If we’re going to solve the climate crisis, we need to talk about construction. The four main building materials that humans currently use — concrete, steel, masonry and wood — have a heavy environmental impact, but what if we had a fifth option?

In the following video, from TED, architect Michael Green proposes an entirely new, natural medium inspired by the structure of trees and plants. We learn about the carbon-sequestering solution to our construction conundrum that’s laying the groundwork for a truly sustainable future.