UCLA Sustainability

Free Food from UCLA Dining Halls!
2026-05-20 22:00, 2026-05-21 22:00, 2026-05-26 22:00, 2026-05-27 22:00, 2026-05-28 22:00, 2026-06-03 22:00, 2026-06-04 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Conference Room 1 in the Student Activities Center Basement, 220 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join Bruin Dine for food recovery events every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 10PM in the SAC Basement (unless otherwise announced)! Please bring your own tupperware and utensils!
Follow https://www.instagram.com/uclabruindine/ for additional updates!

The Sea Within Us: Caring for the Deep
2026-05-21 15:00 - 17:30 | Hammer Museum
To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Rachel Carson’s award-winning and widely influential book, The Sea Around Us, an interdisciplinary group of Indigenous culture bearers, scientists, artists, and ocean storytellers will address the legacy of DDT+, industrial, and radioactive waste dumping off the southern California coast. As a visionary marine biologist, Carson represented the science of the ocean alongside an ethic of accountability to what she termed our “mother sea.” To Carson, the ocean was a teacher, agent, and ancestor carried in our briny veins.
This panel will engage a wide range of perspectives about the cultures of ocean knowledge including Indigenous stewardship, the history and science behind the contamination, its impact on ocean ecosystems and marine mammals, and how collectively we might chart a path toward healing and accountability through diverse practices of caring for the deep.
LEARN MORE HERE

Out of Plain Sight, Screening and Post-screening conversation
2026-05-21 19:30 - 22:00 | Hammer Museum, Bay-Nimoy Theatre, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
From the Los Angeles Times and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Rosanna Xia, Out of Plain Sight is a cinematic exposé of an environmental disaster lurking just off the coast of Southern California.
LEARN MORE HERE

CA Natural Resources Secretary Speaker Series - AAPI Trailblazers: Bold Leaders Advocating for the Environment
2026-05-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
This AAPI Heritage Month, Secretary Wade Crowfoot joins for a conversation honoring AAPI leaders advancing climate action, expanding access to nature, and helping build a stronger, more inclusive California for future generations.
Secretary Crowfoot hosts monthly discussions with leaders and big thinkers from across California to discuss emerging natural resources issues. This open forum allows for new and different perspectives about how we best steward California’s resources.
REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

Land That Breathes: Native Film Festival
2026-05-30 18:00 - 22:00 | James Bridges Theater, 235 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join for a night of Indigenous film. This film festival will showcase the work of Native women filmmakers whose creative visions speak to the relations between community and the land: Cassandra Kihúut Alaniz (Payómkawish, Pechanga Band of Indians), Camaray Davalos (Payómkawichum), Eve-Lauryn Little Shell LaFountain (Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Jewish), Keli Mashburn (Osage Nation), Kim O’Bomsawin (Abenaki nation of Odanak), and Meg Porteous (Ngāti Maniapoto/ Pākehā). The event will also feature a mid-show Q&A with Keli Mashburn and Meg Porteous, moderated by Desiree Wetz (Juaneño/Luiseño/Cahuilla). The festival programmer is Scott Brockman Varnado (Advanced PhD Candidate, Cinema and Media Studies, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television).
Doors open and dinner reception at 6, first screening at 6:30.
Find more info at https://main.aisc.ucla.edu/events/landthatbreathesindigenousfilmfestival/.

Screening: The Sea Around Us
2026-06-03 19:30 - 21:30 | Hammer Museum
Co-presented with the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts and the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Beneath the glittering surface of the Pacific Ocean lies a world of ancient and ongoing kinship—and a hidden legacy of destruction. Guided by the cosmologies of the Tongva and Acjachemen peoples and the relation to the abalone, this immersive journey into the ocean depths confronts a half-century of chemical dumping off the coast of Catalina Island, asking us to renew relations with a mother ocean that has been exploited.
Created by artist Rebeca Méndez, The Sea Around Us is an immersive cinematic experience born from the shocking revelation that over 500,000 barrels of toxic chemicals—including the pesticide DDT+, acid sludge, and radioactive waste—were dumped into the ocean off Santa Catalina Island between 1947 and 1972, with disastrous implications for marine and human ecologies. Méndez’s vision weaves together underwater footage, Indigenous knowledge systems and song, and poetic storytelling into a call to action for care and accountability to our source of life. The screening is followed by a conversation with Rebeca Méndez, artist and professor in the UCLA Department of Design Media Arts, Professor UCLA English Professor Elizabeth DeLoughrey, and investigative journalist Rosanna Xia.
Ticketing: Admission is free. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis, limit one per visitor. Box office opens one hour before the event.
LEARN MORE HERE

Los Angeles Wildfires: ​An Economic Update #3
2026-06-08 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
This third iteration offers a refreshed overview of the economic impacts of recent wildfires in Los Angeles. It highlights updated data and key trends, while providing a general snapshot of recovery progress and ongoing challenges. The report is intended to keep stakeholders informed with timely insights as conditions continue to evolve.
REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

Waste Diversion and Reduction in Athletics
2026-06-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
This session will highlight practical strategies, challenges, and successes in reducing waste at athletic events and facilities, including recycling, composting, fan engagement, and operations behind the scenes. Attendees will gain insight into how sports programs can leverage fan energy and engagement to drive broader sustainability awareness and action.
Presentation from:
Chad DeWitt – Sustainability Coordinator at University of Virginia
Meredith Laidly – Resource Stewardship Coordinator, Department of Athletics at The Ohio State University
Logan Gould – Zero Waste Coordinator, Facilities Operations and Development at The Ohio State University
REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

Streamlining Home Electrification: Strategies to Reach Disadvantaged Communities
2026-06-11 15:30 - 16:30 | Online
How can electrification programs better support households in disadvantaged communities?
Join this webinar to explore strategies to reduce program participation barriers and expand home electrification across California. We’ll draw on findings from our recently published report, Streamlining Home Electrification in the Gateway Cities, on a promising pilot program in the L.A. region.
What to Expect: We’ll discuss the benefits of the “one-stop-shop” case management approach and the potential for streamlined applications and a universal home assessment process to facilitate participation across programs. A panel of experts will share perspectives from across the field — including state policy, environmental justice, and more — followed by a moderated Q&A.
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE
Presented by: UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation in partnership with Valley Clean Air Now (Valley CAN)
Related Report: Streamlining Home Electrification in the Gateway Cities

Making Merch Sustainable
2026-06-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
How can the proliferation of music industry merchandise align with artists’ and society’s environmental and social expectations?
Merch is one of music’s fastest-growing revenue streams — and one of its most scrutinised. As fans and artists alike demand higher environmental and social standards, the industry faces a pressing question: can merchandise ever be truly sustainable?
This hour long webinar introduces the new Responsible Merch Guide, co-authored by REVERB, The CSO Shop, and Green Music Australia.
Join other industry leaders to explore how music merch is being reimagined — from reuse and remanufacturing to supply chain innovation — and what it takes to align commercial ambition with genuine responsibility.
Whether you’re an artist, manager, brand, sustainability professional or concerned fan, join to explore what’s already working, what’s still broken, and where the opportunity lies.
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE

Get Ready for COP17 in Armenia! Come Together to Learn and Discuss How to Engage
2026-06-17 09:00 - 10:00 | Online
Armenia takes center stage this October as host to one of the most important global summits for the future of life on earth, COP17 – the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) 17th Conference of Parties – under the theme “Taking Action for Nature.” You’re invited to a special virtual meeting hosted in collaboration with the California Global Diversity Alliance ahead of COP17. As environmental challenges continue to impact communities around the world, connecting local action with global conservation goals has never been more important.
Speakers include:
– US Congressperson Laura Friedman
– CA Assemblymember Nick Schultz
– Mike Young, Executive Director of California Environmental Voters
– and others to be announced
REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

How Worried Should You Be About This Air?
2026-06-24 19:30 - 20:30 | Online
Join L.A. Material’s Antonia Cereijido and Jessica Garrison for a conversation with experts about Los Angeles air quality amid the ongoing Boyle Heights warehouse fire.
Guest experts include:
– Yifang Zhu, professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences
– Sam Silva, assistant professor of Earth Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering at USC
– Jill Johnston, associate professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at UCI
*by registering for this webinar, you will also be subscribed to L.A. Material’s free weekday newsletter.
REGISTER FOR WEBINAR HERE

Solution Series: Reuse Wins in Food Service, Stadiums, and Beyond
2026-07-21 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
For a world overrun by single-use plastics, reuse systems offer a clear path forward. Reuse systems can drastically cut plastic use and pollution and build local economies. Non-toxic, plastic-free reuse is the ultimate solution to protect our health—but is not without its challenges.
Plastic Pollution Coalition will host a webinar to present exciting reuse applications in schools and universities, senior living facilities, stadiums and other event spaces. We will also discuss the current barriers for implementing and expanding reuse, and how individuals, organizations, businesses, and policymakers can support the transition.
Joining the discussion will be Alison Cove, Founder & CEO, USEFULL; Crystal Dreisbach, CEO, Upstream; and Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, Founder & CEO, Ahimsa. The webinar will be moderated by Madison Dennis, Senior Policy and Advocacy Manager, Plastic Pollution Coalition.
REGISTER FOR THIS WEBINAR HERE

Livestream: APAICS Energy & Commerce Summit
2026-07-22 09:00 - 13:00 | Online
This is a non-UCLA event posted here as of interest to the community.
The APAICS Energy & Commerce Summit brings together industry and community leaders alongside Asian American & Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AA & NH/PI) Members of Congress to discuss top-line energy and commerce concerns that are affecting the AA & NH/PI community and the nation at-large.
During the virtual Summit, speakers will explore topics ranging from green workforce development, the current state of the energy landscape, the future of climate action, building next generation businesses, mobility and transportation access, and the growing impact of artificial intelligence and data centers. Community and industry leaders, alongside key stakeholders and policymakers, will discuss the challenges they face and the policy solutions they are developing in response.
REGISTER HERE TO RECEIVE EMAIL WITH LIVESTREAM LINK
The 2026 Energy & Commerce Summit will air virtually on YouTube.

Women in Cleantech: Strengthening Sector Expertise Series: Sustainable Cities
2026-07-22 17:30 - 19:30 | La Kretz Innovation Campus, 525 South Hewitt Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90013
This is a non-UCLA event posted as of interest to the community.
The Expertise Series – focused on supporting women leaders in accelerating their sector expertise within transportation electrification, clean energy, and sustainable cities – will focus on Sustainable Cities for its third and final event, where we will provide an overview of the sector, spotlight leaders working across the sustainable cities ecosystem from a variety of perspectives, and create opportunities for more women to pursue and deepen their work in this space.
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT HERE
LEARN MORE ABOUT WOMEN IN CLEANTECH HERE

Community Webinar: Los Angeles Mayor's Climate Plan
2026-07-23 10:30 - 12:00 | Online
This is a non-UCLA event posted here as of interest to the community.
You are invited to join us for a community webinar to learn about the Mayor’s vision for a more climate resilient Los Angeles and actions the City is taking to make this vision a reality.
During the webinar, there will be an overview of the Mayor’s climate priorities, highlight the actions departments are taking to build a greener, healthier, and more resilient Los Angeles.
You can register here: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_OL9E39nIQ4im9Oh18oz1yA.

Curator Talk: Digital Production of Mountain Spirits
2026-07-23 12:30 - 13:30 | Online
This behind-the-scenes conversation explores the digital production of Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines, an exhibition that immerses audiences in the sacred landscapes and living traditions of the Ifugao rice terraces.
Featuring Amy Landau and Paul Connor, the online program examines the research, filming, and on-site processes that shaped the exhibition’s digital components. From early ideation to working in the mountainous terrain of the Philippines, they will reflect on their approach to documenting a living cultural landscape grounded in ritual, labor, and environmental stewardship. Through images, clips, and personal reflections, exhibition co-curator Amy Landau and Paul Connor will discuss how digital media can translate embodied, place-based knowledge into an exhibition experience. The conversation will address the practical and ethical dimensions of filming, collaboration with local communities, and the challenges of capturing atmosphere and spirituality on screen. They will also share how raw footage and research were transformed into the final 9 projector, 7 speaker, and 4 screen video installation, offering insight into the creative decisions behind bringing Mountain Spirits to life in digital form.
LEARN MORE HERE
REGISTER HERE

Can the Energy Crisis Finally Unite Us?
2026-07-23 19:00 - 21:00 | ASU California Center Broadway, 1111 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA, 90015, United States
This is an off-campus, non-UCLA event posted here in case of interest to the broader community.
Climate debates are going nowhere. Highly ideological, they end in gridlock more often than solutions. Disasters strike, but their media shelf-life is short. And younger generations, long worried about living on a warming planet, are moving from anxiety to frustration, feeling like they’re left with all the problems but no decision-making power. The world needs a new approach.
There are signs of change: States with conservative majorities like Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma are now leaders in renewable energy, and some U.S. voters have latched onto a green economic populism that runs on affordability. And in the U.K, a recent conservative government expanded Britain’s offshore wind power. What new climate narratives, and which media messengers, will bring us together to effect progress across politics, state lines, national borders, and vast oceans? And what words will they employ? Can “energy realism” make people view renewables as a path to freedom from oil dependence? Is “sustainability” out and “our future” in?
Former Florida U.S. Representative and Climate Solutions Caucus co-founder Carlos Curbelo, New America Planetary Politics director Heela Rasool-Ayub, and climate change journalist Kate Yoder will discuss efforts to help words win where political ideology has failed.
Co-presented by Thomas Mann House and Zócalo Public Square, in partnership with ASU Global Futures Laboratory and Palisadian-Post
Moderated by Uwe Jean Heuser, Journalist and 2026 Thomas Mann Fellow
We invite our in-person audience to continue the conversation with our speakers and each other at a post-event reception with complimentary light bites and beverages, plus the opportunity to experience a work-in-progress VR documentary about the 2020 Los Angeles wildfires from ASU’s Narrative and Emerging Media program.
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT HERE
This event will also be streaming live on Youtube.

Surfrider LA Beach Cleanup @ Santa Monica Tower 28
2026-07-26 10:00 - 12:00 | Santa Monica Lifeguard Tower 28, Santa Monica, CA, 90405, United States
This is an off-campus, non-UCLA event posted for the interest of the community.
Join Surfrider LA on the beach at Santa Monica Lifeguard Tower 28 for a morning of community and care for our coastline!
Surfrider beach cleanups serve to raise awareness about the trash & litter problem confronting our waterways. The data collected from the trash you find at our cleanups helps shape Surfrider’s plastic reduction policy campaign initiatives.
Along with joining an active and vibrant community of volunteers, you will gain some insight into what we do at the Surfrider Foundation at our LA Chapter and at national level, collect trash from the beach, weigh your findings, and sort/record items found for our trash database.
SIGN UP FOR JULY 26 BEACH CLEANUP HERE

Part 2: Air-Dry Clay Garden Marker Workshop
2026-07-27 18:00 - 19:00 | jane b semel Healthy Campus Initiative Community Garden, Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, 111 Easton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Join the jane b semel HCI Community Garden for an Air-Dry Clay Garden Marker Workshop!
Spend a relaxing evening in the garden making your own personalized plant markers out of air-dry clay—perfect for labeling herbs, flowers, or anything you’re growing. This is a hands-on, low-pressure, and fun way to unwind, get creative, and connect with the garden community. No experience needed, and all materials will be provided!
REGISTER FOR WORKSHOP HERE

Policy Making Under Uncertainty: Deciding Where to Implement Fire Mitigation Strategies
2026-08-05 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
The State of California uses hazard maps to determine where defensible space regulation apply, whereas the insurance industry uses risk mapping to set policies. What are the implications for the use of these different methodologies? This webinar convenes academic, agency, and industry experts to discuss where we need to target fire mitigation interventions.
Featuring:
– Kelly Hereid, Head of Catastrophe R&D for Liberty Mutual Insurance
– Ertugrul Taciroglu, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering
– Dave Sapsis, Research Manager for CAL FIRE’s Fire and Resource Assessment Program (FRAP)
– Shea Broussard, CEO of FlameMapper
Moderated by Alex Hall, Faculty Director of the UCLA Sustainable LA Grand Challenge (SLAGC) and Director of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
Register today for the second in a series of webinars organized by SLAGC that deal with how we can develop policies that help us live with future fire.
Watch SLAGC’s first panel in this series, Policymaking Under Uncertainty: Zone 0 and Vegetation Clearance, here.

Garden Mandala Painting Workshop
2026-08-06 18:00 - 19:00 | jane b semel Healthy Campus Initiative Community Garden, Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, 111 Easton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Come paint a garden mandala while enjoying nature and being in community. No experience is needed, and all materials will be provided. This is hands-on, low-pressure activity is a fun way to unwind, get creative, and connect with the garden community.
RSVP FOR WORKSHOP HERE
Questions? Email hcigardens@ucla.edu.

Film Screening of Superfish: Salmon
2026-08-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Superfish: Salmon is a visually stunning documentary that takes audiences on a journey into the life of wild salmon. The film follows pioneering marine biologist and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rick Rosenthal as he embarks on a global journey to document the resilience, ecological necessity and existential threats facing wild salmon populations.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Jennifer Kemmerly, Vice President of Global Ocean Conservation at Monterey Bay Aquarium; Stephen Hohenrieder, CEO of Grounded Capital, investors in sustainable food systems; Curtis Knight, Executive Director of Cal Trout (conservation organization); and Rick Rosenthal, 4-Emmy award filmmaker, marine biologist and director of Superfish: Salmon.
REGISTER FOR SCREENING HERE
* RSVP does not guarantee entry if event reaches capacity. Admission is granted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Summer of '26 Pali Veg Fest at the Palisades Village Green
2026-08-09 11:00 - 14:00 | Palisades Village Green, 15280 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90272, United States
Join for a free afternoon of fantastic plant based food, live music, family activities and time with friends and neighbors.
Come hungry for burgers and fries, BBQ ribz, hot links, jambalaya, creamy mac, vegan crepes, cookies, cheesecake, peach cobbler, frozen desserts and more.
CFgainz will perform live, and Jason Journeyman will bring hands on nature education for curious kids and grownups.
Enjoy face painting, giveaways, raffle prizes, kids activities, demo drives, native plants, wellness and skincare, composting education and community resources.
Rebuilding or renovating? Meet Resilient Palisades’ vetted solar installers and trusted clean energy and rebuilding partners. Get practical guidance on solar, battery storage, HOME LA incentives, heat pumps, passive house design, fire resilient construction, rebuilding plans and wildfire recovery.
REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT HERE
