UCLA Sustainability

Chinese Global Environmentalism: A Book Talk with Alex Wang
2026-03-04 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | UCLA Law School, Room 1447
We find ourselves in a remarkable moment in global environmental governance. China actively supports green development on the global stage, while the US has rejected the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and actively opposes the development of renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Prof. Alex Wang will discuss his new book Chinese Global Environmentalism, in conversation with Mary Nichols. which examines how China came to embrace green development and the ways in which China promotes a developmental form of environmentalism through green ideology, diplomacy, economic statecraft, and international development cooperation.
The talk will touch on a number of case studies that shed light on China’s approach, including cases of Chinese green investment in Chile, environmental conflicts in Kenya, hydropower development in Southeast Asia, global climate negotiations, and Chinese dominance in clean technology development.
The book can be purchased here and at the following link: https://cup.org/49B6z56. A reception will follow the book talk.
Prof. Alex Wang is a Professor of Law and the Walter and Shirley Wang Chair in US-China Relations and Communications at UCLA Law School. He is also the Faculty Co-Director of UCLA’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
REGISTER HERE

The Cigarette Surfboard Film Screening
2026-03-04 18:30 - 21:30 | Hershey Hall 158, UCLA
Presented by the California Coastal Commission Whale Tail Grant
Catch the vibe at The Cigarette Surfboard Film Screening – surf, style, and epic waves on the big screen!
Come hang out for an epic in-person screening of The Cigarette Surfboard film! Watch as the surfboard made with 10,000 cigarette butts collected from California beaches turns into a platform for change.
REGISTER HERE

Exhibition Walk-through: Fire Kinship
2026-03-05 13:00 - 14:00 | Fowler Museum
Join the Fowler for an exhibition walk-through of Fire Kinship. The exhibition focuses on the important kinship ties that connect Indigenous communities to the land, and on the inextricable connection between ecological knowledge, spirituality, and creative expression.
RSVP HERE

Book Talk with Professor Sayd Randle - Replumbing the City: Water Management as Climate Adaptation in Los Angeles
2026-03-05 16:00 - 17:30 | HYBRID: LaKretz Hall (Room 300A, the large conference room) and Zoom
The Water Resources Group is excited to host a conversation with Sayd Randle, Assistant Professor of Urban Studies at Singapore Management University, to celebrate the publication of her book Replumbing the City: Water Management as Climate Adaptation in Los Angeles (UC Press, 2025).
REGISTER HERE

"Life at the City Scale" - Natural History Museum First Fridays 2026
2026-03-06 18:00 - 22:00 | Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, United States
First Fridays returns to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM), continuing the 2026 season and celebrating 20 years as one of Los Angeles’ must-attend after-hours events.
At the center of the night is a signature discussion series, this year featuring a new theme — Life, From Our Guts to the Galaxy: Rethinking the Living World — presented in collaboration with the Planetary Program at the Berggruen Institute.
March kicks off with “Life at the City Scale,” featuring scientist Dr. Christine Wilkinson, Assistant Curator of Community Science, NHM; Nurit Katz, Chief Sustainability Officer, UCLA; and moderator Dr. Yewande Pearse, neuroscientist. Together, they examine how cities are not just built for people, but are complex ecosystems teeming with living beings of every shape and size. Join them to explore how urban life affects other species, and how those relationships shape the city itself.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE

Guided UCLA Botanical Garden Tour - March 7
2026-03-07 10:00 - 11:00 | UCLA Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Explore a living museum, featuring collections of plants from around the globe! Join a Garden Educator for a free guided 1 hour tour, and hear the stories of a selection of plants in the garden, and their relevance to human society. All ages are welcome.
Meet at the La Kretz Garden Pavilion at the northern end of the garden. Restrooms are available there.
Tours are given a grace period of 5 minutes.

Free Food from UCLA Dining Halls!
2026-03-10 22:00, 2026-03-11 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!

Botany Brown Bag with Vikram Tamboli
2026-03-12 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. Vikram Tamboli will give a talk titled “Seeds of Power: Poisoning, Ritual Dance and Afro-Indigenous Knowledge in the Americas.”
“Seeds of Power” restrings the frayed history and geography of an obscure technology, ankle rattles and girdles made of toxic seeds of the Thevetia or yellow oleander plant. At least since the sixteenth century, people of Indigenous and African ancestry have used these seeds in a variety of ceremonial dances from Amazonia to Mesoamerica. Partial knowledge and material evidence of these seeds and rattles circulated through accounts of travelers and explorers, early modern herbals, and cabinets of curiosity and, by the nineteenth century, reached museum and herbarium collections across the globe. The story of these Thevetia seed rattles emerged through Tamboli’s research on the Afro-Indigenous politics of assault in the Guianas for his book manuscript ‘Black Powers and Bush Work: A history of trafficking ideas in Amazonia and the Caribbean, 1722-2022’. This talk gives an overview of the new project and offers some preliminary reflections on the rattles that are housed in U.S. collections and recent conversations with the Akawaio community members in Guyana.
Vikram Tamboli is currently a fellow at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and creator and co-director of the Healing and Harming Garden at UCLA.
Make sure to bring your lunch!
This event is free and open to the public, no RSVP required!

AltaSea Open House: ABC Solar Inc.
2026-03-14 10:00 - 12:30 | AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, 2451 Signal St, Los Angeles, CA, 90731, United States
Join another AltaSea Open House, centered on solar power. This special edition will feature Bradley Bartz, of ABC Solar Inc.
Learn more at https://altasea.org/event/altasea-open-house-abc-solar/.
REGISTER HERE

Tour of the Westwood Greenway and Clothing Swap
2026-03-14 12:00 - 15:00 | Westwood Neighborhood Greenway, 2598-2596 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90064, United States
Friends and neighbors – The Center for Developing Leadership in Science will be hosting a tour and clothing swap at the Greenway! Empanadas and other light refreshments will be provided.
​Come learn about the Greenway’s incredible biodiversity and natural filtration system from Education Outreach Specialist Ella Bogdanski. After a tour of the space, community members will have a chance to swap clothing and enjoy light refreshments.
​*You can find the Greenway on IG @westwoodgreenway*
REGISTER HERE

VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING - CicLAvia-WEST LA
2026-03-16 17:30 - 18:30 | Online

Green Sports Alliance Webinar: How to collaborate between College Athletics, Sustainability, and Facilities
2026-03-19 09:00 - 10:00 | Online
How do ACC, Big Ten, and SEC universities advance sustainable athletics programs through cross-campus collaboration? Learn how athletics departments, sustainability offices, students, and facilities teams work together to drive sustainable programs on game day and beyond.
REGISTER HERE

Guided UCLA Botanical Garden Tour - March 21
2026-03-21 10:00 - 11:00 | UCLA Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095

Westside Repair Café
2026-03-21 10:30 - 16:00 | Reed Park, 1133 Seventh St., Santa Monica, CA, 90403, United States
Join the Repair Café at Joslyn Hall in Reed Park! This event is open to anyone – not just Santa Monica residents.
Bring your items to be repaired by volunteers. Please be prepared to wait for volunteer availability and repairs. The Repair Café will stop taking new repair requests for small appliances, electronics, and clothing around 3 PM to ensure earlier requests can be filled.
Look below for more information on the repair/other services being provided:

Clothing (max 1 item at a time)
Electronics, computers, small appliances (toasters, lamps, fans, etc.) (max 1 item at a time)
Gluing – to repair wood, ceramics, and more
Jewelry (until 1 PM)
Knife & blade sharpening (max 3 at a time)
Hair Trimming
Guitar Lessons (from 1-4 PM) – No need to bring your own instrument.
Crafting – Learn how to knit or participate in other crafting while waiting for your repair.

The Repair Café is also encouraging folks to bring items to share:

Clothing swap – Only bring items in good working condition.
Potluck snacks

The Repair Cafe is looking for volunteers at any skill level for this event. Sign up using this link! If you have any questions about volunteering, please email westsiderepaircafe@gmail.com
To learn more about the Westside Repair Café, like how to get involved or stay up to date on events go to https://www.ourtimebank.com/repair-cafe

2026 BECAP Summit - Rising Tides in the Deep Blue Decade: Building the Workforce Ecosystems of Tomorrow
2026-03-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Los Angeles Harbor College, 1111 Figueroa Pl, Los Angeles, CA, 90744, United States
The Blue Economy and Climate Action Pathways (BECAP) Summit brings together statewide partners to accelerate innovation, expand career pathways, and build the interdisciplinary ecosystems needed for a resilient, sustainable coastal future.
The full-day summit at Los Angeles Harbor College will feature keynote speakers, a fireside chat, a leadership panel, and breakout sessions aligned with the four BECAP consortia pillars, Regenerative Aquaculture & Aquaponics, Blue Technology & Robotics, Clean Marine Renewable Energy, and Ecosystem Conservation & Restoration, alongside cross-sector workforce development strategies designed to strengthen California’s future workforce in the Deep Blue Decade.
REGISTER HERE

Ocean Guardians: The Pacific’s Climate Case to the World’s Highest Courts
2026-03-30 12:15 - 13:15 | UCLA School of Law, Room 1347, 385 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Join two Indigenous lawyers as they share their experiences taking the fight for climate justice to the world’s highest courts. Julian Aguon, founder of Blue Ocean Law and a leading advocate for Pacific island nations, and Naima Taafaki-Fifita, senior associate at Ocean Vision Legal and founder of The Moana Tasi Project, have been at the forefront of historic legal victories like the ICJ and ITLOS climate advisory opinions, where the highest courts in the world have ruled that States have a binding legal duty under international law to prevent climate harm, protect human rights, and act urgently to cut emissions.
Please note that the panelists will be speaking through Zoom.
REGISTER HERE

Can Abundance Be Sustainable? Merging Affordability and Climate Policy
2026-04-03 08:00 - 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.
REGISTER HERE

Guided UCLA Botanical Garden Tour - April 4
2026-04-04 10:00 - 11:00 | UCLA Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095

Los Angeles Climate Week
2026-04-08 - 2026-04-15 | Los Angeles
Join Los Angeles Climate Week™ to collaborate, exchange ideas, and develop local climate solutions. Engage with climate organizations, policymakers, innovators, companies, and changemakers from LA and beyond on cutting-edge climate change solutions.
See the list of events or get involved at the official Los Angeles Climate Week website.

AILA Earth Summit
2026-04-08 14:30 - 20:00 | 1800 Abbot Kinney Blvd, 1800 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90291, United States
​Join AILA’s 7th Earth Summit, to examine the technologies, policies, and ideas shaping our climate future. From artificial intelligence to breakthrough materials science, from state climate policy to investment strategies— explore the full spectrum of how we adapt to our changing planet.
​Can we innovate our way to a sustainable future? Earth Summit brings real data and diverse perspectives about how California addresses climate challenges through policy and technology. What are the actual costs and benefits? Where are the greatest opportunities?
​Earth Summit convenes 100-150 sustainability champions, technologists, policymakers, and investors for honest conversations about progress. With a keynote speech by California State’s climate leadership, lightning talks showcasing technical breakthroughs across multiple domains, and panels examining everything from AI’s role in climate science to the business models funding our transition, you will gain a comprehensive view of the transformation.
​This is a day for builders and pragmatists — people who want facts over hype, who see challenges as opportunity, and who are ready to make something happen, across technology, policy, and investment.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE

"Smog and Sunshine” - A Book Talk with Ann Carlson
2026-04-10 12:15 - 13:30 | UCLA School of Law, 385 Charles E. Young Drive East , Los Angeles , CA, 90095, United States
Join a conversation about an exciting environmental success story that too few Americans know in detail.
In Smog and Sunshine, UCLA Law professor and LA native Ann Carlson recounts the dramatic policy fights and the determined scientists, lawyers, and community members who worked alongside public officials to face off against major polluters and save their city. Like the book, this event will highlight the work of advocates, academics, regulators, and everyday people who refused to turn a blind eye to the toll dirty air was taking in Los Angeles and across Southern California. The conversation will also touch on lessons learned and how to channel them for the broader fight for clean air and to fight climate change.
REGISTER HERE
In a time of unprecedented climate change and skepticism about government and science, Carlson’s book is an inspiring reminder of what concerned residents and all levels of government can achieve by working together.
Carlson is the Shirley Shapiro Professor of Environmental Law and Faculty Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
Smog and Sunshine: the Surprising Story of How Los Angeles Cleaned Up Its Air, to be released on April 7, during LA Climate Week. Pre-order available here.
Books will be available for purchase before and during the event.
Please contact Heather Morphew, morphew@law.ucla.edu, with any questions.

Opening Celebration: Mountain Spirits
2026-04-11 18:00 - 21:00 | Fowler Museum
Celebrate the opening of Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines, with an evening of music and dance honoring cultural pride and the enduring connections between the Philippines and Los Angeles.
LEARN MORE HERE

LA Climate Reality Project and LA Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance tour of Athens Materials Recovery Facility
2026-04-13 10:00 - 12:00 | Irwindale Materials Recovery Facility, 2200 Arrow Hwy, Irwindale, CA, 91706, United States
​Tour of Athens Services Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in the City of Irwindale, providing waste services to millions of residents in Greater Los Angeles. Tour hosted by Los Angeles Climate Reality Project and Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Sustainability Alliance.
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER HERE

Music Sustainability Summit
2026-04-14 08:00 - 19:00 | Solotech Studios, 1017 N Las Palmas Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90038, United States
The Music Sustainability Summit returns for its third year, convening professionals from across the live and recorded music ecosystem to advance sustainability in the industry. MSS26 focuses on the ideas and initiatives that reshape how music is made, performed, and experienced. Join artists, venue operators, tour managers, promoters, and more for a day of learning, networking, and action.

Check in/Coffee: 8am
Summit: 9am-5:30pm
Reception: 5:30pm-7pm

MSS26 is produced by the Music Sustainability Alliance (MSA), a 501c3 nonprofit organization. MSA’s mission is to embed sustainability in the music industry’s DNA by convening stakeholders to showcase and accelerate initiatives where sustainability becomes the norm, inspiring audiences to carry those values and empowering artists to advocate for sustainable behaviors by their teams, venues, and fans.
REGISTER HERE
**Music Sustainability Summit Scholarship Application**
MSA is proud to announce the latest round of the MSA Scholarship Program, in partnership with Warner Music Group. The scholarship is designed for those dedicated to the intersection of art and advocacy.
LEARN MORE AND APPLY HERE
Application Deadline: March 6

Water for Life: Film Screening and Discussion
2026-04-14 19:30 - 22:00 | Hammer Museum, Bay-Nimoy Theatre, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Water For Life tells the story of three extraordinary individuals: Berta Cáceres, a Lenca Indigenous leader in Honduras; Francisco Piñeda, a subsistence farmer in El Salvador; and Alberto Curamil, an Indigenous Mapuche Chief in Chile, all of whom refused to let government-supported industry and Transnational Corporations take their water and redirect it to mining, hydroelectric, or large scale industrial agriculture projects. The screening is followed by a conversation on the diversion of water resources from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles and its impact on local tribal communities.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with Teri Red Owl, Executive Director of the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, and the struggle of the local Paiute Tribes of Payahuunadü (the Owens Valley) to protect and reclaim water resources diverted to Los Angeles.
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.

2026 Luskin Summit, Building Power Through Local Solutions
2026-04-15 07:30 - 14:30 | UCLA Luskin Conference Center, 425 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
The 2026 Luskin Summit, Building Power Through Local Solutions, will examine how California communities can build power to address vulnerability through locally driven policy action that advances equity, and well-being. The Summit will emphasize that lasting change comes not from one-size-fits-all approaches, but from empowering local governments, institutions, and communities to shape solutions that reflect their needs and strengths.
Grounded in UCLA Luskin’s commitment to tackling society’s most urgent challenges, the Summit will explore how vulnerability is shaped by policy choices—and how power can be built through collaboration, accountability, and strategic action at the local and regional levels. Conversations will focus on how communities can leverage policy tools, data, and partnerships to translate broad goals into concrete, on-the-ground outcomes.
UCLA Luskin faculty and researchers will join policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and community partners to analyze the systems that influence everyday life and to identify opportunities for reform. This year’s discussions will examine the local implementation of SB 79, California’s new housing development law; community-centered responses to environmental challenges such as plastics and mega-events; strategies to strengthen transit safety; and approaches to addressing market concentration and intergenerational inequities—highlighting how building power locally can produce durable, equitable solutions across California.
REGISTER HERE

Thinking Gender 2026 Graduate Student Research Conference
2026-04-17 09:00 - 18:00 | James West Alumni Center, 325 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, California, 90024
Thinking Gender 2026 will feature a full day of graduate student presentations highlighting innovative research at the intersections of gender, sexuality, and the environment. The conference will include a keynote address by Cutcha Risling Baldy (Cal Poly Humboldt; NAS Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute), whose work centers Indigenous feminisms, land relations, and food sovereignty.
Learn more at https://csw.ucla.edu/tg26.
REGISTER HERE

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 third 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’s imagined next.
MORE INFO HERE

CicLAvia—West LA
2026-04-26 09:00 - 16:00 | West LA
Join this upcoming Los Angeles Open Streets Event: CicLAvia—West LA!
What: CicLAvia is a nonprofit organization that has been opening streets throughout LA County since 2010. Come experience car-free open streets at our upcoming event, CicLAvia—West LA.
Enjoy the pop-up park for the day in your favorite people-powered way, whether that’s walking, jogging, biking, roller skating, skating, or simply spectating! All ages and abilities are welcome. Be sure to join the CicLAvia email list so you don’t miss any event news and updates. Click HERE to download the CicLAvia—West LA route map.
Learn more at https://www.ciclavia.org/ciclavia_west_la26.
