UCLA Civil & Environmental Engineering Department

C&EE 200 Section 1 Seminar

Structural, Geotechnical and Civil Engineering Materials

“Call to Action for Civil Engineers to Address Climate Change”

Doug Walters, P.E., BCEE

Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles, Sanitation & Environment

doug.walters@lacity.org

This presentation outlines key aspects of the City of Los Angeles’ Sustainability Plan as it relates to managing the City’s wastewater, stormwater and solid waste infrastructure.  Better known as Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Green New Deal, many of these goals transform our way of thinking as civil engineers given the dramatic changes our climate is foisting upon the City’s population of 4 million people as well as throughout the world.  The impacts associated with not pursuing innovation and integration of decade-old systems and policies have demonstrably made it harder for residents to thrive in areas of poor air quality and blight.  The difference in life expectancy from one part of a City to another serves as an astonishing reminder that we as civil engineers must take into account the importance of social equity in our decision making. The pace of these challenges can overtake the procedures that have governed our institutions and leave us vulnerable when the next series of disasters occur.  We must recognize that we need to urgently plan for serious consequences and mitigate them in the times of ongoing wildfires, increasing homelessness and poor air quality.  This presentation will highlight the improvements we have made and the need to more quickly decarbonize our environment, recycle our wastewater and transform how we manage our solid waste.

Where:   Engineering VI, Cohen Room 134A

When:     12:00 – 12:50 PM, Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Doug Walters, P.E., BCEE serves as both the City of Los Angeles’ first Chief Sustainability Officer and first Chief Resiliency Officer for LA Sanitation & Environment.  Since graduating as a Civil Engineer from UCLA, Doug lists among his successes helping to cease ocean disposal of sewage sludge, building a composting facility in Griffith Park, overseeing the Lopez Canyon closure construction, implementing a $500M stormwater bond program, and developing an integrated water resources plan for the City.  In addition to being responsible for implementing 94 goals in Mayor Garcetti’s Green New Deal, he oversees the recruiting of Environmental Engineering Associates and sits on the City’s Olympic Planning Committee for the 2028 Games. In his spare time, he has ridden his bicycle five times from San Francisco to LA to raise money and awareness to combat HIV/AIDS.