UCLA Sustainability

Free Food from UCLA Dining Halls!
2026-02-18 22:00, 2026-02-19 22:00, 2026-02-24 22:00, 2026-02-25 22:00, 2026-03-10 22:00, 2026-03-11 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!

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

Vertical Gardening Workshop with Dr. James Bassett
2026-02-21 10:00 - 11:30 | jane b semel Healthy Campus Initiative Community Garden, Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, 111 Easton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90024, United States
Take a break from the rain and join a workshop on Vertical Gardening, led by Dr. James Bassett. Learn more about how to integrate trellises, hanging planters, and other space-saving methods into your garden!
REGISTER HERE

UCLA Climate Action Plan Town Hall
2026-02-23 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
UCLA has completed a Decarbonization Study, funded by the State of California, to develop and analyze strategies for a 90 percent or greater reduction in scope 1 emissions from fossil gas use in campus energy systems. Based on the results of this study, UCLA is now engaged in developing an updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) which integrates the recommendations of the study.
The draft Climate Action Plan was submitted to UCOP in December 2025 and can be viewed at this link – Draft UCLA Climate Action Plan. Feedback on the plan is welcome by Friday March 27 through this form: https://forms.gle/JcCYqQrApea9sa4v7. UCLA Sustainability is also hosting Town Halls for students and staff where you can learn more about the draft updated Climate Action Plan, starting on Monday, February 23rd.
Link to Presentation Recording (use passcode: [REDACTED]
For an overview presentation about the plan, please see this recording of the briefing given the UCLA Executive Sustainability Committee in November, 2025.
Additional Climate Action Plan Town Hall sessions

Wednesday February 25, 6pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/oej5i8inR0C2N-A2WCgZCw
Thursday February 26,12pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/iUlvBn_qR0Gf9buH9ZmxLw

If you have any questions about the Decarbonization study or climate planning please contact: sustainability@ucla.edu.

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.

UCLA Climate Action Plan Town Hall
2026-02-25 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
UCLA has completed a Decarbonization Study, funded by the State of California, to develop and analyze strategies for a 90 percent or greater reduction in scope 1 emissions from fossil gas use in campus energy systems. Based on the results of this study, UCLA is now engaged in developing an updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) which integrates the recommendations of the study.
The draft Climate Action Plan was submitted to UCOP in December 2025 and can be viewed at this link – Draft UCLA Climate Action Plan. Feedback on the plan is welcome by Friday March 27 through this form: https://forms.gle/JcCYqQrApea9sa4v7. UCLA Sustainability is also hosting Town Halls for students and staff where you can learn more about the draft updated Climate Action Plan, including on Wednesday, February 25th.
REGISTER HERE
For an overview presentation about the plan, please see this recording of the briefing given the UCLA Executive Sustainability Committee in November, 2025.
Additional Climate Action Plan Town Hall sessions

Monday February 23, 6pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/8ya9xQtYS1GPQcS1wKroBQ
Wednesday February 25, 6pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/oej5i8inR0C2N-A2WCgZCw
Thursday February 26, 12pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/iUlvBn_qR0Gf9buH9ZmxLw

If you have any questions about the Decarbonization study or climate planning please contact: sustainability@ucla.edu.

UCLA Climate Action Plan Town Hall
2026-02-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Online
UCLA has completed a Decarbonization Study, funded by the State of California, to develop and analyze strategies for a 90 percent or greater reduction in scope 1 emissions from fossil gas use in campus energy systems. Based on the results of this study, UCLA is now engaged in developing an updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) which integrates the recommendations of the study.
The draft Climate Action Plan was submitted to UCOP in December 2025 and can be viewed at this link – Draft UCLA Climate Action Plan. Feedback on the plan is welcome by Friday March 27 through this form: https://forms.gle/JcCYqQrApea9sa4v7. UCLA Sustainability is also hosting Town Halls for students and staff where you can learn more about the draft updated Climate Action Plan, including on Wednesday, February 25th.
REGISTER HERE
For an overview presentation about the plan, please see this recording of the briefing given the UCLA Executive Sustainability Committee in November, 2025.
Additional Climate Action Plan Town Hall sessions

Monday February 23, 6pm – Link to Presentation Recording (use passcode: [REDACTED]
Thursday February 26, 12pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/iUlvBn_qR0Gf9buH9ZmxLw

If you have any questions about the Decarbonization study or climate planning please contact: sustainability@ucla.edu.

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!

UCLA Climate Action Plan Town Hall
2026-02-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
UCLA has completed a Decarbonization Study, funded by the State of California, to develop and analyze strategies for a 90 percent or greater reduction in scope 1 emissions from fossil gas use in campus energy systems. Based on the results of this study, UCLA is now engaged in developing an updated Climate Action Plan (CAP) which integrates the recommendations of the study.
The draft Climate Action Plan was submitted to UCOP in December 2025 and can be viewed at this link – Draft UCLA Climate Action Plan. Feedback on the plan is welcome by Friday March 27 through this form: https://forms.gle/JcCYqQrApea9sa4v7. UCLA Sustainability is also hosting Town Halls for students and staff where you can learn more about the draft updated Climate Action Plan, including on Thursday, February 26th.
REGISTER HERE
For an overview presentation about the plan, please see this recording of the briefing given the UCLA Executive Sustainability Committee in November, 2025.
Additional Climate Action Plan Town Hall sessions

Monday February 23, 6pm –Link to Presentation Recording (use passcode: [REDACTED]
Thursday February 25, 6pm – https://ucla.zoom.us/meeting/register/oej5i8inR0C2N-A2WCgZCw

If you have any questions about the Decarbonization study or climate planning please contact: sustainability@ucla.edu.

Shine LA
2026-02-28 08:00 - 12:00 | Los Angeles
Let’s come together and make Los Angeles shine! Join the Office of Mayor Karen Bass, our partners, and your neighbors in cleaning, greening, and preparing our city for the world stage. Take pride in your neighborhood and be part of this movement to make LA its best! We hope you will join us on February 28th at various locations across the City.
REGISTER HERE

The Road to Repair: Transforming Infrastructure to Advance Environmental Justice
2026-03-02 10:00 - 12:30 | Online
A mini-symposium from the UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies
REGISTER HERE
The automobile-dominated transportation system has historically and disproportionately harmed low-income communities and communities of color, dividing neighborhoods, increasing exposure to traffic and noise pollution, and contributing to long-term health and economic disparities. This virtual mini-symposium explores how innovative, justice-focused approaches to freeway removal can repair these harms, reconnect communities, and create more equitable and sustainable urban environments, issues highly relevant to transportation planning, policy, and engineering. The mini-symposium features two panels:
Panel 1: Impacts and Inequities of Freeway Construction
This panel examines the social, environmental, and health impacts of freeway construction, with a focus on racial-ethnic disparities in exposure to traffic-related air pollution, displacement, and community severance. Panelists will discuss how transportation planning and infrastructure policies have marginalized communities of color and created persistent inequities.

Adam Paul Susaneck, AECOM/Segregation By Design
Demetria Murphy, Estolano Advisors
Amy Castaneda, Environmental Health Coalition
Dilia Ortega, Communities for a Better Environment

Panel 2: Solutions and Opportunities in Freeway Removal
The second panel explores innovative strategies to reimagine urban transportation. Panelists will discuss freeway removal, boulevard replacement, and investments in public transit and active transportation as tools to reconnect communities, reduce environmental harm, and promote transportation equity. Case studies, including California examples, will highlight planning, policy, and design strategies to advance environmental justice.

Dr. Ben Crowther, America Walks
Randolph Belle, Outreach Lead for Vision 980
Yesenia Perez, Senior Program Manager for Climate Equity, The Greenlining Institute

Why Attend
Attendees will gain insights into both the systemic challenges posed by freeway construction and the transformative potential of equity-driven transportation planning that prioritizes equity, environmental justice, and community well-being. The mini-symposium is designed to foster dialogue between researchers, students, and policymakers on practical and innovative solutions for more just and sustainable transportation systems.

Live Webinar: From Procurement to Governance: Board Oversight of Sustainability Measurement & Reporting
2026-03-04 09:00 - 10:00 | Online
Everyone is part of someone else’s Scope 3, and sustainability performance is rapidly becoming a core factor in procurement, risk, and revenue. As customers increasingly ask suppliers to disclose climate and ESG data, sustainability is moving into the boardroom. How prepared is your organization to respond?
Join this webinar to explore the board’s role in governing sustainability, including oversight structures, accountability, and reporting readiness. Gain practical governance models, escalation triggers, and strategic questions directors can use to guide management and strengthen resilience in an evolving business and regulatory landscape.
REGISTER HERE

Chinese Global Environmentalism: A Book Talk with Alex Wang
2026-03-04 16:00 - 18:00 | 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.

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
