Charlotte McCurdy talks about 21st Century Sustainability, Determined Optimism, and the Future of Climate Tech. What happens when we take a carbon-centered approach to thinking about climate change? Just maybe, we can shift from seeing sustainability as less of what we currently have and instead see a truly new set of materials, energies, and behaviors. What happens when we design for regenerative futures instead of just sustainable presents? Charlotte McCurdy is an award-winning designer and researcher who works at the intersection of emerging technology, futures, and existential threats. Her work on carbon-negative materials, “After Ancient Sunlight,” debuted as part of “Nature - The Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial” in 2019, won the Experimental category in the 2019 FastCompany Innovation by Design Awards, and was most recently on view at The Design Museum, London. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, Dezeen, Wallpaper, and Vogue, and has been supported by the MacArthur Foundation, Swarovski, The UN Office for Partnerships, and Science Sandbox. She holds a degree in Global Affairs from Yale University and in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. She is an Assistant Professor of Industrial Design at Arizona State University where she teaches courses at the intersection of climate change, design research, and experimental design. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx