California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA

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Announcements

UCLA to guide the prioritization and evaluation of equity strategies for LADWP’s clean energy transition

Last year, as part of the study, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) and colleagues provided LADWP with recommendations for robust, long-term solutions to low-income customers’ ability to pay their bills through the clean energy transition. Now, in partnership with the UCLA California Center for Sustainable Communities, our researchers are digging deeper into energy equity issues to guide the agency’s development, implementation, and evaluation of these recommendations. “LADWP has the opportunity to lead the nation in how to achieve a more just energy transition,” said Stephanie Pincetl, director of the UCLA California Center for Sustainable Communities, “and we are honored to help facilitate that possibility.”

electric bill and calculator

Headline

Will changes at San Gabriel Mountains National Monument serve LA’s communities of color?

Stephanie Pincetl, a professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and founding director of the university’s California Center for Sustainable Communities, said that LA County needs to provide more public open space close to where people live. That way, city dwellers need not drive to the mountains in such high numbers in order to enjoy nature. Another way of limiting visitation, she said, might lie in initiating the kind of permitting strategy used at other popular parks, such as Yosemite, which caps guest numbers per day. Pincetl believes the importance of the lands to Indigenous people only heightens the need for better stewardship by all visitors and caretakers. “These spaces have historic cultural value and meaning for tribal people, and we’re asking them to share,” she said. “How do we graciously acknowledge their generosity in sharing this land with us by taking good care of it ourselves?”

A child plays along the Arroyo Seco near Switzer Picnic Area, San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

Blog

The California Center for Sustainable Communities at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability strongly condemns the mob attack on our UCLA student encampment. 

We object in the strongest possible terms to the University's failure to support our students' right to protest peacefully and to be kept safe while doing so. We are horrified that Chancellor Block did not exercise his responsibility to protect and support students. We believe his statements (and those of President Drake) opened the way to these attacks on our community. The exemplary nature of this encampment made it a target for those who oppose the free exercise of views that differ from their own. Continuing to arrest and jail protesters will not lead to a thoughtful and productive discussion about the very real issues raised by the Israeli invasion of Gaza, and what the University can do to help curb the extraordinary suffering and deaths that are occurring. We call for the convocation of a body to discuss the substantive calls for disclosure and divestment. We also support full legal, academic and disciplinary amnesty for all students, staff, and faculty.

Awards

UCLA Named Finalist for SEPA Power Player Award in Equity

The California Center for Sustainable Communities, along with UCLA research teams and departments, has been selected as a finalist for the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) 2024 Power Player Awards in the Equity category.

SEPA Power Player Award Finalist graphic

Announcements

Stephanie Pincetl Co-Authors Research on Net Zero Urban Water

Founding Director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities and Chair of UCLA’s Environment and Sustainability Ph.D. program Dr. Stephanie Pincetl co-authored a study, “Advancing a Net Zero Urban Water Future in the United States Southwest.” Published in ACS ES&T Water, the research examines the feasibility of Net Zero Urban Water (NZUW) — cities becoming self-sufficient with local water sources. This is crucial for the water-stressed US Southwest, where the Colorado River can’t meet the demands of 40 million residents.

Headline

Downtown S.F.’s office buildings are guzzling tons of energy no one is using

Building experts say it’s no surprise that empty offices are burning so much energy. Electrical infrastructure like elevators consumes energy even when not in use, as do the pumps that maintain water pressure for faucets and toilets, said Eric Fournier, research director at UCLA’s California Center for Sustainable Communities. Turning these off would make it hard for buildings to “maintain a posture of openness.” A building is “kind of a living thing,” he said. “You can’t just cut the cord on it and expect it to carry on in good health for a long period of time.” Air conditioning systems are also kept on in empty buildings to avoid structural problems, mold and water-borne illnesses. The design of these large offices, many of which were built over a century ago, typically assumes a certain range of temperatures, Fournier explained. “If you deviate from that for a prolonged period, weird things happen that could be very expensive to fix.”

Salesforce West at 50 Fremont St. is among the office buildings in San Francisco using lots of energy.