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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Down To Earth

Tuesday Video: The Onion mocks TED Talks with compost-fueled cars

We've all been inspired by TED Talks, right? A new series launched by The Onion takes aim at the popular TED Talks, a target that is long overdue. These "Onion Talks" promise to tackle the big issues as forward-thinkers offer the best and brightest ideas of the future. 

There's the rub with TED Talks. The ideas are becoming an industry and some of them are empty without any real effect. Cue The Onion. In the first episode, "young media professional Cameron Hughes" describes a plan for compost-fueled cars but it gets problematic when discussing how it will exactly work. "The idea is there, it just needs implementation," he says. 

The self-proclaimed visionary gets deeper into the rhetoric:  "We're looking in the eyes of two horrible birds. And we just need a rock that is big enough, efficient enough, and innovative enough to bludgeon them. That rock is an idea. My idea to create a car that runs on compost. So how does it work? Well, it's quite simple. Instead of using gas, it uses compost."

If you didn't know any better, it's too easy to believe this is real. 

Video after the jump.



Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.