Become a Naturalist Day
2023-07-15 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, United States
Celebrate native plants with the Garden! Create native wildflower seed bombs, embark on a garden scavenger hunt, and enjoy a complimentary garden tour!
Drop-in anytime between 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. to participate.
On-going Activities: Scavenger Hunt & Wildflower Seed Balls
10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.: Storytime
11 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Guided Tour
12 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Botanical Illustrations Activity
REGISTER HERE

Maddalena Bearzi in conversation with Beth Pratt about “Stranded: Finding Nature in Uncertain Times”
2023-07-15 11:30 - 12:30 | Palisades Branch Library, 861 Alma Real Drive, Los Angeles, CA, 90272, United States
Part of ALOUD TRAVELS: To the Beach
Come out and celebrate summer with ALOUD in a festival-like atmosphere at one of our beachside library branches. The afternoon-long event will feature beach-themed author talks, a SoCal Summer Storytelling hour, and family-friendly activities.
REGISTER HERE
Maddalena Bearzi
Maddalena Bearzi is President and co-founder of the Ocean Conservation Society. She holds a Ph.D. in Biology and a Post-Doctorate from UCLA, and she has been involved in studying marine mammals with a conservation bias since 1990. Her research on dolphins and whales off California represents one of the longest investigations worldwide. She has published several scientific peer-reviewed papers, she is co-author of “Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins” (Harvard University Press), and author of “Dolphin Confidential: Confessions of a Field Biologist” (University of Chicago Press) and “Stranded: Finding Nature in Uncertain Times” (Heyday). Her first children’s book for MacMillan is forthcoming. Her work and books have been covered, among many others, by CNN, NPR, KPCC, Al Jazeera America, The LA Times, and American Scientist. Maddalena is also a writer for other media, including National Geographic. Born and raised in Italy, she lives in Los Angeles, California, with her husband and dog.
Beth Pratt
A lifelong advocate for wildlife, Beth Pratt has worked in environmental leadership roles for over twenty-five years, and in two of the country’s largest national parks: Yosemite and Yellowstone. As the California Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, Pratt leads the #SaveLACougars campaign to build the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which broke ground on Earth Day, April 22, 2022. Her innovative conservation work has been featured by the Los Angeles Times, NPR, The New Yorker, and more. Author of I Heart Wildlife and When Mountain Lions are Neighbors, her new book Yosemite Wildlife will be published in 2024. She has also contributed to the books The Nature of Yosemite and Inspiring Generations as well as given a TEDx talk, “How a Lonely Cougar in Los Angeles Inspired the World,” and is featured in the documentary, “The Cat that Changed America.” Pratt spends much of her time in Los Angeles, but makes her home outside of Yosemite with her five dogs, two cats, and the wildlife that frequent her backyard.

Compostable Summer Series: Bokashi Workshops - Westside Edition
2023-07-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Kind Grounds, 3759 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90066, United States
Ever heard of Bokashi? Come learn all about the power of this simple fermented composting process during one of Compostable’s 1-hour in-person workshops. These systems are great for people with small spaces who want to offset their food scrap footprint right at home with minimal effort.
REGISTER HERE

Compostable Summer Series: Bokashi Workshops - Northeast Edition
2023-07-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Sustain LA, 5214 Monte Vista Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90042, United States

Hunting an Invisible Super-Pollutant: Strategies to Spot and Eliminate Methane Emissions
2023-07-18 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
Methane is a powerful but invisible planet-heating gas that accounts for about one-third of Earth’s warming to date. By cutting methane emissions now, humans can rapidly reduce the rate of global warming, buying time as we lower carbon emissions in the long term. While there are many readily available—and highly profitable—ways to tackle these emissions, finding methane in the first place can be a serious challenge.
This July Lunch & Learn will bring together Deanna Haines, Jorn Dinh Herner, and Francesca Hopkins, three leading methane detection experts who work to see the unseen. They will share lessons and outline how cutting methane can bring about a more stable climate and livable future.
Panelists:

Deanna Haines, Senior Director, Honeywell
Jorn Dinh Herner, Administration & Emissions, Mitigation Branch Chief, California Air Resources Board
Francesca Hopkins, Assistant Professor of Climate Change & Sustainability, University of California, Riverside

The State of State Climate Ambition: Modeling Policy Progress and Opportunities with RMI
2023-07-19 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
As legislative sessions wrap up across the country and billions of federal climate dollars continue flowing to states, identifying opportunities for future action will be critical. Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) partnered with Climate XChange to release climate scorecards analyzing how 20 states are progressing toward climate-aligned targets. The scorecards use the state Energy Policy Simulator models to:

Explore each state’s progress on climate action,
Assess how current climate and clean energy policies will help meet emissions reduction goals, and
Identify gaps in each state’s policy landscape that can further mitigate climate change.

Join a panel of experts from RMI and Climate XChange to explore how the U.S. landscape of state-level climate policy will help us reach our climate goals, including which states are leading the charge, what policies are essential to meet emissions reduction targets, and how states can pass ambitious, science-based climate policy to close remaining gaps.
REGISTER HERE

Decarb is Going on Sale: Demystifying IRA Tax Incentives for Building Owners
2023-07-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) is the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history. But what does this mean to building owners?
As one White House expert recently put it, “decarbonization is going on sale.”
Two-thirds of IRA funding will take the form of tax credits, which are being enhanced to benefit more organizations, including nonprofits and even local governments.
In addition, the EPAct 179D tax deduction has been made permanent, and its value has more than doubled from $1.80 per square foot to $5.
Join LABBC’s (Los Angeles Better Buildings Challenge) David Hodgins in conversation with federal tax law expert Gabrielle Jacques of Norton Rose Fulbright and energy efficiency expert Rich Maiolo of Capital Review Group for a conversation about:

Recent changes to federal tax incentives under IRA;
How to access these incentives; and
Case studies on real-world projects

REGISTER HERE

Hydrogen Blending in Buildings
2023-07-19 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
Join to learn more about hydrogen as part of a commitment to protect the planet and all who live here from the existential dangers of climate change.
REGISTER HERE

Reimagining Energy Permitting for the 21st Century
2023-07-20 09:00 - 10:00 | HYBRID: Online and U.S. Capitol Visitors Center, First Street NE, Room HVC-201, Washington, DC, 20510, United States
Congress has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to rethink how the United States does energy permitting—a step that would accelerate efforts to modernize the country’s physical infrastructure. The old way of permitting must be reformed to facilitate deployment of innovative technologies that will enhance U.S. energy security and address environmental imperatives. Yet the discussion about permitting reform to date has largely focused on procedural reforms to federal statutes, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While siting and building need to speed up, additional permitting challenges for new and emerging energy technology solutions remain.
Please join the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) on Capitol Hill for a briefing event featuring keynote remarks by Reps. Garret Graves (R-LA) and Scott Peters (D-CA) followed by an expert panel discussion on ways Congress can reduce barriers to digital energy solutions, increase new energy infrastructure technologies, and modernize our entire energy infrastructure.
REGISTER HERE
Questions for the speakers? Ask on Slido.

Veloz Digital Dialogue — On The Grid: The Role of EVs in Energy Reliability
2023-07-20 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
Alongside spotlight speaker Alice Reynolds, President of the California Public Utilities Commission, a full panel of industry experts will detail how EVs can play a role in grid reliability — from demand offset programs to battery storage solutions, and much more.
Digital Dialogue Panel:

Jigar J. Shah, Head of Energy Services, Electrify America
James Frasher, Manager of New Business Development, Grants and Innovation, Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)
Smriti Mishra, Senior Director of Strategic Growth and Alliances, WeaveGrid
Heather Donaldson, Managing Director, Black & Veatch
Moderator: Josh Boone Executive Director, Veloz

REGISTER HERE

Greening Hollywood Sets to Flip the Script on Plastics
2023-07-20 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The average film production uses as many as 39,000 single-use plastic bottles over a 60-day period. Removing single-use plastics from sets not only saves money, it can also help influence what is shown on screen and help transform our culture from viewing single-use plastics as “normal”— because they’re not. Through the power of collaboration, entertainment unions, advocacy organizations, and stars use their influence to divest from single use-plastic, both behind and in front of the camera.
During this thought-provoking discussion, we will explore the power of the entertainment industry to drive positive change to measurably reduce plastic pollution by eliminating single-use plastic in production. Joining the conversation will be Fran Drescher, actor, environmentalist, and President of the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA); Asher Levin, Creative Director of the Environmental Media Association (EMA); and Emellie O’Brien, CEO & Co-founder of Earth Angel. The panel will be moderated by Jordan Howard, Founder of ShftSpace.
REGISTER HERE

Inflation Reduction Act - What's in it for you?
2023-07-20 17:30 - 18:30 | Online
Join for an illuminating virtual panel exploring the environmental programs and incentives included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): the single largest investment in climate and the green economy in U.S. history. The expert panel will demystify the IRA, providing valuable information about its programs, protections, and incentives. Discover how you can save tens of thousands of dollars through qualifying tax credits, and how state and local governments, community groups, and innovative companies can access funding to reach their climate goals. This new law has transformational potential for people and the planet, so it’s important that governments and private entities take advantage of these time-sensitive opportunities before they pass us by!
REGISTER HERE

Virtual Tour of Green Home
2023-07-22 | Online
Join a virtual tour of a Green Home!
Brandon is a Sr. Applications Engineer for an innovative solar technology company. He was influenced by growing up with a father who was a pioneer of sustainable building professionals.
Now that he owns a property of his own up in the hills near Temecula, he has undertaken a truly regenerative transformation project of what once looked like a deserted property into a home with net-positive energy sanctuary.
Brandon shares the strategic approach he has taken to regenerate his home and the land surrounding his home on an almost 5-acre property including decarbonization, water management, and landscaping following the concept of “sustainable site.” He will show us in this virtual tour of his home.
REGISTER HERE

Shade Tree Give Away
2023-07-22 09:00 - 13:00 | 339 North Fickett Street, 339 North Fickett Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, United States
LA Conservation Corps, Climate Resolve, USGBC-LA and Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory are partnering to bring you a shade tree giveaway! We will distribute 100 shade trees first come first serve from the parking lot across from Boyle Heights Arts Conservatory.
REGISTER HERE

River Fest 2023
2023-07-23 17:00 - 21:00 | L.A. State Historic Park, 1245 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Join Friends of the LA River for River Fest 2023 – a free open-air arts, film, and community resource festival celebrating the LA River! The second annual River Fest brings the River to the People and the People to the River! River Fest 2023 will feature a variety of local artists, live performances, short environmental film screenings, interactive art and education exhibits, food trucks, raffles, and more!
REGISTER HERE

Low-Emission Zone Programs: Accelerating Sustainable Urban Mobility
2023-07-26 08:00 - 09:30 | Online
As cities plan to evolve their Sustainability Action Plans, novel mobility programs are emerging worldwide to influence driving behavior at scale. Low-emission zone programs are one such tool and work by using a combination of rules and incentives to encourage the use of low-emission vehicles in loading zones and other areas. Often, these programs leverage hardware (like cameras and sensors), software, data, and other digital tools like the Open Mobility Foundation’s Mobility Data Specification (MDS) and Curb Data Specification (CDS) to set and communicate policies, manage compliance, and calculate metrics. In this roundtable, we will hear about the opportunities and challenges of starting such a program from cities that have either already installed one or are working to implement one soon.
Join the Open Mobility Foundation (OMF) and POLIS Network for a 1.5-hour webinar to discuss how cities have or are planning to run a low-emission zone program in their city as part of their Sustainability Action Plan. Together, we will learn about the benefits and challenges that this brings, the cost and time involved in starting such a program, the lessons learned, and the metrics needed to track success.
Speakers include:

Angela Giacchetti, OMF (Moderator)
Ivo Cré, POLIS Network (Moderator)
Jacob Sherman, Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT)
Josette Vallentgoed-Udo, City of Amsterdam
Jordi Jové Palou, AMB (Barcelona Metropolitan Area)
Kelly Ferguson, Automotus
Lauren Harper, LA Cleantech Incubator (LACI)

REGISTER HERE

Embracing Transparency and Accountability to Achieve Net Zero without Greenwashing or Greenhushing
2023-07-26 09:00 - 10:00 | Online
The Climate Registry is committed to supporting climate leaders working towards net-zero targets with its Net-Zero Portal. They believe information is power and the more we can be transparent about our targets and the pathways we’re taking to get there, while showing the data to back up these claims, the more we can hold others accountable and promote momentum towards net zero.
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Funding Opportunities from DOE to Advance Climate Solutions
2023-07-26 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
A webinar brought to you by AASHE, Second Nature, and the Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) at the Department of Energy.
Higher education institutions are at the center of many communities, and many campus sustainability efforts are deeply connected to the surrounding community. The Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs (SCEP) has several programs that provide funding and technical assistance to support climate solutions in communities.
Join a webinar to learn more about these funding opportunities. Campus sustainability and climate champions, researchers, and community engagement staff will also hear about strategies for collaborating with state and local governments. Presenters include Meghan Fay Zahniser, Executive Director, Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE); Christine Knapp, SCEP; and Cynthia McCoy, GISP, Federal Engagement Director, USDN.
REGISTER HERE

The Hydrogen Highway: Fueling California's Carbon-Neutral Journey
2023-07-26 12:00 - 14:00 | HYBRID: Online and Orrick LLP, 405 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA, 94105, United States
Hydrogen could play a critical role in helping California to decarbonize its electrical grid and achieve carbon neutrality. Join a thought-provoking conversation on hydrogen, the most basic element in the universe, and explore its potential within the context of California’s ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2045. We will shed light on the role of hydrogen in the state’s journey toward a just and equitable energy transition. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn and contribute to the discussions shaping our energy future.
Panelists:

Hanna Breunig, Ph.D – Deputy Leader at Berkeley Lab’s Sustainable Energy and Environmental Systems Department
Tyson Eckerle – Senior Advisor for Clean Infrastructure & Mobility, California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Ethan Elkind – Climate Program Director, CLEE (Moderator)
Jared Johnson – Senior Counsel at Chevron New Energies
Sasan Saadat – Senior Research and Policy Analyst, Earthjustice

This is a hybrid event.
12:00 PM: Lunch (In-Person)
1:00 PM: Panel Discussion (Hybrid: In-Person and Virtual)
Register to attend in-person here or virtually here.

LA Green Jobs - Virtual Career Fair
2023-07-26 14:30 - 16:00 | Online
If you’re looking for an opportunity to speak directly with hiring managers in the sustainability industry for the built environment, this is a great opportunity for you.
REGISTER HERE

Sci-Arc Graduate Thesis Symposium: Ecological Aesthetics
2023-07-26 16:00 - 18:00 | W.M. Keck Lecture Hall, 960 E 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA, 90013, United States
In 2001, the British multinational oil and gas company BP Amoco rebranded itself as “Beyond Petroleum,” abandoning its original name “British Petroleum.” Its logo was changed from a dark green shield (reminiscent of British racing green) lined in gold to a lighter green symbol of a sun, consisting of an inner gold layer, a lighter green middle layer, and a darker green outer layer matching its previous shield. Following this rebranding effort, communicating a commitment to renewable energy and environmental responsibility, came the massive 2006 pipeline spill in Alaska and the catastrophic 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion that resulted in the largest marine oil spill in history.
Numerous other examples can easily be cited of similarly contradictory, paradoxical, and agonizing “greenwashing” strategies in recent times. Is the “green” aesthetic a distraction masking a continuation of modern technics and its extractive logics? Despite the obviousness of the need to call bullshit on such corporate rebranding efforts, it is nonetheless surprising that aesthetics can even be projected onto the ecological at all and bears some consideration. What are the effects of aesthetics on our sustainable practices? Are green aesthetics singular or plural? Are we sure its influence is positive? Are there alternative aesthetics we haven’t considered yet?
This symposium will consider some of the history behind the green aesthetic and the complex relationship between culture and material practice underlying its appearance during the late Modernist period. We will assume that there are alternative ecological aesthetics possible and examine what it might look like. In the looming environment crisis, can the designers inspire new possibilities with new ecological aesthetics?
Panelists
David Ruy
Postgraduate Programs Chair, moderator
Enric Ruiz-Geli
Faculty MS Synthetic Landscapes
Timothy Morton
Faculty MS Synthetic Landscapes
Shuruq Tramontini
Faculty MS Fiction & Entertainment
Graduate Thesis at SCI-Arc is an opportunity for M.Arch students to explore a set of relevant disciplinary issues as they complete their programs of study and research with a presentation and public exhibition of an individual disciplinary position that expands the boundaries of contemporary architectural practice.

After Hours in the Garden
2023-07-26 17:00 - 19:00 | UCLA Mildred E Mathias Botanical Garden, La Kretz Garden Pavilion, 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA, 90095
Experience the Garden after hours featuring Comedian and Naturalist Tobin Mitnick, creator of @jewslovetrees on social media! Appreciate the beauty of the Garden in a cool and relaxing atmosphere. Indulge in refreshing beverages, delectable light appetizers, and delightful music. Wrap up the evening with a Garden tour.
RSVP REQUIRED
Check-in: 5 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Talk Trees with Comedian & Naturalist Tobin Mitnick: 5:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.
Garden Tours Departing: 5:45 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Ongoing: music, beverages, and light appetizers
REGISTER HERE

Stories of the Sea Part II Film Screening Event
2023-07-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Firestone Walker Brewing Company, 3205 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Rey, CA, 90292, United States
Join Surfrider LA and friends in admiring the beautiful stories of unique individuals whose livelihoods are deeply rooted in ocean conservation. We want to bring our volunteer activism off the beach, and create space in education and learning through the power of storytelling in art, film, and photography. Enjoy a cold beer while learning ocean conservation through the lens of individuals actively working to protect our oceans.
REGISTER HERE

Economic Drivers of Climate Vulnerability and Resilience
2023-07-27 11:00 - 12:00 | Online
Join part 1 of The Perfect Storm of Extraction, Poverty, and Climate Change webinar series. In this webinar, we will explore the real-world economic conditions that constrain the capacity of frontline communities to cope with, prepare for, and respond to climate change. Hear from the authors of Just Solutions’ recent report, “The Perfect Storm of Extraction, Poverty, and Climate Change: A Framework for Assessing Vulnerability, Resilience, Adaptation, and a Just Transition in Frontline Communities,” followed by a panel discussion featuring experts in the field working on solutions to these issues.
REGISTER HERE
BIPOC-Frontline communities bear the disproportionate burden of environmental and climate impacts. We know the communities that are at the greatest risk. We can identify factors that put them at risk. Yet, we are less successful in communicating causal relationships, proposing systemic, upstream policy solutions that act upon these causal relationships, and identifying ways to measure whether or not policy solutions result in improved outcomes.
Through a case study approach, Just Solutions has developed a Prioritizing Frontline Communities Framework for considering and measuring the adaptive capacity and resilience of frontline communities as they confront climate change. It examines the “pre-existing” conditions in six frontline communities that are among the most vulnerable to and affected by climate change and considers the effects of these conditions on the local capacity to cope with, prepare for, and respond to ongoing climate-related challenges. The six communities are Glacier County, Montana; Holmes County, Mississippi; Hidalgo County, Texas; McDowell County, West Virginia; East End, Bridgeport, Connecticut; and East Las Vegas, Nevada.
This webinar will consider the economic conditions these communities face and explore policy solutions.

2023 Summer Webinar Series - “Modern Agriculture Business Conversations"
2023-07-28 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
A 10,000-foot view of the current state of indoor vertical farming for food production here in the United States and around the world.
Areas of discussion following a very brief PowerPoint presentation will include 1) Future directions, insights and trents in the industry 2) Business opportunities in indoor farming and Controlled Enviromental Agriculture 3) Explore career pathways in California’s Ag Tech sector.
Further discussion will be around what it’s really like to work in an indoor vertical farming environment with Q&A throughout.
Guest Speaker: Jim Pantaleo, Business Development Coordinator, AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS)
REGISTER HERE

The Exide Cleanup: Contaminated Barrios
2023-07-29 09:00 - 10:00 | Resurrection Church, 3324 Opal St, Los Angeles, CA, 90023, United States
Learn about and examine how 10,000 properties with lead-contaminated soil in mostly Latino neighborhoods of Vernon, Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles, Commerce, Bell and Maywood are being cleaned up. Contaminated by the shuttered Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon, these properties illustrate inequities in health.

Open House: What is happening right off our coast?
2023-07-29 10:00 - 12:30 | AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles, 2451 Signal St, Los Angeles, CA, 90731, United States
Join AltaSea at their campus to hear from guests speakers Linda Chilton and Michelle Horeczko, who will be discussing, What is that happening right off our coast?
Michelle Horeczko at California Department of Fish and Wildlife Marine Region presents Sustainable Fisheries and Marine Resources along the California coast.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Mission is to manage California’s diverse fish, wildlife, and plant resources, and the habitats upon which they depend, for their ecological values and for their use and enjoyment by the public.
The Marine Region is one of 7 geographic management regions in the State and encompasses waters along the entire coastline out to 200 miles offshore. CDFW’s Marine Region is responsible for sustainably managing California’s marine resources under authority of the statutes and regulations created by the CA Legislature, Fish and Game Commission, and the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
Linda Chilton at USC Sea Grant Education Programs Manager and LA MPA Collaborative Co-Chair, discusses local marine protected areas, their importance, and the research in process within these local protected areas.
USC Sea Grant contributes to solving the problems of the Urban Ocean, while recognizing the opportunities for coastal commerce, recreation and improving the quality of life in coastal regions such as Southern California.
The Los Angeles MPA Collaborative channels broad and diverse perspectives to build ocean resilience and promote the cultural, recreational, and ecological value of Los Angeles County’s marine protected areas.
REGISTER HERE

Wade in the Water Film Screening & Community Beach Activities
2023-07-29 10:00 - 14:00 | Playa Del Rey
Join Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell’s 2nd District Racial Justice Learning Exchange for a free film screening of Wade in the Water and discussion on creating inclusive anti-racist beach spaces with film maker David Mesfin. The event also includes a resource fair and free surf lessons.
All are welcomed. Please note RSVP is required to attend due to limited capacity.
There is currently a waitlist for surf lessons. Due to limited space, you will be contacted if you are confirmed for a lesson.
Check-in begins at 9:30 am
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. – Film Screening
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Free Surf Lessons & Resource Fair (MUST be a competent swimmer for surf lesson)
Complete the Google form on the event webpage to receive the event location, address/parking information and additional event details.
If you have any questions, please contact Jessalyn Waldron at jwaldron@bos.lacounty.gov.

Surfrider Foundation LA - Venice Pier Public Beach Cleanup
2023-07-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Venice Beach Pier (sign up to see exact location)
Get stoked on summer at one of Surfrider LA’s public cleanups! We will be gathering from 10am-12pm at the northside of Venice Pier for a morning of beach cleaning and community.
Prior to the beach cleanup, Dream Team Society will be hosting a casual surf and beach hang from 8am-10am. All types of surf, boogie, or swim craft are welcome. Please bring your own board.
Purpose
Our local beaches are stewarded by volunteers just like you! We welcome you to an engaging day of toes in the sand with family, friends and new acquaintances, raising awareness about litter and plastic pollution.
Role
By taking practical action to protect the environment, your collection efforts allow Surfrider to use data to influence laws and reduce waste at the source!
Vibe
Active teamwork, education and fun!
REGISTER HERE

A Meet & Greet with Catalina Martinez
2023-07-31 10:00 - 16:00 | HYBRID: UCLA and Zoom
The Center for Diverse Leadership in Science is pleased to host Catalina Martinez. She will speak on diversity, equity, and inclusion in ocean science in her talk “Navigating a Sea of Options, Opportunities, and Obstacles: My Circuitous Journey to a Career in Ocean Science.”
After the talk, those in the early stage of their career are invited to lunch with Catalina from 12 pm-2 pm PDT, followed by a roundtable discussion on experiences navigating the geosciences between 2:30 pm-4 pm PDT.
Location and more details to come. Please RSVP if you’d like to be kept up to date. If you are unable to join the talk in person, you can join remotely through Zoom if you RSVP in advance.
Please share and encourage others to come!
REGISTER HERE
More about Catalina Martinez
Catalina Martinez is the Equity Advisor for NOAA Ocean Exploration (OE), providing strategic guidance to help integrate and advance diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and justice (DEIAJ) priorities within NOAA, and also externally across a broad spectrum of STEM institutions and agencies. This work includes considering new ways to infuse DEIAJ across operations, programs, procedures, data access and service delivery, and expanding partnerships that prioritize co-creation and sustainable relationship building with underrepresented and marginalized groups and communities. Ms. Martinez also works in a variety of ways to mitigate barriers to entry, persistence, advancement and success for underrepresented and marginalized groups in STEM academic programs and the workforce. A certified diversity professional with three graduate degrees from the University of Rhode Island (MS Oceanography, MMA Marine Affairs, MBA), Ms. Martinez began her ocean science career with NOAA more than 20 years ago helping to formalize and manage important regional NOAA partnerships in the Northeast, and spent many years working on telepresence-enabled expeditions to explore little known and unknown oceanareas.
Ms. Martinez has been honored with several awards over the years for her work, including being recognized by the YWCA as one of their 2015 Women of Achievement in Rhode Island (RI) for promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity. In 2016, Ms. Martinez received the NOAA OAR EEO Diversity Award for exemplary service and dedication to improving the representation of women and marginalized groups in STEM, and in 2019 Ms. Martinez was awarded the Women of Color in STEM Diversity Leadership in Government Award for demonstrating sustained leadership in creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Federal workforce. Ms. Martinez also received the 2022 URI Graduate School of Oceanography Distinguished Achievement Award for excellence in professional achievement, leadership contributions, community service, and philanthropy. Most recently, she was selected as one of four finalists for the 2023 Remarkable Women of RI, a National competition that honors the influence that women have had on public policy, social progress, and quality of life in the state.
