We Celebrate Leaders in Sustainability
Green Gala is UCLA’s annual sustainability award ceremony at which students, staff, faculty, and community partners are recognized for their work creating sustainable communities on and off campus. Since 2016, Green Gala is an opportunity to honor the sustainability work that makes UCLA a vibrant, innovative, and supportive place to study, work, and live.
Green Gala is hosted and organized every spring quarter by Team Green, a student-led program that is part of the Office of Residential Life. If you would like to nominate a person or program, check back here in the spring where our call for nominations will be posted.
2021 Winners
Chidera Izuchukwu 
Duane Muller 
Michael Jerret 
Yifang Zhu 
SAR Plastics Team 
Kristen Soares 
Elizabeth Tanner 
Social Media Team
Congratulations to all the wonderful nominees and winners of our 2021 Green Gala Awards! Below are descriptions of each of the award categories and a list of past winners.
This category recognizes a sustainability program from this academic year, which educated the UCLA community about a sustainability-related topic, issue, or idea.
Past Winners
2021 – Basic Need COVID Relief and Food Insecurity
2020 – University Apartments Residents Association (UASRA) Free Food Program
2019 – Waste Awareness Week, Renewable Energy Association (REA)
2018 – Zero Waste Campaign, E3
2017 – USAC Facilities Commission Sustainability Committee
2016 – EcoChella (Coastalong)
This category recognizes an operational project led by students, staff, faculty or a combination which furthered sustainability efforts on campus by providing solutions to complex problems in order to meet UCLA sustainability goals.
Past Winners
2021 – UCLA Sustainability Social Media Team
2020 – CALPIRG Plastic Free Seas Campaign
2019 – Bruin Beekeepers Botanical Garden
This category recognizes an undergraduate or graduate student research project that focused on the advancement of sustainability efforts globally, in the local community, or right here at UCLA.
Past Winners
2021 – Community Housing Stability and Engagement and Sustainability Action Research (SAR) Plastic Implementation
2020 – Bruin Home Solutions (BHS) Mealworm Project
2019 – Sustainability Action Research (SAR) Sustainable Purchasing
2018 – Sustainable Ebony Harvesting in Cameroon
2017 – Sustainable Buildings: Pauley Pavilion
2016 – James Howe
This category recognizes a staff member (non-faculty, non-student staff) who has served as an advocate for sustainability initiatives through the course of their work at UCLA.
Past Winners
2021 – Duane Muller
2020 – Rey Soto
2019 – Kayla Shirey
2018 – Sajal Debnath
2017 – Javier Ayala
2016 – Stacey Beggs
This category recognizes a faculty member who has made exemplary contributions to sustainability through research, coursework, policy, and/or community engagement during this academic year.
Past Winners
2021 – Michael Jerrett and Yifang Zhu
2020 – Rebecca Shipe
2019 – Carl Maida
2018 – Magali Delmas
2017 – Felicia Federico
2016 – Thomas Gillespie
This category recognizes an individual undergraduate or graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding leadership while contributing to UCLA sustainability during this academic year, through research, programming, volunteering, outreach and/or being a role model for sustainability.
Past Winners
2021 – Kristen Soares and Elizabeth Tanner
2020 – Diana Nguyen and Joshua DeAnda
2019 – Elias Platte-Bermeo and Salome Vergne
2018 – Evelyn Alvarez, Pamela Lim, and Simon Ng
2017 – Mochi Li
2016 – Austin Park
This category recognizes the achievements of an individual who is a sustainability champion and agent of change on the UCLA campus.
Past Winners
2021 – Chidera Izuchukwu
2020 – Noah Garrison
2019 – Todd Lynch
2018 – Morgan Barnes
2017 – Paul Watkins
2016 – Cully Nordby