UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation

Environmental Economics, Policy and Management Monthly Seminar Series: Rui Wang
2013-05-13 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Topic: “Restricting Driving for Better Traffic and Cleaner Sky: Did It Work inBeijing?”Abstract:
Driving restrictions have been implemented in a number of cities across the
world. However, limited by data gaps and the potential problems in the
prevailing research methodology of regression discontinuity, few studies have
quantitatively proven driving restrictions’ effects on traffic and researchers
disagree on the air quality consequences of driving restrictions. For the first
time in similar studies, we introduce data measuring traffic conditions, which
provide insights on the complicated policy process from driving restrictions to
changes in traffic, emissions, and air quality. To more reliably identify
driving restriction’s marginal effects than the existing studies, we take advantage
of the Chinese cultural resentment toward the number “four” and use
the unequal stringency of alternative restriction numbers as repeated exogenous
treatments. We find that Beijing’s “one-day-per-week” driving
restrictions reduced city-wide traffic delays but showed little effect on the concentration
of inhalable particulates. We proposed and examined four possible explanations.
We find that likely due to the nonmonotonic relationship between network-level
traffic speed and total traffic volume, marginal improvements in traffic
conditions may have little or even negative effects on air quality, given
Beijing’s extremely congested roads. This implies that positive traffic and environmental
effects of a policy may not always go hand in hand. To significantly reduce
automobile emissions and improve air quality in a heavily congested city like
Beijing, measures other than the one-day-per-week driving restriction are
necessary.Professor Rui Wang’s research focuses on the policy analysis of sustainable urban development, particularly green transportation, climate change, air quality, public health, and environmental economic geography in the U.S. and/or China. His work appears in academic outlets such asAtmospheric Environment, Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Transport Policy, and Urban Affairs Review. Professor Wang teaches “Introduction to Environmental Policy” and “Transportation and the Environment” in the Departments of Public Policy and Urban Planning, directs the UCLA Chinese Planning Professional Training Program, and serves on the Editorial Board of U.S. DOT’sJournal of Transportation and Statistics.

UC CEIN Nano EH&S Forum: Scientific Advances Towards Reducing Complexity in Decision Making
2013-05-08 08:00 - 2013-05-11 17:00
UC CEIN NanoEH&S Forum:
Scientific
Advances Towards Reducing Complexity in Decision Making
Wednesday, May 8,
2013
UCLA California
NanoSystems Institute
Meeting
Announcement

The University of California Center for Environmental
Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN) is pleased to announce a one-day
conference on recent advances in environmental health and safety of Engineered
Nanomaterials (ENMs).
Target audience: Participants from industry,
regulators, policy makers, nano EH&S professionals, and academics from the
state of California, nationally, and internationallyFocus: Developing alternative testing strategies
for ENMs and how ENMs can be used for decision making in industrial,
regulatory, policy, and academic settings Discussion: How the advances in safety
assessment research for ENMs impact daily operations and decision-making
processes Half-day interactive workshops: Participants may
choose to participate in one of the following workshops: 1) High-throughput
techniques/approaches; 2) Nanoinformatics/Prediction making tools; or, 3) Safe
handling of nanomaterials

Agenda (Speakers to be confirmed):
Nationally known morning plenary speaker sharing
their approach to the science of nanomaterialsState of the Science – a brief introduction to
UC CEIN research to include presentations on: Nanomaterial synthesis and
characterization; Cellular High Throughput Screening studies; and Ecological
studies
Nano-industry Perspectives Panel – a moderated
discussion of industry’s perspectives on “real world” challenges for ENM worker
safety, nano EH&S, testing methods for “safer design” and other issues.Legal Aspects/Regulatory Considerations –
includes a primer on the development of Nano Policy and deeper discussion of
the California Nano Regulatory Action under AB 1879/SB 509.Nationally known afternoon keynote speaker

The conference is free to attend, but registration is
required. Register at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NanoEHS2013

For more information and a detailed agenda, visit:

http://www.cein.ucla.edu/nanoehs2013.html

Two meetings, one location:
The conference is funded by the National Science Foundation
(NSF) and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The conference is
being held in conjunction with the UC CEIN/iPlant-hosted Cyberinfrastructure
for Environmental Nanoinformatics workshop to be held on Tuesday, May
7th. You must register to attend each workshop separately. For more
information on the Nanoinformatics Workshop, please visit the meeting
site: http://nanoinfo.cein.ucla.edu/public/ceiniplant2013/default.aspx

Poster Session:
Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are invited to
submit an abstract for the poster session highlighting their current
research. Travel grants are available for CEIN-affiliated
students/postdocs. A number of non CEIN-affiliated researchers whose
posters are selected will also receive a travel grant of $500. Travel
grant recipients must attend one of the afternoon workshops on May 8th and be
present at the poster session to receive their award. Submit abstracts by
March 15, 2013: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CEIN2013Posters
Luskin Center is a partner of CEIN.

IOES/Luskin Research Seminar- Rich Ambrose
2013-05-06 12:00 - 13:00
Topic: “Mitigating climate change by sequesteringcarbon in wetlands: scientific and policy issues”Rich Ambrose, ProfessorUCLA Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public HealthDepartment of Environmental Health Sciences, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Dr. Ambrose’s research focuses on ways to protect and maintain the ecology of coastal areas. Current research focuses on (1) restoration of degraded habitats, especially for coastal marine environments, and (2) assessment of the health of coastal ecosystems. He is current working on several tidal wetland restoration projects in California. He and his students have studied the cumulative effects of impacts to riparian systems and the success of wetland/riparian mitigation required under Sections 404 and 401 of the Clean Water Act. Dr. Ambrose’s research on ecosystem health includes a program to monitor rocky intertidal habitats (with a particular focus on being able to detect short-term effects, such as caused by oil spills, as well as long-term effects of global climate change) using a network of sites throughout southern California. In a related project, he is assessing the nature of human activities in rocky intertidal habitats and determining ways to restore degraded intertidal communities in Santa Monica Bay. Dr. Ambrose’s research in coastal watersheds focuses on establishing a link between land use and aquatic community health. Additional research projects focus on assessing the impacts of contaminants on coastal wetland species, developing performance standards for determining the success of habitat restoration projects, and evaluating how coastal wetlands influence the delivery of fecal indicator bacteria to the ocean. All of these projects provide information on the status of important coastal ecological communities, including the nature and extent of anthropogenic impacts to them, which serves as the foundation for their management and protection.Bio: Richard F. Ambrose is Director of the Environmental Science and Engineering Program and Professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences from University of California, Irvine and his Ph.D. in Marine Ecology from University of California, Los Angeles. After conducting postdoctoral research at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, he spent seven years at the Marine Science Institute at University of California, Santa Barbara before returning to UCLA in 1992. Professor Ambrose is a member of UCLA’s Institute of the Environment’s Executive Committee and serves on the university’s Campus Sustainability Committee. He teaches graduate courses covering environmental assessment, restoration ecology and conservation biology. Professor Ambrose serves on a variety of different advisory boards and committees. He chairs the Scientific Advisory Panel of the California Coastal Commission overseeing a large mitigation project, the Ballona Restoration Project’s Science Advisory Committee (co-chair), and the Technical Advisory Committee for the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission (SMBRC), and serves on the Southern California Wetland Recovery Project’s Science Advisory Panel and the SMBRC Marine Protected Area Technical Advisory Committee. He was recently appointed to the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has provided advice about environmental restoration issues to a wide variety of government and private organizations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, California State Water Resources Control Board, California Coastal Commission, California State Lands Commission, California Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Transportation, City of Malibu, Pacific Gas and Electric, Aspen Environmental Group and Geosyntec Consultants.

Los Angeles Business Council Annual Sustainability Summit
2013-04-19 07:30 - 14:00
Click Here to Register labusinesscouncil.org

Environmental Economics, Policy and Management Monthly Seminar Series: Ted Parson
2013-04-08 12:00 - 13:00
TOPIC: Climate Engineering: Implications for global versuspartial climate cooperation. Dan and Rae
Emmett Professor of Environmental Law and Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Center on
Climate Change and the Environment Edward (Ted) Parson comes to UCLA School of Law from the University of Michigan, where he was the Joseph L. Sax Collegiate Professor of Law, as well as a Professor of Natural Resources & Environment, and a Professor of Public Policy. His research examines international environmental policy, the role of science and technology in public policy, and the political economy of regulation. His recent articles have appeared in Science, Climatic Change, Issues in Science and Technology, the Journal of Economic Literature, and the Annual Review of Energy and the Environment. His most recent books are The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change (Cambridge, 2006, with Andrew Dessler), and Protecting the Ozone Layer: Science and Strategy (Oxford, 2003), which won the 2004 Harold and Margaret Sprout Award of the International Studies Association. Parson has chaired and served on several senior advisory committees for the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Government Global Change Research Program, including the Synthesis Team for the US National Assessment of Climate Impacts. In 2005, he was appointed to the National Advisory Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has worked and consulted for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, the United Nations Environment Program, the Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress, the Privy Council Office of the Government of Canada, and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and spent twelve years on the faculty of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He holds degrees in Physics from the University of Toronto and in Management Science from the University of British Columbia, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard. In former lives, he was a professional classical musician and an organizer of grass-roots environmental groups.

IOES/Luskin Research Seminar- Yoram Cohen
2013-04-01 12:00 - 13:00
“Smartwater systems for water sustainability: Incentives and Impediments” Yoram Cohen, Professor UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied ScienceUCLA Institute of the EnvironmentDirector, Water Technology Research CenterProfessor Yoram Cohen has been on the faculty of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) since 1981. He is the founder and director of the Water Technology Research Center and the Center for Environmental Risk Reduction and a founding member of the UCLA/NSF Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN). Dr. Cohen is an adjunct professor at Ben-Gurion University and a member of the International Advisory Committee to the Stephen and Nancy Grand Water Research Institute at the Technion. He was a visiting professor at the Technion (1987-1988), at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (2006) and a distinguished visiting professor at Victoria University (2006). Dr. Cohen is a UCLA Luskin Scholar and a recipient of the 2008 Ann C. Rosenfield Community Partnership Prize in recognition of his environmental research. He received the 2003 Lawrence K. Cecil award in Environmental Chemical Engineering from the AIChE, as well as the AIChE Separations Division Outstanding Paper Award (1997). Dr. Cohen has published over one hundred fifty research papers and book chapters in water technology, separations processes, transport phenomena, polymer science, and environmental engineering, in addition to three environmental volumes.

Environmental Economics, Policy and Management Monthly Seminar Series: Dennis Aigner
2013-03-11 12:00 - 13:00
Sustainabilityand Competitiveness in Mexico
Dennis J. Aigner
University of California, Irvine and EGADE Business School,
Tecnológico de Monterrey
and
Antonio Lloret
Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México
January 2013
ABSTRACT
This paper summarizes
the findings of a research project aimed at benchmarking the environmental
sustainability practices of the top 500 Mexican companies. This was done
by surveying firms with regard to various aspects of their adoption of environmental
sustainability practices, including who or what prompted adoption, future
adoption plans, decision-making responsibility, and internal/external
challenges. The survey also explored how the adoption of environmental
sustainability practices relates to the competitiveness of these firms.
The sample consisted
of 103 self-selectedfirms representing the six primary business sectors in the
Mexican economy. Because the Manufacturing sector is significantly
overrepresented in the sample and because of its importance in addressing
issues of environmental sustainability, when appropriate, specific results for
this sector are reported and contrasted to the overall sample.
Our results suggest
that Mexican companies are very active in the various areas of business where
environmental sustainability is relevant. Not surprisingly, however, the
Mexican companies are seen to be at an early stage of development along the
sustainability “learning curve”. The vast majority of these firms see adopting
environmental sustainability practices as being profitable and think this will
be even more important in the future. BIOGRAPHYDennis
J. Aigner
is Emeritus Professor of Management & Economics in the Paul Merage School
of Business at the University
of California, Irvine
(UCI). From 2000-05, he was Dean of
the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara. From 1988-97
he was Dean of the Graduate School of Management at UCI. Before that, he was
Professor of Economics and Chairman of the Department of Economics at the
University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.
He received his BS and Ph.D. degrees in Agricultural Economics from the University of California,
Berkeley and
holds an MA in Applied Statistics from that same institution. He was on the teaching faculties at the University of Illinois and the University of
Wisconsin-Madison prior to his appointment at USC in 1976.
Aigner’s publication record includes
several books and numerous articles on statistical and econometric methodology,
and applied economics. He was founding
editor of the Journal of Econometrics
and one of its co-editors for 20 years. His research interests include
corporate environmental management, international trade, and state and local
economic issues.
Aigner’s current research focuses on empirical and
theoretical work relating to the linkage between corporate environmental
performance and financial performance. For several years he organized a research
workshop on behalf of the EPA on “Capital Markets and Environmental
Performance” that explored the topic with academic researchers, practitioners,
and members of the corporate sector. From 2003-09 he served as a member of the
National Advisory Committee to the U.S. EPA Administrator on the environmental
aspects of NAFTA. Most recently, he completed a survey of the top 400 Mexican
firms with regard to their sustainability practices, funded by a UC-MEXUS
grant.
He presently holds the position of Distinguished Visiting
Professor at the EGADE Business School of the Monterrey Institute of Technology
in Mexico.

IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar - Elizabeth DeLoughrey
2013-03-04 12:00 - 13:00
“The Myth of Isolates: Ecosystem Ecologies in the Nuclear PacificElizabeth DeLoughrey, Associate ProfessorUniversity of California, Los AngelesDepartments of English, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Professor DeLoughrey joined the English Department in 2008. Her scholarship has been supported by institutions such as the NEH, Rockefeller, UCLA Global Studies Program, Fulbright, and the Cornell Society for the Humanities. She recently co-edited a volume on postcolonial ecologies and is currently writing a manuscript on environmentalism, energy, militarism and waste. In 2011 she co-organized the Legacies of Pacific Island Militarization workshop and in 2010 the Globalized Islands: Contemporary Literature & the Transnational Encounter conference. In 2009 she was one of the departmental co-organizers of the Mellon Foundation’s Cultural Pre-history of Environmentalism Project. She teaches postcolonial literature courses on the environment, globalization, the politics of food, women’s writing and migration, and Pacific Island literature.

UCLA COMPLETE STREETS FOR CALIFORNIA 2013 CONFERENCE
2013-02-28 08:00 - 19:00
The UCLA Complete Streets for California conference on Thursday, February 28, 2013,will highlight recent accomplishments, explore new research, and presentimplementation examples and benchmarks to create multi-use street environmentsthat promote vibrant, healthy and active communities.Featuring Keynote Address from:Janette Sadik-Khan, Commissioner of the New York City Department of TransportationThe conference will provide information on Complete Streets issues forplanners, elected and appointed public officials, engineers, non-profitorganizations, advocates, consultants, students and others involved in the Complete Streets field.For more information and to register CLICK HERECo-hosts:UCLA Lewis CenterUCLA Institute of Transportation StudiesUCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs

Social & Environmental Justice Through Spatial Lenses
2013-02-22 08:00 - 17:00
Social & Environmental Justice Through Spatial LensesApplying Knowledge of Space, Place & Networks to Equitable SolutionsA UCLA Luskin Faculty Executive Committee SymposiumThe Luskin Faculty Executive Committee sponsors an annual inter-departmental symposium linking scholarship to real-world practice to address critical issues. This year, UCLA and national experts will examine the use of spatial analysis to study how space and place produce and reproduce social, economic and environmental inequality. Luskin scholars have been at the forefront of multi-disciplinary GIS-based research and the application of spatial knowledge to solution-oriented action.
Speakers:Dean Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr.Robert Ross, President & CEO, California EndowmentEvy Blumenberg, UCLA Luskin professor of Urban PlanningJ.R. DeShazo, Director, UCLA Luskin Center for InnovationPaul Ong, UCLA Luskin professor of Urban Planning and Social WelfareManuel Pastor, USC Program for Environmental and Regional EquityBridget Freisthler, UCLA Luskin professor Social WelfarePaul J. Gruenewald, Pacific Institute for Research and EvaluationIan Holloway, UCLA Luskin professor of Social WelfareLois Takahashi, UCLA Luskin professor of Urban PlanningLaura Abrams, UCLA Luskin professor of Social WelfareTodd Franke, UCLA Luskin professor of Social WelfareBridget Freisthler, UCLA Luskin professor of Social WelfareMichael Stoll, UCLA Luskin professor of Public PolicyLeo Estrada, UCLA Luskin professor of Urban PlanningFor more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Westside Mayors 2013
2013-02-15 07:00 - 09:00
The Westside cities – West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, and Santa Monica – are all on different but overlapping paths to bright futures. Santa Monica is becoming Silicon Beach, Culver City welcomed the Expo Line, eclectic projects continue to break ground in West Hollywood, and Beverly Hills looks forward to cutting the ribbon on the new Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. Each city has strategies to achieve distinct goals. Do they need to work together to achieve mutual success or is competition healthy as each city works to attract businesses and discretionary dollars? How do decisions made in each city affect the Westside as a whole? What is each mayor’s vision for the future of these unique, but connected cities? Please join the Westside Urban Forum at the Olympic Collection on Friday, February 15th at 7:30 am with the Mayors of each of these cities in a timely conversation moderated by JR DeShazo, Director of the UCLA Luskin Center.ModeratorJR DeShazo, UCLA Luskin Center for InnovationPanelistsHon. Willie Brien, Mayor of Beverly HillsHon. Pam O’Connor, Mayor of Santa MonicaHon. Jeffrey Prang, Mayor of West HollywoodHon. Andy Weissman, Mayor of Culver CityFor more information and to regiister CLICK HERE

Oppenheim Lecture: Conservation for Our World of Nine Billion People: The End of Nostalgia and Apocaholism
2013-02-13 18:00 - 20:30
PeterKareiva is
the chief scientist for The Nature Conservancy, where he is responsible for
developing and helping to implement science-based conservation throughout this
worldwide conservation organization and for forging new linkages with
partners. To register CLICK HEREThe Oppenheim Lecture Series has been established at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability through a generous gift by Patricia Oppenheim and her family in memory of Rudi Oppenheim. This evening lecture series presents world class speakers to educate, inform and build community discourse about the diverse environmental problems of our time.

Environmental Economics, Policy and Management Monthly Seminar Series: Charles Corbett
2013-02-11 12:00 - 13:00
Energy Efficiency in Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms:Order Effects and the Adoption of Process Improvement Recommendations

Suresh Muthulingam, Cornell University, Johnson School of
Management
Charles Corbett, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Shlomo Benartzi, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Bohdan Oppenheim, Loyola Marymount University

Abstract
In
many manufacturing operations, profitable energy efficiency opportunities
remain unexploited. While previous studies have tried to explain the
underinvestment, we focus on how the way in which a portfolio of opportunities
is presented in a list affects adoption decisions. We use information on over
100,000 energy saving recommendations made to more than 13,000 small and
medium-sized manufacturing firms under the Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC)
program of the US Department of Energy (DOE).We find that adoption rates are
higher for initiatives appearing early in a list of recommendations. This
sequence effect is surprisingly consistent and large: simply moving a
recommendation one position lower, at the mid-point of a list, has the same
effect on average as increasing upfront implementation cost by at least 17%
from the average value. Given this impact of sequence on adoption of individual
recommendations, we utilize variations within our data to examine how various
sequencing approaches affect adoption at the portfolio level. Sequences in
which recommendations are listed from best to worst payback achieve higher
potential energy savings given the investments in energy efficiency made by the
firms. We also observe a choice overload effect at the portfolio level, but the
magnitude of this effect is small.

IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar - J.R. DeShazo
2013-02-04 12:00 - 13:00
“The Future of Plug-In Electric Vehicles”Link to presentation slides CLICK HEREJ.R. DeShazo, Director of the Luskin Center forInnovation and Professor and Vice Chair of the
Department of Public Policy in the Luskin School of Public Affairs at UCLA, is an expert in economics, public finance, and
organizational governance. He holds a Ph.D.
in Urban Planning from Harvard University and a M.Sc. in Economics from Oxford University. His current research with electric vehicles
and alternative fuels is in partnership with the Southern California
Association of Governments’ Electric Vehicle Readiness Project which will develop a plan for siting electric vehicle charging
stations in six Southern California counties.
Dr. DeShazo’s recent research has also focused on
local public finance, regulatory reform, climate change policy, and solar
energy policy. He advises the Los
Angeles City Council and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern
California, among key agencies. He has
previously advised the US Environmental Protection Agency and the United
Nations, among others.

Alternative Testing Strategies for Carbon Nanotubes and Other Modes of Nanomaterial Toxicity: Developing a 21st Century Scientific and Policy Framework for Industrial Chemicals
2013-01-16 08:00 - 17:00
Invitation only event, January 16-17.Participant log-in at:Alternative Testing Strategies for Carbon Nanotubes and Other Modes of Nanomaterial Toxicity: Developing a 21st Century Scientific and Policy Framework for Industrial Chemicals

IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar - Bradley Shaffer
2013-01-07 12:00 - 13:00
Bradley Shaffer, Distinguished ProfessorUniversity of California, Los AngelesDepartments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability Shaffer is a scientist who is as comfortable working with business leaders, politicians, activists and citizens on conservation policy questions as he is in the laboratory untangling amphibian genetics. Shaffer recently left UC Davis to become Distinguished Professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and theDepartment of Ecology and Evolution. He is also director ofUCLA’s La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, which forges connections between state-of-the-art science and scientists with the people who make crucial decisions about California nature.Research Evolutionary biology, ecology and conservation biology of amphibians and reptiles. Recent research projects include comparative phylogeography of amphibians and reptiles in California and the central U.S., systematics of freshwater turtles and tortoises in Australia, California, and the rest of the globe, and conservation genetics of endangered California amphibians and reptiles. Recently, we have focused a great deal of ecological and genetical work on the California tiger salamander, an endangered species native to central California grassland habitat.

Regulatory Moneyball: Lessons from the Obama Administration
2012-12-06 17:00 - 19:00
One of America’s leading public intellectuals and anadvisor to President Obama, Cass R. Sunstein recently served as Administrator
of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, within the
Office of Management and Budget. In this
position, he influenced the design and development of federal regulations.
Professor Sunstein will present his approach to regulatory policymaking and
share his experience in the White House.
As the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, he has
authored over 36 books, including “Nudge,” (with Richard H. Thaler),
“Worst-Case Scenarios,” and “Republic.com 2.0.” His research and teaching interests include
administrative law, environmental law, welfare law, jurisprudence, and
constitutional law.To register CLICK HERE

IOES/Luskin Research Seminar- Magali Delmas
2012-12-03 12:00 - 13:00
“CorporateSustainability and Employee Productivity” Magali Delmas, Professor of ManagementUniversity of California, Los AngelesUCLA Institute of the Environment & UCLA Anderson School of Management Magali Delmas has written more than 50 articles, book chapters and case studies on business and the natural environment. Standing at the crossroads of policy and management, Magali Delmas’ research focuses on the various interactions between environmental policy and business strategy at the national and international level. Delmas’ current work includes the analysis of the effectiveness of firms’ voluntary actions to mitigate climate change and the investigation of the barriers and incentives to the adoption of energy efficient solutions. She is also engaged in refining current methodologies to measure and communicate firm’s and products’ environmental performance. She is particularly interested in understanding the effectiveness of eco-labeling and certification strategies.

IoES/Luskin Lunch Research Seminar - Aradhna Tripati
2012-11-05 12:00 - 13:00
Glacial Climate
Aradhna Tripati, Assistant Professor
University of California, Los Angeles
Departments of Earth and Space Sciences & Atmospheric and
Oceanic Sciences, Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics

My research group uses
the sedimentary record to address fundamental questions about the dynamics of
climate change, both past and future. We work on the development and
application of novel geochemical tools to document and understand the evolution
of temperature, ice volume, and pH. The principal aim of our research is to
understand the role of the carbon cycle in changing seawater chemistry and
climate.
Our research is
focused on applying innovative experimental approaches in order to use the
geologic record as a rich laboratory for the study of climate processes. The
primary tools we use include the new ‘clumped isotope’ thermometer, and the
elemental composition of carbonates. We also integrate geochemical measurements
with field-based observations, sedimentologic and micropaleontologic data, and
models.
Research topics we are
currently pursuing include studying: (1) changes in tropical and subtropical
climate from the Last Glacial Maximum to the present, (2) calcification and
diagenetic processes that govern isotopic and elemental distributions in
carbonate minerals, (3) polar climate stability during past warm intervals in
Earth’s history, (4) the evolution of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and its
consequences on oceanic pH, and (5) the history of the major cationic
composition of seawater.

Los Angeles Sustainability Collaborative Annual Awards Gala, supported by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
2012-10-14 14:00 - 17:00
Get your ticket today before they are sold out! Event details and to get your ticket, go to:http://lascawards.eventbrite.com/

CicLAvia
2012-10-07 10:00 - 15:00
c LA’s biggest block party is less than two weeks away and features a modified route that hits South LA and explores more of Boyle Heights. Visit CicLAvia.org for more info.Volunteer! Volunteers make CicLAvia possible. LACBC is once again partnering with CicLAvia for volunteer coordination, and there are several opportunities available. Whether you want to get a group together to Check our CicLAvia.org/volunteer to volunteer! Volunteers get a CicLAvia shirt and an invite to the exclusive CicLAvia after party.To get you ready, here are a few CicLAvia quick links:Map and route info: ciclavia.org/next-eventFeeder bike rides and directions: ciclavia.org/directionsFind LACBC at the Grand Hub and Mariachi HubVolunteer opportunities: ciclavia.org/volunteerBike rental options: Bike Nation, Downtown LA Bicycles, El MaestroThings to do: Walk the route with the LA Walks Parade, check out architecture, find great eats

UCLA Environmental Graduate Students Networking Event
2012-10-02 17:30 - 19:30
REGISTER HERE.

7th Annual Alternative Energy & Transportation Conference & Expo
2012-09-28 10:00 - 2012-09-29 17:00
J.R. DeShazo, Director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation will be speaking Saturday, September 29th at 12:00 p.m. “EV common sense for HOA common areas” – Preparing for Plug-in Electric Vehicles: Multi-family, High Rise Apartments, Condos/Townhomes (Car sharing) Free Admission to the Expo Hall, Ride & Drive and most programming.Please visit website for more information: ALTCAR EXPO

11th Annual Southern California Transportation Summit: We're All In This Together
2012-09-28 08:00 - 16:00
Ayala Ben-Yehuda, Project Manager for Plug-In Electric Vehicle Readiness for the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation will be a panelist at the largest one-day transportation conference in the state. It’s the only place where you can mix and mingle with every transportation CEO in Southern California, policy makers and nationally-known transportation experts. The day will be action-packed with breakouts, provocative presentations and an exciting expo hall. With record attendance last year, nearly 1,000 transportation leaders convened in downtown Los Angeles. We expect this year’s event to attract over 1,000 transportation, business and political leaders!For more information and to register CLICK HERE

Luskin Research Centers' Orientation
2012-09-26 12:00 - 14:00
The research centers in the Luskin School of Public Affairs will provide an overview of their work and the opportunities available to graduate students. This research orientation lunch is part of Orientation Week for incoming graduate students in the Departments of Urban Planning and Public Policy.

Pro Walk/Pro Bike® 2012
2012-09-10 15:00 - 2012-09-13 17:00
Madeline Brozen, Program Manager, of the UCLA Complete Streets Initiative will present at two workshops:Parklets
Mobile Workshop
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
Power of the Performance Metric Session
Thursday, September 13, 10:15 – 11:45 a.m.
More information may be found here: http://www.pps.org/pwpb2012/program/
Pro Walk/Pro Bike 2012: Pro Place will feature over 100 presentations on six major conference themes and Placemaking. Click to download the full program, or follow the links above if you are interested in a particular day.
Invest + Govern. Bicycling and walking investments are ready to compete in the new cost-conscious reality and political climate in which we live. We encourage presentations that: quantify the benefits and cost savings to the individual and community; present the business case for supporting bicycling and walking; detail financing models for making investments; and other topics.
Advocate + Include. When our transportation system is balanced, everyone can prosper; when transportation decision-making is inclusive, it builds community. We encourage presentations about: environmental justice achieved; outsiders’ perspective on our work; programs that engage low income and underserved communities; and other topics.
Design + Engineer. New approaches to planning, designing, and building infrastructure are luring new people into cycling, and improving safety for all road users. We encourage presentations that: continue the professional development of planners and engineers; discuss the latest transportation engineering publications/manuals; and present best practices for finding flexibility within existing design standards.
Healthy + Safe. Our neighborhoods can enhance our health and quality-of-life by facilitating social connections and by making walking and biking trips easy and convenient. We encourage presentations from public health professionals and others who have developed successful and low cost models/programs for physical activity/built environment focused interventions. Also included in this category: innovative injury prevention programs, food access programs, programs that address childhood obesity, and programs that prioritize populations experiencing health disparities.
Plan + Connect. Changing demographics, emerging technology, and better collaboration across disciplines, agencies, and travel modes is moving us closer to seamless travel in many major cities. We encourage transportation planning related presentations on the following subjects: successful intergovernmental partnerships; exemplary public involvement practices; innovative and cost-effective applications of technology to improve service; and model bike/ped planning.
SRTS + Beyond. For work that focuses on improving the safety, desirability, and ease of movement for young people walking or biking to/from school. We encourage proposals on the following subjects: best practices for including youth in planning; exemplary SRTS programs (K-12); developing schools as neighborhood assets/destinations; and developing community wide youth mobility plans.
Mobile Workshops.
Peer Problem Solving Sessions.

Policy Translation Seminar on Nanotechnology Research: Soybeans, Soil, and Nodulating Bacteria
2012-09-10 11:30 - 13:30
Article of discussion: “Soybean susceptibility to manufactured nanomaterials with evidence for food quality and soil fertility interruption.”Presented by co-author: Patricia Holden of the University of California Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, University of California, Santa BarbaraAbstract:Based on previously published hydroponic plant, planktonic bacterial, and soil microbial community research, manufactured nanomaterial (MNM) environmental buildup could profoundly alter soil-based food crop quality and yield. However, thus far, no single study has at once examined the full implications, as no studies have involved growing plants to full maturity in MNM-contaminated field soil. We have done so for soybean, a major global commodity crop, using farm soil amended with two high-production metal oxide MNMs (nano-CeO2 and -ZnO). The results provide a clear, but unfortunate, view of what could arise over the long term: (i) for nano-ZnO, component metal was taken up and distributed throughout edible plant tissues; (ii) for nano-CeO2, plant growth and yield diminished, but also (iii) nitrogen fixation—a major ecosystem service of leguminous crops—was shut down at high nano-CeO2 concentration. Juxtaposed against widespread land application of wastewater treatment biosolids to food crops, these findings forewarn of agriculturally associated human and environmental risks from the accelerating use of MNMs.

Southern California Sustainability Forum
2012-08-15 07:00 - 2012-08-16 15:45
UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation Project Manager of the EV Readiness Project, Ayala Ben-Yehuda will be a panelist discussing – Electric Vehicles AreComing: What Local Governments Need to Know. For more information and to register, please visit the LARC website.

Green LA Confidential
2012-08-04 19:00 - 21:00
Please join the Luskin Center in supporting Green LA at their event, Green LA Confidential. This promises to be a fun evening of improv and storytelling featuring LA’s environmental leaders, and will take place at 7:00 pm at The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles. Jill Bourque, a highly acclaimed comedian, improviser and producer, will direct Green LA Confidential with a cast of Green LA members. The interactive show will compellingly portray Green LA’s important advocacy work and will demonstrate why the Green LA Coalition is the city’s go to environmental organization.The event will also honor Paula A. Daniels, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s senior policy advisor and the founding chair of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.Time is running out….Purchase ‘EarlyBird’ tickets NOW & get a special bonus!

Plug-In 2012 Conference & Exposition
2012-07-23 09:00 - 2012-07-26 17:00
Brett Williams, Program Director of Electric Vehicles and Alternative Fuels at the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation will be speaking atthe upcoming Plug-In 2012 Conference & Exposition. This will be the 5th
annual event which will provide attendees with the latest insights from
experts on the technical advances, market research and policy initiatives shaping
the future of plug-in hybrid and electric transportation. Plug-in 2012 will build on the successful past
conferences, held in San Jose, CA (2008); Long Beach, CA (2009); San Jose
(2010); and Raleigh, NC (2011). Plug-In 2011 drew more than 600 attendees, 50 exhibiting companies and about 1,300
consumers for Public Night.Brett will be participating on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 from 8:30 am – 10:00 am
in Session A3:
Battery Technology and Business Cases – Future directions for battery
technology and costs and an overview of secondary use and battery recycling.For more information and to register CLICK HERE.
