LENS.cast
The new podcast from UCLA's Laboratory for Environmental Narrative Strategies shares stories of environmental justice and imagination in California and beyond.
Projects
LENS.cast Season 1: Environmental Justice in LA
Season 1 of LENS.cast features two episodes about environmental justice in Los Angeles. In episode 1, we explore the history and future of Los Angeles’s remarkable trees. California is more than…
Accelerating California’s Transition to Zero Emission Vehicles
Transportation is a major cause of air-pollution in California. Fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5, is a small particle that can lead to significant short and long term health…
Assessing biodiversity indicators in Santa Monica
The City of Santa Monica has been ahead of the curve in terms of sustainability efforts. The city was the among the first to develop a sustainability report and provide…
Assessment of cumulative lead exposure in Los Angeles children
Lead is a potent neurotoxin that continues to endanger the health and wellbeing of communities across the greater Los Angeles area. Researchers have identified lead hazards present in soil and…
Creating a sustainable waste management plan for the Aquarium of the Pacific
U.S. landfills are drowning in an ocean of waste. While mismanagement of waste is harmful to the environment as a whole, it poses a particular threat to marine life. Plastic…
Creating Biological Objectives to monitor water quality in California
Protecting California’s water resources has never been more important. Climate change is pushing weather patterns to extremes, with scientists predicting increased floods and drought in California’s future. These events threaten…
Investigating the impact of California’s carbon cap and trade program on disadvantaged communities
California is recognized as a global leader in addressing the climate crisis. In 2006, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 32, requiring statewide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to reach…
Teenagers as Energy Conservation Stewards
The United States is the second largest global emitter of greenhouse gasses. Roughly 27 percent of the U.S.’ total emissions stem from production of electricity — second only to the…
Tracking the effects of oil and gas drilling on tribal communities
As existing oil and gas reserves dwindle, producers increasingly rely on well stimulation treatments, such as hydraulic fracturing or “fracking,” acid fracturing, and matrix acidizing, to extract remaining reserves. These…
Alternative Energy and Biodiversity
A U.S. Department of Energy Funded Project to Understand the Demographic Impacts of Solar Energy Sites on Migratory Bird Populations Increased solar energy production is a critical element of efforts…
Community Solar Opportunities Map
Where is the best place to put solar panels in your neighborhood? The solar opportunity map is a web tool built to assist community-based organizations to access data necessary to identify high potential sites for community solar or resiliency centers within LA County.