Bill Gates and a Better Kind of Nuclear Power
With Earth Day in mind, I’m going to suggest you find the time to watch Bill Gates’ TED Talk about why he’s backing – and investing heavily in – a new kind of energy technology that has phenomenal potential to change, well, just about everything about the energy conversation.
The challenges we face, as Gates describes, are monumental. But so also is the creativity and commitment of some of the folks leading the charge to find solutions to our problems.
If you’ve seen Bill Gates give earlier presentations, it’s kind of neat to see his growth in terms of his confidence, his use of illustrations and data, and his ability to engage his audience.
On another front altogether, I’ll confess that I was one of those who initially scoffed when Bill Gates – asked early in his career what he would do with all his money and why he wasn’t giving more away – said that he would keep investing in his business for a while and then “mature into a philanthropist.” Why, I wondered, should it take anyone that wealthy time to grow up enough to give away a portion of such incredible wealth?
But I was totally wrong. The truth is that Gates has become one of the most generous, innovative, and committed givers in the world, and he and his wife, Melinda, are literally changing the world not only with the amount they give but with the shrewd – and inspiring – intelligence with which they give. Their giving stems from a belief that all lives have value, no matter where you’re living them, a belief that Melinda has connected to her Christian faith.
For more on their philanthropic work, you can check out The Impatient Optimists. To follow Gates’ thoughts on the evolving world of technology, philanthropy, and more, go to The Gates Notes.
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If Global Climate Change is the world’s number one challenge like Gates is saying, then what is the roll the faith community should play? What is the roll of the preacher?
James Hansen also has a great TED talk that looks at Climate Change. http://www.ted.com/talks/james_hansen_why_i_must_speak_out_about_climate_change.html
Great question, as the church on the whole has done very little. But when you think about how many people actually attend church, if we got behind energy conservation and stewardship of the earth it could have a huge impact.