LADOT: Planning for Stress Free Connections
2020-09-14 17:00 - 18:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
On this webinar, you can find out how LADOT is planning a network of calm slow streets to help support safer biking and walking in the Central City subregion (see attached fact sheet). To RSVP, please click here. As a key part of receiving feedback to define the needs and opportunities for more stress free travel on local streets, please consider taking LADOT’s survey, available in English, Spanish, and Korean.

Net Zero Conference 2020
2020-09-15 - 2020-09-16
NET ZERO 2020
We’re pleased to be presenting the 2020 Net Zero Conference virtually! Because we’ve transitioned to a virtual event, we’re able to offer this year’s sponsors some new and exciting benefits.
– The world’s largest annual net zero building conference — presented virtually!
– 20+ world-class education sessions
– 3 inspiring keynote speakers
– Interactive virtual Expo Hall featuring industry-leading companies
– Reserved pool of free, need-based tickets
– Professional virtual networking with industry leaders
– Virtual tours of local net zero buildings
– Attended by experts from 38 states and 8 countries in 2019
– CEUs available for AIA, USGBC & LFA credential holders
– Content on climate, carbon, energy, water, waste + transit
– Join us in building a Net Zero Future for All!
– NZ20 is brought to you by Verdical Events
We have custom sponsorships, which can be tailored in pricing and benefit to your organization’s needs, available as well. Contact us today to learn more!

Electric Transportation of Goods and People and the resulting impact on Energy Infrastructure
2020-09-15 08:00 - 19:00
Electric Transportation of Goods and People and the resulting impact on Energy Infrastructure

Virtual Conference
REGISTER HERE
UCLA Event
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live, work, and travel. Delivery of food and packages to our homes by companies such as Amazon is becoming the norm as increasingly larger numbers of employees work from home. Many of these delivery companies are now electrifying their fleets. Simultaneously, a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road during this pandemic has demonstrated that a future with reduced tailpipe emissions would result in all of us breathing cleaner air – a further reason to move towards zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) which today are mostly electric. Enabling sufficient numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) so as to make a significant impact on emissions requires large scale deployment of smart and modern EV charging infrastructure that is easy to use, efficient, economical, and does not stress the grid.
On September 15, 2020, UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC) and UCLA Connected Autonomous Electric Vehicle (CAEV) Program within the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering are hosting a Global Conference bringing leaders from 3 continents – North America, Europe, and Asia – together to discuss the role of EVs and how the world is putting together smart charging infrastructure to support the anticipated growth in EVs worldwide.
EV development worldwide
The EV Industry, which California pioneered, is experiencing significant growth throughout the world with rapid advances in technology, performance, and a steep reduction in cost. EV industry pioneer that started in California, Tesla, has expanded its EV footprint globally, adding factories in China and Germany. With costs falling, incumbents have rapidly entered the market and added EVs to their product mix for the mass market. Volkswagen, the world’s largest automotive manufacturer, has announced plans to launch EVs priced under $22,000. Ford, Honda, VW, and BMW recently agreed to cut emissions and promised to deliver car fleets averaging 50 miles per gallon by model year 2026. The market is reacting positively to such developments, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance estimates that by 2022 the world will have 500 EV models with an estimated 26 million EVs sold in 2030 representing 28% of total vehicles sold in that year.
EV market expands from passenger cars to commercial vehicles
While passenger cars represent a significant portion of the current EV marketplace, commercial vehicles are experiencing rapid conversion to electric, especially because the cost to own and operate EVs is reducing. First, battery cost has come down by about 87% in the past decade thereby reducing the purchase cost of the EV. Second, the energy cost per mile to operate a vehicle using electric power as compared to fossil fuel-based energy is about half. Third, clean air incentives offered by governments make purchasing of electric trucks and buses extremely attractive financially. Fourth, mandates such as the recent ruling by California Air Resources Board (CARB) requiring all commercial trucks and vans sold in California in 2045 as well as half of all trucks sold by 2035 to be ZEVs, creates a market for electrification. Therefore, analyst firms are predicting significant growth of this market – electric trucks growing at a compound annual growth rate of 53.8% from 2021 to 2026.
Electric Trucks
This anticipated hyper-growth market is fueled by investments as well as the creation of new technologies. Electric truck manufacturer, Rivian, backed by the likes of Amazon and Ford, for example, has raised about $6B billion and is focused on good delivery. XOS, a startup here in Los Angeles, is bringing new electric truck technology to the marketplace. Others include Arrival, Chanje, Workhorse, and CityFreighter. Incumbents such as Daimler and Volvo, are also coming out with electric trucks, thereby augmenting an expanding and competitive marketplace.
Electric Buses
Bus electrification is also expanding rapidly in the marketplace with manufacturers such as Proterra of California and BYD of China that started out as pure electric vehicle manufacturers, where others such as Solaris of Europe, and Newflyer of the United States have transitioned into electric as they see policymakers such as CARB setting sustainability targets for emissions reduction.
New programs and policies
EV innovation is being driven by new policies from around the world such as the London Smart Cities Initiative for the urban delivery of goods and people. The London city government announced last year that it is declaring an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) within a certain region of the city that will have tighter emissions standards. Vehicles exceeding certain threshold emissions levels would need to pay a charge to enter these zones. Los Angeles and Santa Monica in California are similarly looking at emissions-free delivery zones.
Smart charging to support a smart grid including aggressive renewable portfolio standards
While electricity as a source of energy for transportation reduces greenhouse gas emissions, it also challenges the grid in the short term especially if EV charging is not managed properly. If managed via smart charging, especially using software that understands energy management, driver behavior, and battery technology, utilization of the existing grid capacity can be maximized while avoiding stressing the grid. The grid operators can benefit by utilizing the batteries within EVs as energy storage devices to stabilize their grid as they ramp up their renewable energy portfolio, which for California, a world leader in renewables, is 100% by 2045. For example, increasing amounts of solar PV generation results in the “duck curve”, a phenomenon that creates excessive power and negative pricing of electricity during the middle of the day, but by increasing the number of EVs, this energy may be absorbed thereby providing stability to the electric grid.
Additionally, EV fleet operators such as bus transit agencies whose vehicles tend to utilize large amounts of electricity, are installing stationary battery storage, so that they don’t have to rely completely on the grid operator to install power lines, especially when they supplement their facilities with rooftop PV. Such solar+battery+EV facilities can be efficiently controlled by microgrid technologies that manage these so-called “Distributed Energy Resources” or DERs thereby making it easier for grid operators to manage such assets.
AV+EV
Most EV manufacturers are simultaneously investigating autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies so that they can be at the forefront of the transportation revolution. The intersection of AV with EV creates challenges and opportunities, an example of which is the need to refuel an Autonomous Electric Vehicle (AEV) with no driver present. Wireless EV charging and robotic-assisted automated charging are being actively explored as potential solutions.
Smart Cities
As city infrastructure gets modernized, and as streets become “smart” via sensors, digital street signs, Internet-of-Things (IoT) technology, or GIS, the job of the AEV technology to deliver personnel and goods would become easier and quicker, while reducing street traffic and minimizing energy needs of the delivery fleet. Companies such as Waymo, Argo, Aurora, Cruise, Tesla, Uber, Pony.AI, and others are innovating in this space rapidly.
Infrastructure for Electric Transportation and its Energy
To discuss the technologies, innovations, challenges, and opportunities pertaining to infrastructure to support the electrification of transportation, we are bringing together experts from different disciplines at our upcoming Conference on September 15, 2020.
Tentative agenda
8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Sessions with Speakers from EUROPE
10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Sessions with Speakers from USA
1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Lunch Break
2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sessions with Speakers from USA
5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Sessions with Speakers from ASIA
All times are PDT or Pacific Daylight Time (GMT-7)

Amin Ghazanfari
Principal Scientist
Hydro-Québec’s Centre of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage

Aparna Mehta
Vice President – Global Customer Solutions
UPS

Bob Purcell
CEO
VIA Motors International

Dakota Semler
Founder and CEO
XOS Trucks

Freeman Shen
Founder and CEO
WM Motor

Ganesh V. Iyer
EVP, Managing Director
NIO USA

Gary Gero
Chief Sustainability Officer
County of Los Angeles

Jack Allen
Chairman & CEO
Proterra

Keshav Sondhi
Director – Fleet Engineering & Sustainability
PepsiCo, Inc.

Marc Manning
Senior Director, Vehicle Engineering & Acquisition
LA Metro

Rajit Gadh
Professor and Director
UCLA CAEV, SMERC, ESmart

Stella Li
President
BYD Motors Inc.

TBA
Southern California Edison

Climate Adaptation Research Symposium
2020-09-21 09:00 - 17:00
The Climate Adaptation Research Symposium will now be a free virtual, live event!
Register here: https://webinars.on24.com/uclaluskin/ClimateAdaptation2020
As global temperatures rise, climate change is causing far-reaching impacts. Communities continue to experience extreme heat waves, destructive wildfires, and devastating floods and storms. Vulnerable and low-income populations feel these impacts the most.
Climate change presents an unprecedented threat—however, researchers are making progress to estimate the impacts of climate change on many aspects of society—health, safety, and wellbeing; migration; economic outputs and productivity—and to offer potential solutions. This arena of research offers a path forward to creating resilient communities and a society that can respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
This full-day symposium will highlight recent research measuring the impacts of climate change, particularly on vulnerable populations and communities. The event will also include a parallel focus on strategies to address these impacts. It will foster cross-disciplinary dialogue between researchers and ultimately serve to improve our collective understanding of the climate adaptation research landscape; existing gaps; and how researchers can assist in informing adaptation and resiliency policies that are urgently needed.
View the agenda and speakers at https://climateadaptationresearch.com.

Climate Adaptation Research Symposiums
2020-09-21 09:30 - 17:00
REGISTER HERE
As global temperatures rise, climate change is causing far-reaching impacts. Communities continue to experience extreme heat waves, destructive wildfires, and devastating floods and storms. Vulnerable and low-income populations feel these impacts the most.
Climate change presents an unprecedented threat—however, researchers are making progress to estimate the impacts of climate change on many aspects of society—health, safety, and wellbeing; migration; economic outputs and productivity—and to offer potential solutions. This arena of research offers a path forward to creating resilient communities and a society that can respond to rapidly changing environmental conditions.
This full-day symposium will highlight recent research measuring the impacts of climate change, particularly on vulnerable populations and communities. The event will also include a parallel focus on strategies to address these impacts. It will foster cross-disciplinary dialogue between researchers and ultimately serve to improve our collective understanding of the climate adaptation research landscape; existing gaps; and how researchers can assist in informing adaptation and resiliency policies that are urgently needed.
View the agenda and speakers at https://climateadaptationresearch.com
The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation acknowledges the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples as the traditional land caretakers of the Los Angeles basin and UCLA is grateful to be in service to the indigenous peoples of this area.

Building a Just and Climate-Ready Economy in a Post-COVID World
2020-09-21 13:30 - 14:30
Join us for a conversation in honor of Climate Week with Daniel P. Schrag, Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology, Harvard University, who will address The Science and Forecasting of Climate Change and Rebecca Henderson, John and Natty McArthur University Professor, who will address the Business Case for Building a Just and Climate-Ready Economy.
Moderated by: Jennifer Nash, Director of Harvard Business School’s Business and Environment Initiative
Hosted by: HBS Connects and the Harvard Business School Business and Environment Initiative
REGISTER HERE

The Enhanced LABC Virtual Sustainability Summit
2020-09-21 15:30 - 2020-09-22 16:00
The LABC is proud to present the new Virtual Two-Day 14th Annual Sustainability Summit with our partners the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy.
REGISTER HERE

Monday, September 21 | 3:30 – 6: 15 PM
Congressional Keynote
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester

National Security Keynote
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall
Distinguished Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology; Former Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy

Moving Toward 100% Renewable Energy & Resource Adequacy
Moderator: Sammy Roth, Energy Reporter, LA Times
Martin L. Adams, General Manager & Chief Engineer, LADWP
Marybel Batjer, President, California Public Utilities Commission
Tom Buttgenbach, President & CEO, 8minute Solar Energy
Michael Garland, CEO, Pattern Energy
Carla Peterman, Senior Vice President, Strategy & Regulatory Affairs, Southern California Edison

Spotlight Session
RA McDonough, Managing Director & Head of Energy, West Region & LA, Investment Bank, JPMorgan Chase
Monday, September 21 | 3:30 – 6: 15 PM

Tuesday, September 22 | 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Accelerating Just, Equitable Climate Goals
Moderator: Michael Northrop, Program Director, Sustainable Development, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The Honorable Kevin De Leon, Councilmember-elect, Los Angeles City Council
Kate Gordon, Director, Office of Planning and Research & Senior Policy Advisor, Climate Change, Office of Governor Gavin Newsom
Dr. Manuel Pastor, Director, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, USC
The Honorable Fran Pavley, Former California State Senator, Environmental Policy Director, Schwarzenegger Institute

Fireside Chat:
Educating the Future Workforce to Achieve a Sustainable, Equitable Region
Moderator: Dr. Daniel A. Mazmanian, Professor, USC Price School of Public Policy
Carol Folt, President, University of Southern California
The Honorable Eric Garcetti, Mayor, City of Los Angeles

Business Keynote
Congressman Tony Cardenas
Emile Haddad, Chairman and CEO, FivePoint
Kevin Payne, President & CEO, Southern California Edison

The Buildings of Tomorrow
Moderator: Lauren Faber O’Connor, Chief Sustainability Officer, Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti
David Hochschild, Chair, California Energy Commission
Zafer Sahinoglu, Vice President, Business Innovation, Mitsubishi Electric US Inc.
Reed McMains, Vice President & General Manager, Turner Construction Company
Jason Barrett, Vice President, GAF Energy

Fireside Chat
Moderator: Mary Leslie, President, LABC
Congressman Alan Lowenthal
Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency

Providing Clean, Affordable Water for Californians
Moderator: David Nahai, President, David Nahai Companies
The Honorable Henry Stern, Senator, State of California
Gil Crozes, Partner, Carollo Engineers
Gloria Gray, Board Chair, Metropolitan Water District
Judith Ibarra-Bianchetta, Vice President, Tetra Tech
Enrique C. Zaldivar, P.E., Director and General Manager, LA Sanitation & Environment

Transportation Keynote
Kevin Payne, President & CEO, Southern California Edison

The Future of Clean Transportation
Moderator: Pete Holland, Executive Vice President & Regional Executive, AECOM
Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board
Genevieve Giuliano, Director, METRANS Transportation Center, USC
David Kim, Secretary, California State Transportation Agency
James De La Loza, Chief Planning Officer, LA Metro
Matt Petersen, President & CEO, LA Cleantech Incubator

Closing Keynote
Congressman Tony Cardenas

LA Equity & Equality Policy Series: Solar & Cleantech Training in South LA
2020-09-22 10:00 - 12:00
GRID Alternatives Greater Los Angeles presents the 5th installment of our Los Angeles Energy & Equity Policy Series (LEEPS), a symposium examining the lack of and need for Solar and Cleantech Training in South LA. Join us for an engaging panel of speakers as we discuss growing opportunities in clean energy in LA, and challenges and barriers to making solar and cleantech more accessible for local communities. We will explore the role community members, organizers, and job training programs such as GRID Alternatives have in creating equity in the clean energy space.
RSVP Here
*Event not hosted by UCLA

Superbloom in the California Desert 2019
2020-09-23 19:00 - 20:00
A photographic journey to Anza Borrego State Park and Joshua Tree National Park during
the Superbloom of 2019.
Dr. Gerald (Jerry) Meral is the director of the California Water Program at the Natural
Heritage Institute. He works on funding for California water, Delta infrastructure, and a
variety of other California water programs. He formerly served as Deputy Director of the
California Department of Water Resources, Deputy Secretary of the California Natural
Resources Agency, Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation Director, and
Staff Scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. He has placed 10 initiatives on the
California statewide ballot, and has been involved in many statewide ballot measures
affecting California water, parks, wildlife, health, and transportation. He has a Ph.D. in
zoology from the University of California, Berkeley.
Click here to receive emailed invitations to these Zoom meetings.

Toward Carbon Neutrality in Higher Education
2020-09-24 12:00 - 13:30
REGISTER HERE
University campuses are part of the built environment, and in their role as educators and exemplars, college and university campuses are leading the way to a low-carbon future. Despite today’s immediate concerns, leaders in higher education are keeping their eyes on the horizon, and long-term net-zero planning and projects are continuing and finding ways to accommodate financial pressures resulting from COVID-19 related enrollment challenges.
Many campuses are considering the electrification of heating as a decarbonization pathway. Today’s status quo for heating – energy distributed through high-temperature networks – not only is over-designed and costly to maintain but also is basically incompatible with the low-carbon economy. Electrification is a proven route to enable lower-carbon buildings, led by heat pump strategies. Many have already been implemented throughout the province of Quebec.
This dynamic conversation will address the long-term planning and implementation of campus decarbonization, exploring actionable and cost-effective pathways to progress.
Panelists:

Ruth Bennett, Director of Strategic Capital Programs at Tufts University
Bert Bland, Associate Vice President for Energy and Sustainability at Cornell University
JP Drouin, Project Development Director, Ecosystem Energy Services

Moderator:

Tim Carter, President of Second Nature

Comments:

Ms. Catherine Loubier, Delegate General of Québec in New York
Marie-Claude Francoeur, Québec Delegate to New England

*Event not hosted by UCLA

UCLA INFEWS Careers in Sustainability Series (CIS)- Rita Kampalath
2020-09-24 14:00 - 15:00
INFEWS is pleased to cordially invite you to join us for our second talk of the year-long series Careers in Sustainability (CIS). We are honored to have Dr. Rita Kampalath, the Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office Program Director, as our speaker. She will be discussing her career journey, goals, and other relevant sustainability topics. Q&A session will be moderated by our own graduate student trainees.
More info: http://www.infews.ucla.edu/new-events/2020/9/1/cis-series-rita-kampalath

Botanical Art: A Continuing Tradition
2020-09-24 17:00 - 18:00
Botanical Art: A Continuing Tradition
Public lecture with Artist Deb Shaw
Thursday September 24th 5:00pm PST • Zoom
Botanical artists have captured the likeness of plants as far back as records exist—ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian representational botanical art has been found dating back 4,000 years. Explore the western tradition of botanical art and illustration from historical to contemporary times through captivating images and tales of inspiration and adventure. Join Artist Deborah Shaw over Zoom for a riveting virtual public lecture followed by a Q&A session. This event is free but space is limited–RSVP to learn more and reserve a spot.
Deborah Shaw has a degree in fine art and has also studied botany and native California flora. She is principal of dbShaw Studios, an award-winning design firm, and her artwork has been displayed around the world. She is an active member of many professional organizations, including the American Society of Botanical Artists, the Botanical Artists Guild of Southern California, and the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators.
LEARN MORE AND RSVP

Poppy Hour: A Conversation with Hop Hopkins, Sierra Club Director of Strategic Partnerships
2020-09-24 17:30 - 19:00
REGISTER HERE
Poppy hour is back! Join us as we have a conversation with Sierra Club’s Hop Hopkins. We’ll be discussing how to become better allies in the Environmental Justice movement (“Learning When to Lead and When to Listen“), how environmental injustice affects communities of color (“Racism is Killing the Planet“) and Community and Interdependency (“Coming Together to Weather the Storm“). Read up! There will be time for Q&A.
Hop is the not only the Director of Strategic Partnerships with the Sierra Club, he is also a certified arborist, a Master Gardener, has his Basic Permaculture Design Certificate and is a certified Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) instructor.
Hop was born in Dallas, Texas and has been a grassroots environmental justice community organizer in Seattle, WA, Portland, OR and Los Angeles, CA. Hop contributed his talents to the Los Angeles Conservation Corps in various roles including Urban Forestry Manager and Director of Vocational Programs. In these roles he spearheaded program implementation, created training programs and assisted with curriculum development for underserved youth in the areas of wildland firefighting, environmental remediation, water efficiency and solar installation. He then spent a year and a half with the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust where he was the Director of Programs and managed the Youth Education and Urban Agriculture program.
Hop believes that life is not a competitive struggle and he is driven by his vision to create a network of residential food forests in order to support the development of stable, human-scale, solar, self-reliant neighborhood communities integrated with cooperative local economies.
Join us monthly for Poppy Hour, a live web series about California native plant gardens, and the people and ideas behind them. Grab your beverage of choice and join us on Zoom where you can share questions and comments during the hour. A Zoom account is not required to attend. Attendees will receive reminder emails with login information starting two days before the event.

Addressing Racism: Our Role as Sustainability Professionals - Part II
2020-09-30 17:00 - 18:30
REGISTER HERE
Following up on our sold out discussion earlier this summer, join NISF and qb. Consulting for Addressing Racism: The Role We Play as Sustainability Professionals, Part II.
Together, we’re going to continue diving deeper into how we can integrate equity into our identities and the organizations we work for. We will check in on our antiracism progress, hear from speakers sharing their experiences with race and sustainability, and hold small group discussions about how we can move forward
Come ready to listen, participate, and be vulnerable. We are committed to continuing this journey as a community and holding each other accountable for meaningful change.
See you Wednesday, September 30th at 5:30 pm PST on Zoom.
Want a preview of what we will discuss, check out the Antiracism Checklist for Sustainability Professionals.
*Panelist bios and agenda coming soon!
+++
100% Of ticket proceeds will go to the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, to support their work at the intersection of race, equity, and environment.
No refunds will be available. Please note that this event will be recorded.

Climate Justice = Social Justice, Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali
2020-10-05 12:00 - 13:00
For the first time ever, partners from across the CSU are collaborating to host October Sustainability Month virtual events meant to educate, empower and activate students, faculty and staff to join the movement for environmental, social and racial justice and get out the vote this November! Events will be free and open to all 23 CSU campuses. Live captioning will be provided at both events for accessibility.

REGISTER HERE

Live Keynote Address and Q & A with Renowned Environmental Justice Leader
DR. MUSTAFA SANTIAGO ALI
A renowned thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator, Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali wears many hats. He is the Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate & Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and also the Founder & CEO of Revitalization Strategies. He previously served as Senior Vice President for the Hip Hop Caucus, a national, non-profit and non-partisan organization that connects the Hip Hop community to the civic process to build power and create positive change.
Mustafa worked 24 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he started as a 16-year-old student and helped found the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ). He most recently served as Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization and Assistant Associated Administrator.
Hosted by CSU Fullerton

Technology for Good: Easton Center Innovation Challenge Kickoff
2020-10-06 17:00 - 18:00
REGISTER HERE
What are some of society’s greatest challenges in the areas of healthcare and sustainability?
How and where can technology aid in solving societal issues?
What are the key ingredients of successful innovation here?
Join Professor Terry Kramer, Easton Center Faculty Director, in a moderated conversation with Eric Hoek and Larry Leisure on these topics. And hear about the formal launch of the Easton Center Innovation Challenge – the innovation prompts, deadlines, prize monies and the content/programming designed to support participating students on their journeys. UCLA Anderson Dean Tony Bernardo will provide opening remarks.

Zero Carbon Conference
2020-10-07 08:30 - 2020-10-08 17:00
We are living in an unprecedented, critical moment to take intentional and equitable action on the climate crisis. With less than a decade to achieve sustainable development goals, collaboration is imperative to scaling our impact. We can jump-start this impact with a focus on four areas:

Embodied Carbon
Operational Carbon
Zero for All
Financing the Future of Zero Carbon Communities

The Zero Carbon Conference will respond to this need and forge a collaboration of our community of architects, designers, engineers, contractors, and responsible manufacturers–along with ESG investors and developers who are taking active steps to accelerate the decarbonization of the built environment.
Through keynotes, plenaries, panel sessions and 1:1 networking opportunities, practitioners and funders will come together to advance these initiatives around operational + embodied carbon reduction, cost-benefit analysis, and community resources to achieve an equitable decarbonized future. The Zero Carbon Conference will deliver the technology, the materials, the know-how, and the financing models needed to pave the way for scalable decarbonized global communities.
REGISTER HERE

CA Clean Air Day
2020-10-07 12:00 - 13:00
On this day of action, we encourage you to pledge to take action and consider using alternative transportation for your work commute and learn more about how pollution affects both individual and community health.
We will also host a lunchtime panel tomorrow, Oct. 7 at 12pm. Two UCLA experts – Ann Carlson, and Chris Cooper, MD – will discuss the history of air pollution in LA and its effects on lung health. Please use this link to join.
UCLA Health is committed to sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint, especially in these times of unprecedented wildfires.

We recently added two new all-electric buses with a total fleet of three and will continue to install new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.
We are purchasing 100-percent renewable energy for our Santa Monica campus through the Clean Power Alliance.
Additionally, our Rideshare Program offers incentives for using alternative transportation and the Earn-A-Bike program, a partnership with UCLA Transportation, provides eligible staff members with the opportunity to swap their parking permit for a $450 bicycle package.

More than 650,000 people participated in the 2019 California Clean Air Day, and officials anticipate that number will increase again this year.

Climate Policy is Health Policy: Making Your Case with a Powerful Online Modeling Tool
2020-10-07 12:00 - 15:00
REGISTER HERE
This webinar will teach climate and health advocates how to use a free, easy-to-use, online modeling tool to demonstrate the vital importance of climate and energy policy for protecting public health and reducing premature death. Participants will get an advance look at the newly updated model with added public health capabilities.
• Sarah Spengeman, Deputy Director of Communications, Energy Innovation (moderator)
• Adrienne Hollis, Senior Climate and Health Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists
• Jeffrey Rissman, Head of Modeling, Energy Innovation
• Neelu Tummala, Otolaryngologist and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences
The Energy Policy Simulator empowers advocates to model 80 different climate and clean energy policies’ (e.g., carbon tax, vehicle emissions standards, energy-efficient building codes) ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conventional pollutants such as NOx, SOx, and PM 2.5. The model also forecasts how reducing pollution lowers morbidity and premature mortality, while strengthening the economy and creating jobs.
Advocates will learn how the Energy Policy Simulator can educate policymakers and the public on the potential for ambitious clean energy and climate policy solutions to reduce planet-warming emissions, while dramatically reducing pollutants that contribute to respiratory disease, heart disease, and premature death.
Armed with clear and compelling data, illustrated by interactive graphs, climate and health advocates can effectively communicate why strong climate policies are a “win-win” for health and jobs.
This webinar is jointly sponsored by the American Public Health Association, Energy Innovation, and the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.
Speakers

Adrienne Hollis
Senior Climate Justice and Health Scientist @Union of Concerned Scientists
Adrienne L. Hollis is the Senior Climate Justice and Health Scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists. In that role, she leads the development, design, and implementation of methods for accessing and documenting the health impacts of climate change on communities of color and other traditionally disenfranchised groups. Dr. Hollis works with environmental justice communities to identify priority health concerns related to climate change and other environmental assaults, and evaluates climate and energy policy approaches for their ability to effectively address climate change and benefit underserved communities. She earned a BS in biology from Jackson State University, a PhD in biomedical sciences from Meharry Medical College, a JD from Rutgers University School of Law, and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard University School of Public Health.

Jeffrey Rissman
Head of Modeling and Industry Program Director @Energy Innovation
Jeffrey Rissman is the Industry Program Director and Head of Modeling at Energy Innovation, and leads the company’s work on technologies and policies to achieve zero net greenhouse gas emissions from the industry sector. He is also the originator and developer of the Energy Policy Simulator, an open-source computer model that quantifies the effects of various energy and environmental policies in combination, predicting outputs such as fuel use, pollutant emissions, financial cost or savings, electric vehicle deployment, power sector structure, and more. Versions of the simulator have been developed for an ever-growing list of countries and regions, in partnership with in-country government agencies or NGOs, accounting for more than 50 percent of the world’s emissions. Jeff holds an M.S. in Environmental Sciences and Engineering and a Masters in City and Regional Planning, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dr. Neelu Tummala
Physician and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery @George Washington School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Dr. Neelu Tummala is a physician and clinical assistant professor of surgery at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is a climate advocate with a special interest in the intersection of climate and health, and is an avid speaker and writer on this issue. She is on the Steering Committee for Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action and on the Board for the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. She is a trained Climate Reality Leader and works with The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Environment America as a volunteer activist and educator.

UCLA INFEWS Sustainable Solutions Workshops (SSW)- Composting with Kenny
2020-10-08 14:00 - 15:30
INFEWS cordially invites you to join us for the first virtual session of our Sustainable Solutions Workshops (SSW). We’re pleased to have Kenny Derieg, Waste Reduction and Recycling Specialist at Tree People, as our inaugural presenter. He will address: What is compost? Why is it important? How do I compost my food waste? Can I compost in my apartment? You will learn about this and how we can become more resilient by being more resourceful!
Moderated by our program graduate trainees.
Please register: https://tinyurl.com/y57cxk6m by October 5. Any questions, please contact Program Manager, Claudia Defaz at infews@ucla.edu.

Abolition on Stolen Land
2020-10-09 10:00 - 12:00
Situated at the present historical conjuncture of resurgent white nationalism and xenophobia, this convening foregrounds the ongoing and renewed uprisings for Black freedom and Indigenous sovereignty in the imperial formation that is the United States of America. With attention to land dispossession, organized abandonment, and racial terror, it traces the histories and futures of abolition on stolen land.
REGISTER HERE

Keynote speaker:

Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Professor of Geography and Director, Center for Place, Culture, and Politics, CUNY. Co-founder, Critical Resistance.

In conversation with:

Nick Estes, Citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. Assistant Professor of American Studies, University of New Mexico. Co-founder, The Red Nation.
Sarah Haley, Associate Professor of African American Studies and Gender Studies, and Director, Black Feminism Initiative, UCLA.
Charles Sepulveda (Tongva and Acjachemen), Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies, University of Utah.

Moderated by:

Gaye Theresa Johnson, Associate Professor of Chicana/o, and Central American Studies, UCLA.

Chaired by:

Ananya Roy, Professor of Urban Planning, Social Welfare, and Geography, UCLA, and Director, UCLA Luskin Institute on Inequality and Democracy.

Nature Journaling Workshop
2020-10-10 10:00 - 11:00
Nature Journaling Workshop
with Artist Deb Shaw
Saturday October 10th 10:00am PST • Zoom
Focused observation—drawing, sketching, and writing—changes how we look at the world around us. Nature journaling forces us to see, instead of look. Suitable for all levels and ages (including beginners) this workshop will explore various journaling techniques to enhance drawing skills, explore ideas and document our place and time. The only required supplies are pencil (a regular #2 or softer) and paper, although any other art supplies are certainly welcome. A downloadable reference sheet will be available for attendees. This event is free, but space is limited–RSVP to reserve a spot! Only one ticket is needed per household that will be tuning in on the same screen.
LEARN MORE AND RSVP

Sustainival - Zero Waste Tie-Dying with Natural Dyes
2020-10-12 17:00 - 18:00
Learn how to transform that random T-shirt you got for free at a festival last year and have only worn once into your go-to fit for zoom classes/meetings. This workshop will show you how to make natural dyes out of fruit and vegetable scraps and use it to tie-dye your clothes for a cute learn/work-from-home look. This can be done with stuff you likely already have on hand – nothing fancy needed.
REGISTER HERE
Presented by Erin Fabris
Sustainability Manager, UCLA Housing
Erin Fabris is the Sustainability Manager for Housing & Hospitality at UCLA. Erin comes to UCLA with over four (4) years of sustainability experience, most recently as the Sustainability Coordinator for USC where she created the sustainability program for Housing. She holds a Bachelors in Marine Biology and a Masters of Environmental Science and Management from UC Santa Barbara. In March, when she started working from home, she channeled her extra time into tie-dyeing everything in her closet.

Sustainival - LiveWell at Home: Starting your Container Garden
2020-10-12 18:00 - 19:00
Stressed from being at home and looking for a new self-care practice? Interested in growing your own food but don’t have the space? Join the Semel Healthy Campus Iniatiative (HCI) for quick and easy tips on how you can kick-start growing your own food at home while learning tips to manage stress!
REGISTER HERE
Presented by Mark Biedlingmaier
Special Project Coordinator, Semel HCI Center
Mark Biedlingmaier, Special Projects Coordinator of the Semel Healthy Campus Initiative Center at UCLA, brings you the jane b semel HCI Community Garden experience at the comfort of your own home. Through his experiences WWOOFing on organic farms across the country and teaching workshops as a Los Angeles County Master Gardener Volunteer, Mark invites gardeners of all skill levels to participate in creating more local, equitable, and sustainable food-systems.

TEDxUNEP: Racing to Zero with Higher Education: Acting and Enabling Global Decarbonization
2020-10-13 11:00 - 12:30
REGISTER HERE
Countdown and Race To Zero are global campaigns to rally leadership and support from governments, businesses, and other institutions for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery that prevents future threats, creates decent jobs, and unlocks inclusive, sustainable growth.
Countdown seeks to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in half by 2030, while the objective of Race to Zero is to build momentum and awareness of the Intergovernmental Climate Meeting (COP26) scheduled for November 2021 in Glasgow. Both are sending a resounding signal to governments that the broader community is united in meeting the Paris goals and creating a more inclusive and resilient economy.
Hundreds of colleges and universities from around the world have committed to the Race to Zero’s goal of Net-Zero by 2050 at the latest. Many have also signed onto interim goals or have committed to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 or before.
UN Environment Program, Second Nature, The EAUC, and others are working with campuses worldwide to achieve their carbon reduction goals and serve as a catalyst for others to take action. This program is part of that work.
Presenters:

Michael Drake, President, University of California System (invited)
Joyce Msuya, Deputy Director, UN Environment
Nigel Topping, UK High Level Champion for Climate Action, COP26
Education Minister – TBD
Tim Carter, President, Second Nature
Sam Barratt, Chief of Youth, Education and Advocacy, UNEP

Learning Objectives:

Explore actionable and cost-effective pathways to CO2 emissions reduction
Understand the role of higher education as a leader in decarbonization
Learn how to participate in Race To Zero in the lead-up to COP-26

This program is co-hosted by Second Nature and UNEP’s Youth, Education & Advocacy Unit. It is part of TEDx Countdown. This webinar is free and open to the public. If you are not available on the day of the program, you can still register and a link to the recorded program will be sent to you after the event.

Sustainival - Tour of Athens Services' Recycling Facility
2020-10-13 12:00 - 13:00
Do you wonder what happens to your recyclables once picked up from your home or from UCLA? 🧐 Well, they are actually delivered to what is called a Materials Recovery Facility, or a MRF for short, where people and a series of conveyor belts, screens, magnets, robots, and optical sorters sort and divide items by their material type. Hear from Brian Hunter, Assistant Operations Manager for Athens’ Sun Valley MRF, on what happens to recyclables once they are collected! This event is in partnership with UCLA’s Department of Custodial and Grounds.
REGISTER HERE
Athens Services is a local, family-owned waste collection and recycling company that has been a fixture in the greater Los Angeles community for the past 60 years. We provide innovative, consistent and quality environmental services to our more than 250,000 customers in the 50+ communities we serve. Through reuse, recycling and composting, Athens diverts valuable resources from landfills.

AS Sustainability Presents: LIVE WITH @browngirl_green (Kristy Drutman)
2020-10-13 13:00 - 14:00
REGISTER HERE
Join AS Sustainability for a conversation with Environmental Activist and Digital Strategist Kristy Drutman as she discusses what environmental intersectionalism is and what this upcoming election means for environmental justice. We will be taking audience Q&A as well!

Sustainival - Environmental Justice is Social Justice is Economic Justice
2020-10-13 17:00 - 18:00
Sustainability has been a field and movement with a history of exclusion and white supremacy. Oftentimes the sustainability narrative centers the importance of resource conservation and environmental health but lacks the critical component of social justice. These five (5) speakers are dedicating their careers to uplifting the concept of intersectional environmentalism through media and content creation. Join us for an interactive talk with incredible climate justice advocates that are making environmentalism a whole lot more equitable and a whole lot more fun!
REGISTER HERE
Speaker Info
ADITI MAYER

Biography
Aditi Mayer [she/hers] is a sustainable fashion blogger, photojournalist, and labor rights activist whose work explores the intersections of style, sustainability, and social justice. Seeing fashion’s disproportionate effects on communities of color globally, she began her blog, ADIMAY.com, after the Bangladesh Rana Plaza factory in 2014. Her platform looks at the fashion industry through a lens of decolonization and intersectional feminism, created in order to bring inclusivity to the sustainable fashion movement.
Aditi’s Motivation for Climate Justice Work
I am motivated by the desire to make the ties between social and environmental injustices explicit, and interrogate the systems that dually hurt both people and the planet. All of this is inspired by my own background as a South Asian woman, being the daughter of immigrants, and the granddaughter of farmers.

KRISTY DRUTMAN

Biography
Kristy Drutman (she/her) is a Filipina environmentalist and digital strategist based on Ohlone Land (aka the Bay Area) who wants to educate the world one post at a time about environmental justice through her podcast and media series, Brown Girl Green. She interviews environmental leaders and advocates about diversity and inclusion as well as creative solutions to the climate crisis. Kristy believes that culturally-nuanced storytelling is critical in building collective power and resilience within our communities, and aims to create content that empowers people to find their own voice in the fight for an environmentally just future.
Kristy’s Motivation for Climate Justice Work
I am motivated to do this work because there are environmental land defenders from countries across the global south being killed protecting and fighting for climate justice. As someone with privilege, a platform, and passion, I feel responsible to provide space, resources, and inspiration to people around the world to take action on climate change. As more lives and communities are at stake, it is imperative for those of us with the means and networks necessary to mobilize and empower people around us to act.

ISAIAS HERNANDEZ

Biography
Isaias Hernandez is the creator of Queer Brown Vegan where he makes accessible environmental education content. As a Queer, Brown, and Vegan environmentalist, he seeks to provide a safe space for other like-minded environmentalists to engage in the discourse of the current climate crisis.
Isaias’ Motivation for Climate Justice Work
Doing environmental work has always been my passion because as someone who grew up living in a community that experienced environmental injustice, I had so much fear, sadness, confusion, and anger built inside me that it was hard to navigate. I’ve always believed that environmental knowledge should never be privatized and it should be available to everyone who seeks this information.

PATTIE GONIA

Biography
Pattie Gonia (she/her/hers) is an environmental advocate, outdoor community voice, and backpacking drag queen (and yes, Pattie really hikes in heels.) Our community exists to uplift LGBTQ people and allies in the outdoors and to exist as a platform to give other voices and organizations all the shine in the world. The Pattie Gonia team carries out this mission by creating uplifting and ethical social media content, hosting community events, and fundraising for non profit organizations ($150,000 raised last year LGBTQ and outdoor nonprofits, $125,000 for Black and BIPOC led organizations to date in 2020).
Outside of heels Wyn Wiley (he/him), a 28 year old born and raised Nebraskan, has worked as a photographer, speaker, teacher, and creative director for brands including Adidas, Red Bull and Disney as well as a number of non-profits around the world. Last year, on a weeklong backtracking trip in Colorado, Wyn put on high heels and strutted for the first time as Pattie Gonia, her first video garnering more than 100 million views across platforms.
Since the birth of Pattie Gonia, Wyn/Pattie have focused their efforts on their personal journey of using drag as a way to explore self identity, sexuality, and the natural world. And so, the journey of Pattie is both extremely personal and also exists as a social and environmental justice platform.
Pattie Gonia’s Motivation for Climate Justice Work
What motivates me to do this work is knowing that this is the only planet with a Beyoncé on it. We should probably get to work to save her and mother nature, too.

LAUREN RITCHIE

Biography
Lauren Ritchie is a 19-year-old climate activist, writer, model, podcast host, and student from The Bahamas studying Sustainable Development and Political Science at Columbia University. She is the creator of The Eco Gal a digital platform that educates on global climate justice, promotes intersectional climate action, and seeks to make sustainable living more accessible and inclusive by amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. She is also a writer and content strategist for Brown Girl Green, a Youth Ambassador for Plastic Pollution Coalition, an ambassador for the Global Wildlife Conservation, and the co-host of the podcast Black Girl Blueprint, a platform to center the voices and celebrate the accomplishments of young Black women in a vast array of fields.
Lauren’s Motivation for Climate Justice Work
I was born on a small island in The Bahamas. Although the focus of my work lies within promoting global climate and social justice, the true motivation for my work is to protect my island and my country at large. Grand Bahama Island has borne the brunt of climate impacts in the form of extreme natural disasters for the past four years and will continue to be susceptible to shifts in the climate for many years to come without the resources to appropriately adapt. The reason why I, and so many other environmentalists of color, continue to expend our time and energy into a field that often feels like it wasn’t made for our voices and stories is that we are fighting for the survival of our communities and our loved ones.

City of Los Angeles' Wildlife Pilot Study
2020-10-13 19:00 - 20:00
SAVE THE DATE
Presented by Kat Superfisky, Urban Ecologist, City of Los Angeles, and Lena Mik, City Planning Associate, City of Los Angeles – a virtual presentation via Zoom – login info will be sent at a later date.

Sustainival - No-Waste, Plant-Based Brunch!
2020-10-14 10:30 - 11:30
Yeah, we get it, cooking can be rough sometimes 🥺 Between classes, zoom socials, work, parenting, another zoom social, trying to fight climate change, and animal crossing we have our plates full. Thankfully, Max La Manna is here to give us two SUPER easy recipes that are not only good for the environment/people/economy, but are also pretty darn tasty as well. He’s gonna show us how to do a no-waste strawberry + mint smoothie and banana peel pancakes (we know, we don’t understand how either). Tune in for a fun sesh and get ready for some brunch!
REGISTER HERE
Presented by Max La Manna
Low-Waste Chef, Author, Host on BBC Earth
Max La Manna is a no-waste vegan chef, award-winning author and presenter for BBC Earth.
His debut cookbook More Plants Less Waste was voted the world’s 2nd Most Sustainable Cookbook by Gourmand in 2020. Max’s mission is to re-frame how we view the leftovers and scraps that are typically thrown away to prevent them from going to landfill. Max uses social media to draw light to climate issues and de-stigmatise the waste we create in our kitchens by creating simple, innovative and exciting recipes.
