After a life-saving surgery on my first birthday, I feel like the “little things” saved my life. There are little things we miss each and every day that have the opportunity to save our lives to some extent. We miss these things because we are often distracted by less meaningful objects and perceptions.

Zach Cohen grew up in Englewood, Colorado and is a Civil Engineering student interested in enhancing a community's sense of place through sustainable infrastructure development. Throughout his time as a cadet at West Point, he has been a member of Civil Engineering Club and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. While he is an Engineer officer in the United States Army, he wishes to pursue graduate-level education in sustainable infrastructure development.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx