SEI Update
September, 2023
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SEI Faculty and Staff Survey
Please take time to complete the SEI short survey. You will need to be logged into SIS to access. This survey will help the SEI better prioritize our projects and efforts to fit faculty and staff needs and interests. It is important to us and to the LACCD.
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Heat Islands and Equity Speaker Series begins |
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SEI in partnership with the Professional Development College of the DAS and with the CCCCE is presenting a series of talks on the impact of extreme heat on under-resourced neighborhoods in Los Angeles.
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Join us for our first event with Marta Segura September 28 12noon-1pm
Marta Segura serves as both the Chief Heat Officer and Director of Climate Emergency Mobilization for the City of Los Angeles and is one of 10 Chief Heat Officers worldwide.
Ms. Segura is a policy thought leader in extreme heat, environmental justice, climate, public health and stakeholder engagement, and has extensive expertise in leading public, philanthropic, private, institutional, and non-profit sectors to design, implement, and drive equitable climate policy promoting healthier and more engaged communities.
Marta Segura will talk to us about heat islands and there will be time for attendees to ask questions.
Heat Islands and Equity series schedule
Oct. 24, 25, 26 Conference: “Climate Palooza” presented by WLAC and CCCCE. Registration information is here. Flex credit will be available for faculty through the VRC
(Flex credit will be available for faculty through the VRC)
Nov 30th, 12-1:00pm Heat Equity Action Panel by SEI and PDC
(Flex Credit available through the VRC)
All of these talks and more are located on the SEI website; SEILaccd.net.
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Gold Creek Ecological Reserve has a new Orientation Day — October 20 |
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Gold Creek Orientation Day is Oct. 20th (with Nov. 19th as the back up date).
Gold Creek will be holding a fall orientation for faculty who would like to use the ecological reserve as part of their curriculum. Orientation is required in order for faculty to bring students to the site. The event includes an introduction to the facilities, and to trails, as well as safety requirements and preparation.
Please contact your campus Gold Creek rep, if you have any questions: Vered Mirmovitch (West), Kang Kim (Southwest), Lisa Zung (Valley), Robert West (East), Shannon DeVaney (Pierce), Elizabeth Jordan (Mission), Tissa Munasinghe (Harbor), Marissa Pantastico Caldas (Trade), Mike Farrell (City), and Laney Ray (ESC).
Mike Farrell, Professor of Geography at City and Gold Creek Coordinator, would also be happy to answer your questions. He can be reached at farrelmj@lacitycollege.edu.
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The SEI is working with the AFT Student Intern program this year. |
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The AFT internship is sponsored by AFT 1521. The program engages students in labor and social justice issues across the district. Interns develop organizing and leadership skills as they actively advocate for their communities through the political process. Student interns decide which projects that they want to pursue.
The Fall 23 AFT Interns are working with the Sustainable Environment Institute explore and address local issues such as extreme heat and inequity in the city of Los Angeles, pollution and urban food gardens. We look forward to working with these highly motivated students.
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The SEI recognizes Cindy Montañez |
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This story is personal for me, as Cindy Montañez is a close friend. She was a student of mine when I was teaching at UCLA. Some years later Cindy hired me to work in her Assembly District Office, where I worked under our own Board member Steve Veres. Very sadly, I must report that Cindy is suffering from terminal cancer. In recent months, her life and work has been celebrated both by the city of San Fernando, where she serves as a councilperson, and the city of Los Angeles, given her long and varied career.
After years of environmental advocacy in her early career, including one term as an Assemblymember and several years as a DWP official, Cindy became the CEO of TreePeople in 2016. Since then, she has tripled the membership of the organization and expanded the budget by 37%. She has also hired a staff that is far more representative of Los Angeles communities than before. Most importantly, she has expanded the TreePeople tradition of bringing trees to the streets of underserved neighborhoods.
On August 29th the City Council of San Fernando voted to rename its Eighth Street Park the Cindy Montañez Natural Park. Several elected officials attended the September 9th dedication, including US Congress member, Tony Cardenas. Work has already begun planting native tree species and rewilding the landscape. Since Cindy requested that Monarch butterflies have a place to rest at the park, en route from Northern California to Mexico and back, lots of milkweed (a Monarch favorite) will be planted
For more information on Cindy Montañez’s work and life please see the wonderful article by Gustavo Arrellano in the August 31 Los Angeles Times and this one in the Daily News.
George Leddy
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September 30: 8:30am: TreePeople volunteers go to the San Francisquito Canyon for chaparral restoration. Sign up here
September 30, 1PM - 4PM, Heal the Bay, eDNA Community Science Event with MPA Watch. Heal the Bay is partnering with UCLA again to collect sea water samples in Malibu for an eDNA scientific testing program with PhD candidate, Moriah Byrd. Register here.
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Day 1, Tue Oct 24: student-led celebration of the International Day of Climate Action.
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Day 2, Wed Oct 25: climate solutions Hackathon (co-hosted with WLAC’s Creativity Lab)
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Day 3, Thu Oct 26: Green & Blue Jobs Conference
Events will include talks and panels with climate leaders and experts, exhibits, climate action-inspired art shows, workshops, hands-on activities, and displays by industry partners. Attendees can register for one, two, or three days. All events are free and open to the public. Questions can be directed to CAClimateCenter@wlac.edu
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from the editors…
As always we invite your submissions to this newsletter. Write about environmental issues that are important to you. Let us know what projects you or your students are working on. Tell us what is happening on your campus or in your community,
Email the SEI staff with your proposed article or news brief, or calendar event.
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