On March 26, 2016 we celebrated champions of our planet's future.

We face unprecedented stresses on food, water and energy systems. Fresh ideas, breakthrough technologies and heightened public engagement are urgently needed. The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability represents a new kind of environmental science—a science that eschews ‘doom and gloom’ and embraces inclusiveness, innovation, and a proactive vision for the world we want in 2050. Students and faculty at the Institute are rising to a global challenge. Not only do we conduct some of the world’s most impactful environmental research, we put it in the hands of decision makers to drive much needed change.

Honorees

Ted Sarandos, Industry innovator, Chief Content Officer at Netflix
Eric Schmidt, Technology leader, Executive Chairman of Alphabet (formerly Google), mentor
Wendy Schmidt, Environmental philanthropist, President of The Schmidt Family Foundation and Founder, Schmidt Ocean Institute
Jeff Skoll, Social catalyst, visionary, chairman of Participant Media and the Skoll Foundation

With special guest Al Gore

Event Co-Chairs

Lawrence Bender
Alexandria Jackson

Host Committee

Courtney Cox
Laura Dern
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Goldie Hawn
Kate Hudson
Lyn Norman Lear
Gwyneth Paltrow
Barbra Streisand
Charlize Theron
Owen Wilson

UCLA IoES Board of Advisors

Tina Quinn, Board Chair
Lawrence Bender
Ken Button
Andy Cohen
Lee Cooper
Linda L. Duttenhaver
Peter Gross
Sydney D. Holland
Alexandria Jackson
Morton La Kretz
Cindy Montanez
Tony N. Pritzker
Jesse Sisgold
Daniel Weiss

UCLA IoES Leadership

Peter Kareiva

Director, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Keith Stolzenbach

IoES Associate Director and Professor, Department of Civil Environmental Engineering