UCLA Sustainability

WEBINAR - Water Knows No Borders: Transboundary Water Sources in the Middle East
2026-02-03 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Online
This event is part of the UCLA Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for Israel Studies series “Scientific and Environmental Diplomacy.”
Join a webinar with Professor Eilon Adar, who will be discussing the significance of integrated water management between nations in the Middle East, and how this reality can either be a trigger for conflict or a catalyst for cooperation. Professor Emeritus Adar is founder of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
MORE INFO HERE
REGISTER HERE
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Defensa contra Incendios para Profesionales de la Construcción
2026-02-04 15:00 - 17:30 | Online
El Programa de Capacitación para la Certificación en Defensa contra Incendios Forestales de USGBC-CA fue desarrollado para educar a profesionales de la construcción y paisajistas en cómo reforzar mejor los hogares y paisajes contra incendios a través del uso de materiales, prácticas de mantenimiento y diseños adaptados para reducir el riesgo de daños por fuego. La intención de esta capacitación es preparar el camino para que el mercado privado impulse la adopción de mejores prácticas contra incendios y genere un cambio cultural dentro de la industria de la construcción.
La capacitación destaca recursos existentes e incluye un pequeño grupo de asesores diversos en prevención de incendios, diseño de edificios y paisajismo para fomentar la conciencia y transferir conocimientos sobre las mejores prácticas líderes en la industria para reducir el riesgo de incendios en hogares y paisajes.
RSVP HERE

Fire Tender: Documentary Screening and Discussion
2026-02-10 12:15 - 13:15 | Center for the Study of Women, 1500 Public Affairs
An exploration and discussion on Indigenous fire stewardship
Join the UCLA Center for the Study of Women | Streisand Center for a screening of the short film Fire Tender, directed by Roni Jo Draper (Yurok) and Marissa Lila, followed by a discussion.
Fire Tender tells the story of Yurok tribal members returning to traditional fire practices as an essential form of land stewardship. The film centers on Margo Robbins—grandmother, cultural educator, healer, and Indigenous fire practitioner—who is leading efforts to restore Yurok fire sovereignty: the right to use fire for tribal land care, a practice outlawed under settler colonial policies. Through her work, Robbins challenges more than a century of environmentally destructive anti-fire policies that have endangered Yurok lands and restricted access to the natural resources necessary for clean water, food, and traditional lifeways.
The screening highlights Indigenous-led efforts to reintroduce prescribed fire as an essential land management tool, connecting environmental health, cultural continuance and climate resilience in fire-adapted landscapes.
Seating is first come, first served. No registration required.
Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch for the 30-minute screening and discussion to follow.
Learn more about the film. This event is part of programming for Thinking Gender 2026: “Feminist & Queer Ecologies.” Register for the conference.

Free Food from UCLA Dining Halls!
2026-02-10 22:00, 2026-02-11 22:00, 2026-02-12 22:00 | 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!

100 Lecture Series LIVESTREAM: L.A. From the Viewpoint of A Walker with Alissa Walker
2026-02-11 10:30 - 11:45 | Online
Perloff Lecture Series on 100 Years of Transportation Research
Presented by UCLA Urban Planning and UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies
L.A. From the Viewpoint of A Walker
Alissa Walker has been observing Los Angeles as a pedestrian and journalist since before Twitter existed. How people learn about their community has changed, and Alissa now works on a newsletter and podcast to inform Angelenos about transportation, housing, urban design, and governance. Her project Torched.LA covers the civic investments and policy decisions that Los Angeles is making in preparation for its megaevent-hosting era.
WATCH THE TALK LIVESTREAM HERE
ALISSA WALKER is a writer based in Los Angeles where she has covered transportation, housing, urban design, public space, and environmental policy for two decades. She edits the newsletter Torched, which tracks the legacy improvements that LA is making for the 2028 Summer Olympics. Alissa is the 2021 recipient of the Steven Heller Prize for Cultural Commentary for her writing on design and urbanism, and played herself on the traffic safety episode of Adam Conover’s show Adam Ruins Everything, “Adam Ruins a Murder.” She lives in L.A.’s Historic Filipinotown neighborhood, where she is the co-host of LA Podcast, an avid ice cream consumer, and a mom to the city’s two most enthusiastic public transit riders.

100 Lecture Series LIVESTREAM: Investing in Sidewalks and Streets with Jessica Meaney
2026-02-18 10:30 - 11:45 | Online
Perloff Lecture Series on 100 Years of Transportation Research
Presented by UCLA Urban Planning and UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies
Investing in Sidewalks and Streets
Jessica Meaney is the Executive Director of Investing in Place. Investing in Place imagines a Los Angeles that cares for its sidewalks, streets, and parks as everyday expressions of dignity, equity, and belonging. Public spaces are planned and maintained as the foundation of community life, where investment and care reach every neighborhood.
Jessica has professional experience in Los Angeles, spanning transportation planning for safe streets, administration of philanthropic grants, and management of mission-driven organizations.

WATCH THE TALK LIVESTREAM HERE

JESSICA MEANEY is the founder and executive director of Investing in Place, a leading voice for reimagining Los Angeles’ public realm—sidewalks, streets, and infrastructure. For two decades, Jessica has led efforts in LA to promote inclusive decision-making and equitable resource allocation in public works and transportation funding to create accessible and well maintained public spaces that enhance quality of life.

2026 City of Calabasas Environmental Forum: “Butterflies in Bloom”
2026-02-19 18:00 - 20:00 | Founder’s Hall, 200 Civic Center Way, Calabasas, CA, 91304, United States
The City of Calabasas Environmental Commission invites the community to the 2026 Annual Environmental Forum: “Butterflies in Bloom”, a public forum on pollinators, biodiversity and local conservation efforts. Admission is free and open to all.
The City of Calabasas hosts an annual public Environmental Forum, organized by the Environmental Commission, to engage the community on pressing and relevant environmental topics. This event typically occurs in February and features expert panels, educational exhibits, and opportunities for public participation.

February Beach Cleanup | Santa Monica Beach
2026-02-21 09:00 - 12:00 | Lifeguard Tower 20 Santa Monica, 20 Bicknell Ave, Santa Monica, CA, 90401, United States
Join this upcoming monthly beach cleanup at Santa Monica Beach, Lifeguard Tower #20. All events will take place from 9AM – 12PM.
REGISTER HERE

51st Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture | Dr. Yifang Zhu: "From Invisible to Visible: How air pollution research informs action in a changing climate"
2026-02-24 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Join the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health for the 51st Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture, via Zoom. The event will be hosted by the dean of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, Dr. Ron Brookmeyer, and feature Dr. Yifang Zhu delivering her lecture, “From Invisible to Visible: How air pollution research informs action in a changing climate.”
REGISTER HERE
ABOUT DR. YIFANG ZHU
Dr. Yifang Zhu is a professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She graduated from Tsinghua University in 1997 and received her PhD in Environmental Health Sciences from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in 2003. Her research interest is primarily in the field of air pollution, climate change, environmental exposure assessment, and aerosol science and technology. Her current research focuses on measuring and modeling air pollutant emissions, transport, and transformation as well assessing and mitigating the associated health effects. Her scholarship and creativity has been recognized by several national awards, including the Walter A. Rosenblith New Investigator Award from the Health Effects Institute in 2007, the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation in 2009, and the Haagen-Smit Prize from Atmosphere Environment in 2011.

Botany Brown Bag with Dr. Andy Kleinhesselink
2026-02-26 12:00 - 13:00 | UCLA Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Join for another installment of Botany Brown Bag. Dr. Andy Kleinhesselink will give a talk titled “A Scrap of Nature: Rediscovering UCLA’s Native Plants on Sage Hill.”
One-hundred years ago, UCLA began constructing the Westwood campus on 419 of acres of open pasture, riparian, and coastal scrub habitat. Within 40 years, nearly all of that open space and most of the native species were gone, replaced by lawns, buildings, and parking lots. Nevertheless, a few small patches of natural habitat and about 50 native plant species survived. But which native species were lost? And which species should we attempt to bring back? Dr. Andy Kleinhesselink, the Managing Director of Sage Hill, will describe how he uses herbaria collections, historical photos and other data to piece together a more complete picture of campus’ past biodiversity. He will discuss how this history guides our plans for restoring Sage Hill, and how we can use the story of biodiversity on campus to bring lessons about conservation and restoration to life for UCLA undergraduates.
Make sure to bring your lunch!
This event is free and open to the public, no RSVP required!

Chinese Global Environmentalism - Book Talk
2026-03-04 16:00 - 17:30 | UCLA Law School, Room 1447
Book Talk by Alex L. Wang Professor of Law | UCLA School of Law Walter & Shirley Wang Chair in U.S.-China Relations and Communications Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change & the Environment
Speaker bio: Alex L. Wang is a Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and a Faculty Co-Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
MORE INFO HERE

Can Abundance Be Sustainable? Merging Affordability and Climate Policy
2026-04-03 09:00 - 16:00 | UCLA School of Law, 385 Charles E. Young Drive East , Los Angeles , CA, 90095, United States
An all-day symposium that will focus on the interplay between affordability and environmental regulation.
Affordability concerns are ubiquitous in conversations on environmental and climate policy issues. Policymakers and advocates are wrestling with the question of whether cornerstone environmental laws and regulations, including CEQA and NEPA, can be robustly enforced while still recognizing and addressing cost-of-living pressures. The “Abundance” and YIMBY movements have informed how decisionmakers approach development and permitting decision across a range of contexts.
The Emmett Institute’s 2026 Spring symposium will focus on the interplay between affordability and environmental regulation, paying particular attention to recent developments in three areas: electricity generation and pricing, the transition away from fossil fuel extraction, and affordable housing. It will draw on state-level and national examples, including legislative actions in California on oil drilling and refining and a statewide freeze of building code updates, and on efforts across the country to manage growing electricity demand from data centers. Across these contexts, panelists will assess a range of reforms aimed at reducing costs and assess their compatibility with advancing environmental and environmental justice protections.
This day-long symposium at the UCLA School of Law is free and open to the public. It kicks off with a keynote address followed by the three panel discussions and an afternoon reception to continue the conversation.
Sign up here to be the first to receive registration information in the coming weeks.

UCLA AUD presents: "Transitioning Worlds" conference
2026-04-20 09:00 - 2026-04-21 19:00 | UCLA Perloff Hall, DeCafe, 365 Portola Plaza, Room 1302, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
The fourth program in the AUD60 Celebration
Transitioning Worlds is a two-day conference hosted by UCLA Architecture and Urban Design (AUD), reflecting on the changing global conditions that shape architecture and the evolving pedagogies, practices, and technologies through which AUD continues to engage them.
The conference includes a full day of thematic sessions, gathering panels of designers, instigators, and thought leaders to take up and debate the ground shifting beneath us all (Monday, April 20). On Day Two (Tuesday, April 21), they will reconvene with a morning workshop and an afternoon student session, interrogating the insights and proposals from Monday’s sessions and forecasting what we imagine next.
MORE INFO HERE

Clarkia Flower Festival
2026-05-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Botanical Garden, 707 Tiverton Dr
Save the date! The Clarkia Flower Festival will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 10 am to 4 pm. Check back later for more details!
