Hetch Hetchy gushes over wetlands
A different story is unfolding at Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park, where water is being released to conserve and restore wildlife. In a state wracked with drought, the…
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Students’ pop-song video parodies teach real science
It’s also hard to imagine the rapper Macklemore ever reshaping his parody “Thrift Shop” into an ode to the Coriolis effect. But those are two of the entertaining student-made music…
Natural justice
Just ask Osceola Ward, a UCLA graduate student who teaches disadvantaged kids to advocate for their communities and their futures. Ward wanted to be a lawyer, but his plans changed…
Conflict and Change in LA Water: Deciphering meaning and clarifying goals
Marcia Hale presented at the annual conference of the American Association of Geographers in March 2016, exploring conflict and change in the Los Angeles urban water system. Many changes are…
15 threatened natural treasures and the UCLA scientists working to save them
La Kretz Center scientists are working to save endangered California tiger salamanders, Southwestern pond turtles, and California newts
Do eco-friendly wines taste better?
Though consumers remain reluctant to spend more on wine from organic grapes, the new study from UCLA researchers shows that in blind taste-tests professional wine reviewers give eco-certified wines higher…
New endangered goby species honors late UCLA student
Eucyclogobius kristinae—named for the late researcher—officially became its own species on July 29th. Now known commonly as the southern tidewater goby, the species is already endangered, living exclusively in three…
Nuclear Power Plant Closures and the Impact on Energy Storage
Alex Ricklefs and Eric Fournier describe the impact of nuclear power plant closures on energy storage needs in the Conversation (http://theconversation.com/). From the article: “Currently in California, energy storage is…
Methane and microbes—making life happen
But it’s the interaction between the two that truly made life possible—and it may even hold solutions for climate change. As far as greenhouse gases measure up, methane is a…
Bug banquet – Metta World Peace & UCLA students eat crickets
Combined, these factors are expected to stress the world’s agricultural capacity. But one solution may be right underfoot, so to speak. Insects are easy to digest and grow. They may…
The Verge: Where do mountain lions hunt in Los Angeles?
A new study by La Kretz Center and National Park Service scientists finds surprising results
Los Angeles is a metropolitan den for mountain lions
Mountain lions are rarely seen, but they occasionally prowl near human habitats, according to a study by UCLA and the National Park Service published today in PLOS One. The research,…
Los Angeles is a metropolitan den for mountain lions
Joint project by UCLA La Kretz Center and the U.S. National Park Service is first to investigate where the cats hunt in highly urbanized areas
Grid Vulnerability Due to High Heat
Alex Ricklefs of the CCSC has compiled a presentation on the impact of high heat events on the energy grid. Climate change has increased the number of extreme weather events in turn increasing energy demand.
College kids: What will their lives be like?
I just finished my first year at UCLA, where I got to know eight graduating seniors quite well. I now feel that “youth as our hope” platitudes have merit. That…
CCSC on the web: Cities, data, and greenhouse gas emissions
Dr. Stephanie Pincetl and Dr. Erik Porse authored this week’s post on the Urbanization and Global Environmental Change (UGEC) project blog, Viewpoints. An excerpt: In the United States, the 20th…
A degree of determination
Both literally and figuratively, that’s how it was for Valerie Carranza, one of 76 UCLA students who graduated with bachelor’s degrees in environmental science on Sunday. Carranza grew up in…
Building sustainable water sources in Uganda
The UCLA environmental science student will be blogging weekly about the experience. You can follow her adventures on Medium, where she recently chronicled the project she’s working on and her…
Environmental lobbying’s clean little secret
The public perception is that lobbyists fight for lax regulations, saving businesses money by allowing more pollution—often at great cost to public health and natural resources. That’s only one side…
Counting the cost of climate change: It’s all about numbers for UCLA teaching fellowship winners
by Karen A. Lefkowitz Professors Kathryn Bickel Goldman and Debra Shier are practiced adding machines. Goldman calculates greenhouse gas emissions and Shier tallies wildlife populations. Both can add a new…
L.A. students get an environmental filmmaking debut
It might be time for an update. In 2016, two-thirds of Americans wield video-equipped smartphones capable of telling vivid stories, from street protests to Snapchat. And 15 minutes may be…
CCSC’s Alex Ricklefs featured in LA Times Op-ed!
“Here in the Southland, we can help solve this part of the energy puzzle by using UCLA’s California Center for Sustainability Energy Atlas. The atlas displays aggregated electricity and natural…
4 Degrees of (Climate) Change
By Alex Ricklefs The song 4 Degrees, off the artist ANOHNI’s new album ‘HOPELESSNESS’, addresses the concerns of increasing climate change in a manner that most likely has never been…
Electric vehicle rubber meets the road: a Q&A with J.R. DeShazo
From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., automobile and sustainability experts will join forces for an event that explores the past, present and future of cars and transportation. With audience participation,…