Eco-Enlightenment at UCLA

Education is the theme of this Southern Sierran, and certainly teaching children about the wonders of the ecosystem that sustains us is supremely important. But, what is offered to college-age young people or to older adults ready for career change or enhancement? Various programs are provided by UCLA, ranked in the top 10 eco-enlightened universities in the nation by Sierra Magazine (2009).

In 2006, UCLA launched an Environmental Science major, in which more than 230 undergraduates are now enrolled. This has become one of the fastest growing majors on campus. There is also an undergraduate minor in Environmental Systems and Society as well as an Education for Sustainable Living Program, which include student-led courses and action research team working with campus operations to make the UCLA campus more sustainable For example, UCLA's recycling system has been redesigned.

Finally UCLA has its first certified green building. This appropriately, is La Kretz Hall, home of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Morton La Kretz is a UCLA alumnus and philanthropist whose gift made possible the creation of the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science. The Center conducts research, teaching programs and public outreach in partnerships with the National Park Service the California State Parks and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. This collaboration has as its goal the protection of California's biodiversity and the creation of a lasting culture of conservation.

California is one of the 25 biological hotspots in the world, one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world and home to more unique plants and animals than any other state in the U.S.A. Unfortunately, the value of California's biodiversity is equaled by the intensity and pervasiveness of threats to it, which include urbanization, fragmentation and isolation of habitats, water and air pollulion, wildflres, invasive species and global climate change. Responding to these threats is a mission of both UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and its Environmental Science major In the latter, senior-year students work with public agencies, business or non profit organizations on real-world environmental problems. One recent graduate joined the US Coast Guard and is a Marine Science Technician responsible for pollution prevention and investigation. Another grad working for a manufacturer of residential and commercial LED (light emitting diodes) lighting. A certificate program open to all UCLA graduate students promotes cross-disciplinary research. The Leaders in Sustainability Certificate Program might lead, for example, to an MBA in Supply Chain and Operations Management.

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 240 to 184 this spring to defeat a resolution that climate change is occurring is caused largely by human activities, and poses significant risks for public health and welfare. It is enough to make one Wish for a forced reeducation program for political office-holders and the polluters front groups that bankroll them. Is UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability big enough to take on the job? Probably not. Education, though, is key to dealing with the problem posed by Bill McKibben. He observes that we've already passed the point where we're going to stop global warming... We've already guaranteed ourselves a miserable century. The Question is whether it's going to be an impossible one.