What happens when a TEDx talk inspires a community to get outside, slow down, and count bees?
That question brought TEDxAtlanta to Lost Corner Preserve in Sandy Springs, Georgia, for the Great Southeast Pollinator Census. What started as an idea shared on our stage—entomologist Kris Braman’s 2023 talk, The Secret of Wild Bees in Cities—has become an annual adventure where we put that idea into practice.
As the TEDxAtlanta license holder, Jacqui Chew, explains, “That talk made us realize we couldn’t think of a better way to combine learning by doing and full immersion in the environment.”
Her vision turned inspiration into action, creating a tradition that blends science, community, and curiosity.
Instead of simply listening, we spent a morning observing. Instead of just hearing about the value of pollinators, we documented them: butterflies drifting between blooms, bumblebees zigzagging across flowers, even the humble ants and flies that keep ecosystems ticking.
With clipboards in hand, children, families, and TEDx community members joined thousands of others across the Southeast in a citizen-science project that turns everyday observations into data researchers will use to track biodiversity.
What we found when we stopped to look
Lost Corner Preserve was buzzing with life. A butterfly bush quickly became the star attraction, drawing clusters of butterflies. Elsewhere, moths darted through damp air, flies rested on leaves, and the occasional bee zigzagged across blossoms.
For Kathryn Woods, a TEDxAtlanta speaker coach, the real challenge isn’t spotting insects—it’s staying still long enough to notice them.
She laughs after recording a single bumblebee and a couple of ants: “I move around a lot in life. It’s a discipline to stay still, but that’s when you notice things—the gem of knowledge.”
Later, she reflects that the experience reminds her how “the ripple effect of our actions is so important… Just because we don’t see the impact doesn’t mean it isn’t there.”
Recent TEDxAtlanta speaker Ana Tardio connects the activity to broader themes. “At TEDx, we talk about sustainability and what we can do, not just for the environment, but for ourselves as humans. Small activities like this connect to those ideas and help build a stronger community.”
Her tally sheet brims with life: a caterpillar, two butterflies, a bumblebee, several flies, and even a few spiders. “Every drop counts when you’re filling a glass,” she says. “You can’t just look at the whole, you have to value the individual drops too.”
Together, our counts feel like drops in a larger glass of collective action. Every observation feeds into a regional database for researchers while also giving us a moment to slow down and connect.
Partners in preservation
The census took place at Lost Corner Preserve, a 24-acre park lovingly maintained by the Friends of Lost Corner and the North Fulton Master Gardeners. Their presence added richness to the day, grounding our observations in both history and local expertise.
Master Gardeners Kathleen Meucci and Kathy Kamille share how they joined the program during the pandemic and now devote their time to cultivating and educating. Known around their neighborhood as the “Garden Girls,” they see their role as much about teaching as planting. As one of them puts it, “Pollinators are good. They’re not here to sting us, they’re here to help us all live.”
They joke about being “not at a loss for words,” but their delight in TEDxAtlanta’s presence is clear: “You all made it for us. On a rainy day, how many butterflies do you usually find? Yet your people were enthusiastic, asking about the beehives and the plants. We’re so glad you came.”
Their warmth is matched by generosity—Kathy even promises to follow up with fig tree advice for a participant struggling at home.
For Jacqui, this illustrates the larger takeaway: the census not only produces scientific data but also cultivates something just as vital—connection.
“It speaks to the interest and care people have for the world around them, our planet, and our food supply,” she says. “And it’s a way to learn by doing, together.”
Reflections from the day
The counts from our morning—whether butterflies, bumblebees, or flies—are just one drop in a much larger effort. Yet, as Ana reminds us, every drop fills the glass. Kathryn speaks of the ripple effect of small actions. And Jacqui shows us how one TEDx talk can spark real-world change.
That’s the heart of this story: an idea left the stage and entered our daily lives. It gave us a way to connect with nature, contribute to science, and strengthen our community.
Turning ideas into action in your own community
Citizen-science projects like the Great Southeast Pollinator Census turn ideas into action, and anyone can take part.
This isn’t unique to Atlanta. Any TEDx chapter can create something similar—citizen-science projects exist everywhere, waiting to be paired with curiosity and collective action. All it takes is a clipboard, fifteen minutes, and the willingness to notice what’s already buzzing around you.
Sometimes, big change begins with something as small as a bee.
Pollinators — bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, and more — are the invisible workforce behind our food, our flowers, even our forests. Without them, plants don’t grow. And yet, these tiny creatures are vanishing at alarming rates.
The good news? You can help. And it only takes 15 minutes.
One plant, one simple act
This August, TEDxAtlanta is teaming up with the University of Georgia’s Great Southeast Pollinator Census. It’s a citizen science project where everyone can make a real difference.
Here’s how it works:
Find a blooming plant. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Watch closely. Every time a pollinator lands, you count.
That’s it. No fancy equipment. No biology degree. Just your eyes, a clipboard, and a willingness to notice what so many of us overlook.
Why your count matters
Every observation becomes data that scientists, planners, and conservationists use to protect pollinators and the ecosystems they sustain. Your 15 minutes feeds into something much bigger, showing where pollinators are thriving and where they need help.
Local hands, global impact — the kind of idea that belongs on a TEDxAtlanta stage.
Join us
Bring your curiosity, your family, and maybe a sunhat. We’ll meet on Saturday, 23 August, from 10 a.m. to noon at Lost Corner Preserve, 7300 Brandon Mill Rd NW, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. You’ll get a quick briefing and a guide to help you tell a bee from a fly, then you’re off to count.
Because small actions can lead to big changes. And change starts with you.
Click here to RSVP today and count yourself in!
TEDxAtlanta speakers share fresh perspectives on sustainability, innovation and action.
Every year, the world produces more than 400 million tons of plastic. Half of it is designed to be used once. Only 10% gets recycled. And about 11 million tons end up in our water—rivers, lakes, seas and oceans—every single year.
To put that in perspective, that’s the weight of 2,200 Eiffel Towers.
Plastic pollution is more than a waste problem. It’s a global challenge that affects our health, our communities and our climate. That’s why June 5—World Environment Day—is a reminder to not only understand the impact of plastic waste, but to advocate for solutions that help build a more sustainable future.
Here are just a few ideas from creators and inventors from the TEDx and TED stage who are taking action on the waste problem:
TEDxAtlanta 2021 speaker alum Aurora Robson is an award-winning debris artist known for her meditative work intercepting the plastic waste stream. She creates art that explores issues related to the culture of disposability and consumerism.
In this TEDxMtHood talk, Morgan Vague describes her research with microbiologist Jay Mellies on the wild world of microbes that eat plastic. With more plastic than fish projected in our oceans by 2050, this groundbreaking research could offer a surprisingly natural (and tiny) hero in the fight against pollution.
TED Fellow Suzanne Lee delivers a boundary-pushing idea that opens a window into the world of biofabrication—where living cells, not factories, are the future of material production. From replacing plastic to rethinking cement, she explores how biology can help us redesign some of the most wasteful parts of modern life. It’s not science fiction. It’s sustainable innovation, and it’s happening now.
This World Environment Day, join us in reflecting on the future you want to help create—and take one small step to protect it.
What is your passion?
As corny as it sounds, my passion is finding solutions and helping people or a situation. I seem driven to find answers to the unsolvable or difficult. My wife works it very well by prefacing whatever she wants done with, ” I know this probably isn’t possible” or “I doubt if you can, but…” or the ever effective, ” I know there’s no way but what if we could ……” I immediately go into how to get it done mode. I think it goes back to my mother being an algebra, geometry and trig teacher. In the day before the answers to word problems were included in the back of the book, she would take what would seem to be the most impossible advanced algebra “word problem” and work at it, think about it, and ponder it until she found the solution. She even put pad and paper beside her bed because sometimes the solution would come to her in the night (she said her brain wouldn’t let it go) and she would get up and write it down. I learned that often there is a solution even if not apparent at first and persistence may be more important than intelligence or education.
How did you decide to pursue your current career?
As you could guess from the first answer, I found myself in the solid waste business because in 1990 there were new federal regulations looming over the solid waste business that would drastically change the cost to build and operate landfills, close a great many landfills, and cause most localities to reevaluate how they handled and disposed of garbage. In my local community there was a great discussion regarding closing our landfill versus keeping it open, how to collect and pay for significant increases in cost, and how best to recycle. There were also multiple pushes to bring large regional landfills to the more rural areas which could negatively impact that communities quality of life. The chairman of the Board of Commissioners asked me to look for the best solution, which led to the formation of a task force which looked at all possible solutions. I wound up chairing the task force, led the development of a long range plan, and was then asked to develop and implement the plan. I agreed to help for 6 months. The solution was multifaceted and even multi-jurisdictional requiring a series of layered steps, community wide coordination, and the industry seemed to be begging for innovation and better solutions. Twenty nine very rewarding years later we are still developing better solutions. I am in this career because it is challenging, rewarding, and ripe for innovation.
What did you learn about yourself during the process of preparing your talk?
I learned that telling a complex story in 12 minutes can be daunting, frustrating, and requires brevity almost beyond my capability.
What drives you in challenging times?
I am driven by the unsolved problem, the fact that the solution is probably there but just not evident, and that looking at it with fresh (or refreshed) eyes with thinking outside the box is oftentimes essential. Challenging doesn’t mean impossible! Challenging means buckle down and look at it from a different point of view, and remembering that just because it hasn’t been done or thought of yet, doesn’t mean it’s not possible. One of my favorite sayings on my office wall is “We will either find a way, or Make one!”. My other driving remembrance is something I heard four decades ago. It was from a speech that talked about pressing on and persevering. “On the ‘Plains of Hesitation’ bleach the bones of countless millions, who on the threshold of victory sat down to wait, – and waiting they died”! Maybe they “sat down and gave up” or “quit”, but the thought of stopping when you may be on the threshold of victory, is a driving force.