Exploring equity in water systems. A look back at our February 7, 2024, webinar with Dr. Khalid Osman, highlighting ‘Operationalizing Equity in Drinking Water.’ Hosted by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and the UCLA Water Resources Group, the talk delved into recent breakthroughs in fair water distribution and the importance of community engagement. Watch to understand the balance of affordability and access in water management for all communities.

Our webinar on December 12, 2023, delved into the pressing issue of extreme heat in California’s schools and its impact on student health and learning. The event featured Dr. V. Kelly Turner, Sara Ross, and Jonathan Klein, who shared their insights and research on innovative solutions to heat impacts, leveraging federal funding for HVAC improvements, and policy strategies for climate resilience in schools. The event was hosted by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, in collaboration with Ten Strands and UndauntedK12.

Our webinar on May 15, 2023 explored urban heat and its impact on historically marginalized communities. Featuring various experts and advocates in the field, our panel discussed how LA was responding with heat mitigation and resilience strategies and examined the role of the UCLA research community in informing and shaping these efforts in a just and equitable way. The event was hosted by the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

Our webinar on November 16, 2022 explored the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program, which funds green spaces in low-income, urban communities. The discussion illustrated successes from the program, as well as opportunities to strengthen its impact. It featured a panel of park advocates and agency representatives, and shared findings from our recent research. The event was co-hosted by The Wilderness Society and the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation.

During our demo event on July 11, 2022, we walked through the unique capabilities of the California Healthy Places Index (HPI): Extreme Heat Edition and showcased how it can provide practical information for a variety of users, like state agencies, nonprofit organizations and households. The tool helps the state ramp up its efforts to prepare for rising temperatures — visualizing where and who will be most affected in the coming decades. It was developed through a joint partnership between the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation and Public Health Alliance of Southern California.

This event on April 11, 2022 included an overview of the Los Angeles County Climate Vulnerability Assessment and its implications for different communities in Los Angeles, and discussed strategies for the region to adapt to a changing climate. The event was co-hosted by the USC Schwarzenegger Institute, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, the Los Angeles Business Council, and the Los Angeles County Chief Sustainability Office.

Learn from environmentalist Mary Nichols’ deep experience in this conversation about how government leaders should take bold, equity-focused action to cut emissions in the transportation sector. Nichols was joined by UCLA transportation equity scholar Tierra Bills and our co-executive director Colleen Callahan in this Luskin Lecture on April 4, 2022. The event was co-hosted by the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs and the Luskin Center for Innovation.

Summer 2021 marked the hottest season on record. As heat waves become more frequent and deadly, how can we most effectively create cooler cities? This session in January 2022 explored design and policy interventions that can create more livable, resilient cities, specifically focusing on interventions aimed at protecting the most-vulnerable populations. This session was part of the UCLA Luskin Summit series.

This webinar in October 2021 debuted our report, Adapting to Extreme Heat in California: Gaps in State-level Policies and Funding Priorities. Speakers recommend how to address state policy shortcomings to reduce heat-related health risks. They discussed focused on setting types, such as homes and workplaces, where heat can be especially consequential — particularly for low-income households and communities of color disproportionately impacted by extreme heat.

While global warming presents an unprecedented threat, researchers are making progress to estimate the impacts of climate change and offer potential solutions. This virtual symposium in September 2020 and 2021 highlighted recent social science research on the impacts of climate change, particularly on vulnerable populations and communities.

Plastic pollution has long been a problem affecting people and the planet’s health locally and globally. The recent upheaval in the global recycling and waste industry, followed by the pandemic, has deepened the challenges and necessity for change. On April 22, 2021, this panel of policy, corporate and academic leaders discussed the need and strategies for a more closed loop, less wasteful economy.

The pandemic has proved the importance of public parks for our physical and mental well-being, as well as the environmental health of our communities. During this watershed moment, new funding and initiatives offer an opportunity to improve access to public spaces for all. This discussion in February 2021 illuminated new pathways to increase park equity in Los Angeles and beyond. This session was part of the UCLA Luskin Summit series.

Wildfires ravaged an unprecedented amount of California in the past 12 months. This session in February 2021 explored the impacts of wildfires on health, low-income housing, and small water systems, as well as highlight innovative tactics to increase resiliency, especially for populations that are most vulnerable to wildfire. This session was part of the UCLA Luskin Summit series.

Community choice in energy is transforming California’s electricity sector while transitioning the Golden State to carbon-free energy and serving as an effective tool for climate action. Community choice aggregators (CCAs) offer communities control over their electricity purchasing decisions. This January 2021 webinar featured new research and a discussion with energy leaders.

Understanding the impacts of climate change on conflicts between and within nations, as well as on the U.S. military, is critical to inform climate action. Check out this engaging conversation with U.S. government and academic leaders from October 2020 that summarizes these impacts and proposes national and foreign policies to ensure a more sustainable future.

This webinar in June 2020 explored how organizations in the San Joaquin Valley are innovating with local governments to adapt in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through their responses, the organizations are providing vital clean transportation, environmental, and food security services to in-need households, as well as larger community economic benefits.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, policymakers are drafting the largest economic stimulus packages in history. These policies offer a tremendous opportunity to invest in sustainability-related initiatives. This webinar in May 2020 examined how we can leverage environmental investment opportunities with economic stimuli during the pandemic.