Bravo To Organizers Of Sunday's TEDx Gowanus Event

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Skull of Sludgie the Whale, who died in the Gowanus Canal

TEDx Gowanus organizer Sean Gannet

Joseph Alexiou: "The most important swamp in American history"

T.M. Rives: "What the sale of Manhattan doesn't tell us about Native Americans"

Marlene Donnelly: "The Case for Gowanus: National Registry of Historic Places"

Proteus Gowanus: "Collaborative Art and Historical Inspiration"

Joselin Linder: "Stopping a genetic disorder in its fourth generation"

Ate Atema: "Street Creeks: A Call to Action"

Natalie Loney: "Inside a New York City Superfund"

Monica Byrne: "Changing the Disaster Relief Paradigm"

Coney Island River Rats's Lenny Speregen

John D'Aquino of Coney Island River Rats: Dive into the Gowanus Canal

Calloway's Salon: Cabaret improvisation

I had only intended to stay for part of the TEDxGowanus event held this past Sunday at The Green Building and 501 Union Street, but the speakers were so compelling, the different subjects so fascinating, that I ended up staying all day.  The focus of the talks was "Inspiring Community" and inspiring it was.

Though many of the 9-minute speeches focused on the history of Gowanus, it's legacy as an urban industrial waterway, the challenges of addressing the pollution in the canal, and its rebirth as an incubator for small businesses, there were stories of personal journeys, global challenges and advances in science that will surely affect all of us.

Add to that footage of an actual dive into the Gowanus Canal and a fake German guy in Lederhosen, and this was the place to be yesterday.

When it was all done, there was an after party and a chance to continue the conversation at Royal Palms.

How can you beat it?

I would like to thank TEDx Gowanus organizers Sean Gannet, Stone Dow, and Joseph Alexiou for bringing this event to Gowanus. It is exactly this all-encompassing conversation we need to have to help shape the neighborhood's future.

Well done, guys!