CLIMATE CENTER: Green and Blue Jobs Conference

This is the third day of a 3-day Climate Action Palooza to empower, inspire, and create excitement about the many ways in which we all can support climate action, the decarbonization of economies, and environmental justice. 

Day 1: International Climate Action Day

Day 2: Greening Gaming Hackathon

Day 3: Green & Blue Jobs

Join us on YouTube for the live stream: Day 1  |  Day 2  |  Day 3

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Opening Remarks  | Fine Arts (FA) Auditorium​​​

• Dr. James Limbaugh, President, West Los Angeles College
• Stephen Chung, President & CEO of the LA County Economic Development Corporation (LAECD) and World Trade Center Los Angeles (WTCLA)
• Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, Chancellor, Los Angeles Community College District
• Asm. Isaac Bryan, Majority Leader, California State Assembly

9:30 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Robert Fofrich  | Fine Arts (FA) Auditorium

discusses Decarbonizing Economies: Why do we need green and blue jobs?

Dr. Robert Fofrich is an Earth System Scientist and a UC President's Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability and is also an alum of West LA College. His research centers on the intersection of global society and environmental change, primarily focusing on attribution, mitigation, and adaptation. He obtained his bachelor's and Ph.D. in Earth System Science from the University of California, Irvine, specializing in the impact of energy systems on climate change mitigation and the agricultural consequences of surpassing international climate targets. During his undergraduate at West and UCI, Robert held positions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory Center for Climate Sciences and the Center for Environmental Biology at UC Irvine, where he researched wildfires and ecological restoration, respectively.

10:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Panel: Trends and Projections  | Fine Arts (FA) Auditorium

Green & Blue Jobs in Numbers: Trends, projections and what skills will be needed to meet market demands 

11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Panel: A Just Transition  | Fine Arts (FA) Auditorium

A Just Transition: How to expand work-based learning opportunities in the equity, environmental justice, and green & blue jobs sectors?

12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Unveiling of the Climate Internships Database  | Fine Arts (FA) Auditorium

12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Lunch, Exhibits, and Booths  | Fine Arts (FA) Courtyard

2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Breakout Sessions | MSA Building

MSA Building Breakout Sessions 

0 FLOOR

• MSA 003: The Blue Economy Facilitated by Meredith Brooks, Senior Programs and Grants Manager, AltaSea.
• MSA 005: Food Science and Alternative Proteins. Co-facilitated by Silas Crocker, Food and Sustainability Expert, and Nathan Ahlgrim, Ph.D., Academic Community Manager, Good Food Institute.

1ST FLOOR

• MSA 102: Decarbonizing the Transportation Sector. Facilitated by Jess Guerra, Director of the Transportation Workforce Institute at LA Trade Technical College
• MSA 104: Assessing Capacity for DEIA & Community Benefit Requirements in Climate Funding. Facilitated by Brett Zeuner Program Manager, Community Impact - Foundation for California Community Colleges.
• MSA 105: Environmentally and Socially Responsible Buildings. Facilitated by Robert Zardeneta, Director of Workforce USGBC-LA.
• MSA 109: Increasing Energy Efficiency with HVACs and Heat Pumps. Facilitated by Sergio Couder, Technical Instructor at Mitsubishi Electric Heating & Cooling.

2ND FLOOR

• MSA 211: All Future Careers are Climate Careers: Students Success Means Teaching Climate Literacy Across Disciplines. Facilitated by Prof. George Leddy, Sustainable Environment Institute (SEI).

• MSA 203: Certificates in Sustainability and Climate Action: The Conservation Studies Program at WLAC Example. Facilitated by Emily Cobar and Stacey Vigallon, the Nature Nexus Institute/ WLAC instructors.

3RD FLOOR

• MSA 309: Natural Resources Management and Policy. Facilitated by Jenyffer Vasquez, Water Policy & Resources Analyst II West Basin Municipal Water District.