More detailed data collection and analysis will be important in this effort and others, and it will be led by the California Center for Sustainable Communities — specifically leveraging its Energy Atlas, which can show city officials where resources are being consumed and at what level, down to the individual building or unit.
“Anything that has a spatial characteristic, we can examine and provide an analysis for it,” said Stephanie Pincetl, founding director of the center. “Our motivation is to work at consumption through the lens of equity. How much are they using? Where? And to do what, and under what conditions?”
An overall issue with the current approach to lawn replacement is that it's very individualised, says Dr Pincetl. There is an element of personal responsibility when it comes to lawns and water use, according to Dr Pincetl, where "the water you use on your lawn is the water I'm not going to be drinking next week".
At the same time, more sweeping community-level changes are needed.
Dr Pincetl calls for "a more robust infrastructure of transformation to really help people who want to make that transformation and don't have that kind of capacity". For instance, youth training organisations could work neighbourhood by neighbourhood to support residents in reimagining their lawns.
Los Angeles is in its third year of extreme drought — and water officials have resorted to extreme water-reduction measures. Professor Stephanie Pincetl, founding director of the California Center for Sustainable Communities at the University of California Los Angeles talks to WBUR radio.
UCLA cogeneration plant. “You’re basically operating a large jet engine that has been strapped to the ground,” explained Eric Fournier, research director at the California Center for Sustainable Communities within the UCLA Institute of the Environment & Sustainability. An impressive number and diversity of pipes – a description also courtesy of Fournier – line the inside of the facility, as do support structures for seismic stability.
Panel discussion by the California Association of Realtors:Panel discussion by the California Association of Realtors: featuring CCSC's Director Stephanie Pincetl, Karen Collins, Assistant Vice President, The American Property Casualty Insurance Association and Chief Jim McDougald, Division Chief, State of California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
California’s commitment to advancing ambitious climate goals cannot ignore the impact of wildfires on communities across the state and the need for protection, policies, and resiliency measures to mitigate the most damaging effects of climate change. As wildfires and heat waves become commonplace concerns in the state, it’s clear that California needs a comprehensive action plan to reduce wildfire risk, improve environmental conditions, adapt insurance needs, and accelerate action to combat climate change. Additionally, it’s important to consider how we can empower property owners, homeowners, local governments, and pertinent stakeholders to proactively reduce wildfire hazards to minimize the loss of property and life and be active participants in advancing effective solutions. Among the key approaches to wildfire resiliency and preparation is collaboration with the insurance industry to ensure protective policies are available and affordable for all Californians who are at risk of climate change-intensified wildfires. Join us for a wide-ranging discussion that will cover such topics, including climate change trends, efforts to build resiliency to protect communities, and the future of housing development in a wildfire-prone state.
“Lawns do well with about 30 inches of rain a year. Do we get 30 inches of rain a year? I don’t think so,” Pincetl said. Los Angeles receives about half that amount in a typical year.
“So if you want to have water to drink, water to do all the stuff you do inside, bathe your children, do your laundry, using water on a lawn just seems foolish,” Pincetl said.
