Youth x Green New Deal: Young Voices on LA’s Green New Deal

Diana Nguyen / 5-Minute Read / Creating Spaces

January 29, 2020

Ringing in the new year, Climate Action LAb held its inaugural event in collaboration with young environmental leaders across Los Angeles. Partnering with Trainings for Environmental Activists and Leaders (TEAL) and Clean Consulting, Climate Action LAb co-hosted a speaker panel to discuss Mayor of LA Eric Garcetti’s recent announcement of the City’s 2019 Sustainability pLAn-- or LA’s Green New Deal. The pLAn ensued bold and ambitious sustainability goals for the City, from electrifying LA’s bus fleets by 2035 to supplying 100% renewable energy by 2050.

The “youth x Green New Deal” panel convened young voices within the public, non-profit, and private sectors to the table, prompting a cross-disciplinary discussion on the proposals and impacts of LA’s Green New Deal. When asked who benefits from the pLAn, panelists exchanged shared values over diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice within the climate movement.

Nick Canton, a Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow at UCLA, addressed the urgency to engage diverse voices within climate policy and decision-making. “It’s incredibly important that we need to get all the voices at the table when making these decisions,” said Canton. “The LGBTQI+ community faces greater impacts of climate change because they are more likely to experience houselessness. When you don’t have a roof over your head, you’re more vulnerable to heat waves in Arizona or hurricanes in the South East U.S. I hope that in future plans, when [LA’s Green New Deal] gets updated in 4 years, I hope that is addressed more.”

In the 2019 Sustainability Plan, LA proposed to end street homelessness by 2028.

Model and climate activist Summer Dean touched upon LA’s transportation goals, recognizing the much needed investment and equitable distribution of the City’s sustainability targets to low-income communities. “LA was built as a car-dependent city. Increasing our public transportation is one of the biggest things we can do,” said Dean. “Having a car is a huge privilege. Investing in public transport is investing in our low-income communities too.”

You can read LA’s Green New Deal on the pLAn website. To learn more about each panelist, read their bios below!

Gia is a United Nations climate activist, TEDx Speaker, and sustainability consultant with over five years experience working at the intersection of climate and technology. As a sustainability consultant at Gladstein, Neandross, & Associates, Gia has developed a strong understanding of strategic planning in sustainability, climate action (mitigation and adaptation), emergency preparedness, decarbonization in the built environment, and economic enterprise development. Outside of work as an Associate, Gia has leveraged her strong background in communications and advocacy as Founder of Climate Action LAb.

Kristopher Eclarino is a Technical Project Analyst at Climate Resolve, an environmental non-profit in Los Angeles. His work at Climate Resolve has included research on local climate adaptation strategies, analyses using statewide climate tools to identify climate-vulnerable municipalities, and identifying best practices of climate preparedness plans. Previously, he was a fellow at the Mayor’s Office of Los Angeles and was tasked to localize the United Nations' Sustainable Development Climate Action Goals. He proposed recommendations centered around building resilient capacity in neighborhoods that are at-risk due to future intensified heat impacts. He holds a Master of Public Policy from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Summer Dean is a 22 year old climate activist, researcher, and writer. She is currently organizing with Sunrise Movement Los Angeles and working with ActBlue for the 2020 election. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Summer studied environmental studies at Portland State University where she worked with the climate groups Renew Oregon and Our Climate to help pass carbon pricing policies in both Oregon and Washington, and worked with community members in one of Portland's largest low-income neighborhoods to develop an equitable zero-emissions transportation initiative. In 2018, she wrote the region's first report on distributed community solar systems for a multi-state initiative called SolarPlus to increase total solar production in the Pacific Northwest.

Joshua DeAnda is a 4th year at UCLA studying Political Science and Environmental Systems and Society. In only his second year, Joshua was selected for UCLA’s Spring Quarter in Washington Program (QWP) where he interned for the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) and conducted a nation-wide study on food recovery. Joshua is now working with the Natural Resources Defense Council on their project, the American Cities Climate Challenge. Back on campus, Joshua serves as a UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative Fellow, working directly with UCLA’s Chief Sustainability Officers to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

Nick is a 4th year undergraduate at UCLA studying Environmental Science and Engineering. Currently, he works with the UC Office of the President as a Carbon Neutrality Fellow and with UCLA Dining Services as a Sustainability Assistant. Previously, he interned at an Amazon fulfillment center in Chicago, Illinois. In his free time, Nick enjoys surfing and cycling throughout Los Angeles.