Community Scholar Shamari Davis, IBEW 11.

The UCLA Community Scholars Program is a unique learning experience that connects the research strengths of the university to grassroots efforts within the community by bringing together community leaders and graduate students. This year’s theme, Green-Collar Jobs, Green Buildings, and Social Justice: Pathway to a Sustainable City, attracted fifty participants, the largest number of scholars and students since the program began nine years ago.

This year’s program was a joint initiative of the California Construction Academy and UCLA’s Department of Urban Planning, Labor Center, and Labor Occupational Safety and Health Program (LOSH), and was developed in partnership with the Los Angeles Apollo Alliance and the City of Los Angeles.

The California Construction Academy, housed at the UCLA Downtown Labor Center, helped shape the course’s research objectives by providing expertise in the areas of green building, workforce development, and connections to local union representatives. Research groups comprised of scholars and students will prepare final reports on topics such as, climate change, green retrofits, and good jobs; implementing public sector green retrofits and creating career pathways for disadvantaged populations; creating demand for commercial and residential retrofits; and opportunities for manufacturing green building materials in Los Angeles.

The final result of the research will be policy recommendations on how to retrofit Los Angeles while creating good, green jobs and enhancing the health and well-being of our communities. A final conference to share the recommendations and solicit feedback from a wide range of stakeholders is scheduled to take place in June.