hard but I just hope that you can give some clues. Thank you very much.

Bill Nye: Victoria. Victoria. You are the key to the future my friend. So here's the thing, you live in Washington state. I lived in Seattle for many years. I love Washington. Go Seahawks. I'm right there my friend. Go Mariners. Now, you are in middle school. You are the future. People will tell you that but they're not kidding. So what we want you to do his influence your parents and make sure they vote. Voting is the most important thing for us, especially this year.

And I want your parents - I want you to encourage your parents to take the environment into account when they pick people to vote for. Now you're Governor, Jay Inslee, he's an acquaintance of mine and he's a big environmentalist. He wrote a book, Apollo's Fire, and so on. It's about the future of what people are doing to take care of the environment and have energy produced, electricity especially, renewably without having to burn fossil fuels. So it's up to you to influence your parents. Yes, very important to recycle your plastic and your paper. And also in Washington state, I'm not sure exactly where you live but you can recycle your food waste along with your yard waste and that becomes compost, which nourishes our farms, which in turn produces food, part of the mythic cycle of life. So you can encourage your parents to do that, but we need big ideas, big changes.
In Washington state there's enormous opportunities for wind turbines and enormous opportunities for photovoltaics, for solar cells that take sunlight and make it right into electricity, esp...

[thasweetwalrus]

Bill should explain the electoral collage to everyone lol

[StanleyKingChan]

this is a loaded question and it really depends. you have to honestly ask yourself if you are passionate in things that benefit society, the environment, and other living things. if you are then just pursue one of those things to the best of your ability. networking is a very underrated aspect tho

[Johnny_Ultimate]

This is actually the most thoughtful and well shot #tuesdaysWithBill I've seen. Well spoken by Bill and also good camera shots and edits. Just actually a good over all video. Well done over there.

[StermaPerma]

Tbh I dont think one person can 'save' the world. But one person can certainly change it.

[AncientMysteriesAndInnovations]

I like how he explained algebra as a way to help your brain think differently, not that it's an actual useful thing in your life, because more often than not, it isn't. But, as a way to help train your brain, I can get behind that

[KGisthename]

Bill, thank you so much for all of the time and effort that you have spent for years and years to bring knowledge and inspiration to our future scientists.

[vjorp]

I think someone said that if we covered the whole Sahara desert it would be 3 times as much energy as to power all of the planet.

Though I know that won't work as the further you transort electricity the more expensive you get and the bigger the energy losses.

[ericatoylar]

Awesome advice Mr Nye. Really enjoyed this video.

[catlove]

I would also like to say that grandparents (and parents, grandparents just seem to have more time) should be teaching sustainability and problem-solving to the younger generation. Building and installing solar panels, teaching which plants to forage for food and medicine, planting a garden, setting live-traps, building a windmill or water-wheel, etc. Weekend projects are great for teaching, learning, and bonding. Most of all, teach them how to figure out how to solve problems, don't just solve all of the problems for them.

[dhawthorne]

Recycling plastic is nearly useless. Most plastic types are not accepted
by recycling plants. The ones that are accepted degrade after just a
few times through the process. The plastics that don't make the grade,
are too thin (bags) and the ones that are not profitable to recycle end
up in the landfill or as litter that can make its way into the food
chain, oceans and water supplies. On top of all of this, food and drinks stored in plastics contain higher levels of known carcinogens.
The key is to avoid plastics as much as possible. Glass is safer for food and drinks and is more easily recycled; cardboard and paper are sturdy alternatives for consumer packaging such as light bulbs, computer mice and grill lighters and aluminum is a light and durable alternative for short term use or impact resistance in items such as car bumpers, TV stands and phone cases.

[vejymonsta]

Bill Nye wants YOU to VOTE!! Just don't vote for Trump... That fool doesn't even know what science is.

[PatrickAllenNL]

I just realized how much Bill looks like George Washinton

[blaiseronstadt]

Good One Bill. Happy Birthday, Hope you Live to 100, Carry On

[silvesby]

Smart kid, I have gained some hope in humanity

[CarootCarrot]

any small garden can be used to grow at least some fruits and veggies <3

[SerebralK]

Making the dietary transition away from animal product is very important when taking the environment into consideration.

[teamdeer]

Damn Bill is always so fresh with his bow ties. I mean would you just look at it! It has the constellations on it, yo.

[ZennExile]

One person cannot save the world. This is a terrible perspective to start from.

This life is not about the solitary achievements of single human beings. You cannot accomplish anything in this world without the resources, both monetary and social. You need to have connections with the right people, and the wealth necessary to capitalize on opportunities as they present themselves through these connections.

There is no shortcut. You cannot be successful in any respect without being in the right place, at the right time, with a pile of money.

The sooner you kids realize this, the more successful you will be able to make yourselves in pursuing the opportunities available to you.

[cllpz]

I would've loved to hear this word when I was in middle school 😢

[feuxdinoit_]

I really can't see how you answer her question instigating her to tell her parents to vote when that obviously makes no sense when she's asking something so singular like "One person in the world" she wants to know something that can be apply universally and not at some limit or cost because I am a Puerto Rican and tell me If I can vote been part of the United States for so many years? I can't, I can't change the world because a nation have put barriers in our system and we pretty much have to adapt to horrible conditions not cause at all by us. That been said, which i know is a harsh thing to say I showed love and compassion for all these children around the world showing us and teaching us how we need to unite and help each others planetery.