Past Speakers
December 2010
Heather Cooley,
Pacific Institute, Author of “California’s Next Million Acre-Feet: Saving Water, Energy, & Money
Cooley writes: We are reaching the economic, ecological, and social limits of traditional [water] supply options: continuing to rely solely on building new infrastructure will fail to solve our impending crisis. We must expand our thinking about supply, away from costly new dams and toward other options for expanding supply (e.g., recycled water, stormwater capture, and integrated groundwater banking and management) and reducing statewide water demand. See the report..
January 12, 2011
Clement Lau, Los Angeles Sustainability Collaborative Fellow
Mr. Lau will present on his research on four freeway cap parks proposed for the Los Angeles Region, including the Hollywood Central Park, PARK 101 in downtown, and two smaller cap parks in Santa Monica. His policy briefing paper is intended to help policy makers, environmental advocates, and the general public to better understand cap parks, and the associated environmental and public health issues. Mr. Lau is a doctoral candidate in the Policy, Planning, and the Environment Program at University of Southern California.
February 23, 2011
Laura Cunningham, Environmental Activist, Artist, and Author
Ms. Cunningham will be giving a presentation about her new book, “A State of Change: Forgotten Landscapes of California.” Based on over twenty years of research, travels and sketching throughout the state, “A State of Change” provides an unforgettable view of the abundance and diversity of life that was once found in California’s landscapes, and offers inspiration for the current efforts to restore these ecosystems. This beautiful book was just released in November and it is already appearing on lists of the best books of 2010, and was recently highlighted as a recommended holiday gift book by the San Francisco Chronicle.
“Talk about high-class detective stories! What Raymond Chandler did for L.A., Laura Cunningham does for the forests, meadows, and riverbanks of the Golden State. This brings a lost world straight back to life—and one hopes it will help us work to restore it in the real world, not just the pages of a book.”
March 2011
Patrick Burns, Economic Roundtable Senior Researcher, Author of “Job Impacts of Water Recharge, Re-Use and Conservation”
Patrick Burns will present his year-long study: Job Impacts of Water Recharge,
Re-Use, and Conservation. Burns has worked with professionals from public and private organizations to identify the current size and trends of industries that make up the water sector. Burns has used the latest data to estimate the potential for the water sector’s job growth and economic impact.
May 11, 2011
Peter Greenwald,
Southern California
Air Quality Management District
Powering Clean Air, Transportation
and
Our Economy.
In order to attain federal air quality standards, Southern California will need to reduce air pollution substantially beyond the benefits of current emission control measures. Broad deployment of zero and near-zero emission technologies powered by clean energy such as electricity will be needed. Peter Greenwald’s presentation will describe the air quality challenges facing this region, the importance of clean energy, key technology applications, and potential co-benefits for our economy, climate and mobility.
June 8, 2011
William Roschen,
President of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and
Alexis Lantz, Planning and Policy Director for Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition
 Los Angeles City Bicycle Master Plan
Join us in conversation with Commissioner Roschen and Alexis Lantz discussing the Los Angeles City Bicycle Master Plan, approved in March by the City Council. The Bicycle Master Plan calls for an eventual network of 1,680 miles of interconnected bikeways, including more than 200 miles of new bicycle routes every five years. It also calls for a safety campaign to educate drivers about sharing the streets. Learn how the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles City Planning Commission, and Department of Transportation collaborated to make this vision come true.
August 10, 2011
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Wade Graham,
Professor at Pepperdine University
School of Public Policy
American Eden: From Monticello to Central Park to Our Backyards: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are.
Join us in conversation with Wade Graham, the Los Angeles-based garden designer, historian, and writer whose work on the environment, landscape, urbanism, and the arts has appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, the Los Angeles Times, Outside, and other publications. Graham will read from and discuss his recently published book American Eden: From Monticello to Central Park to Our Backyards: What Our Gardens Tell Us About Who We Are.
September 14, 2011
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Matt Ritter,
Author of "A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us"
 Matt Ritter will be presenting his new book, A Californian's Guide to the Trees among Us (Heyday Books, 2011), which profiles over 150 types of trees found in the urban environs of California, including both native and cultivated species. Used as a field guide or read with pleasure for the liveliness of the prose, this book enables readers to learn the stories behind the trees that shade our parks, grace our yards, and line our streets. Matt is currently a botany professor at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and director of the plant conservatory there. To learn more about his book, visit here.
"This is a great tree guide for all who also appreciate the historical perspective of our trees in California and their impact on our society, culture, and environment."
Pamela Geisel, coordinator, Statewide Master Gardener Program
"Matt Ritter's fascination with trees shines through in this wonderful book. Accurate and thorough but also very readable and well-illustrated, this is an excellent identification guide and at the same time a celebration of the trees that grow in California's cities and towns. Anyone who is curious about trees is sure to find education and inspiration in these pages."
David Sibley, author of The Sibley Guide to Trees and The Sibley Guide to Birds
Please RSVP as soon as possible to speakerseries@environmentnow.org. |
