Saving the planet isn’t just for superheroes. And it’s not just wishful thinking, either. Tiny steps can have a huge impact when we all agree to play our part.  

But, where does one start? We asked some of our UCLA researchers to help us create a list of ways that anyone, even a kid, can switch to a more sustainable life—and here they are! 10 simple actions you can take today:

Advocate for change by first informing yourself on the current issues. What's the one thing the average person can do about climate change? "Vote," says Sean Hecht, the UCLA Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment co-executive director. "Vote for people who have good policies, and then tell them why it’s important to uphold those policies." You can also volunteer for local non-profits, participate in demonstrations, or start an initiative at your work or in your community.

Eat more plants. "Plant-based foods generally have a lower carbon footprint and use less water than animal products," Associate Professor of Integrative Biology and Physiology Amy Rowat says, "especially beef, pork and cheese." We recommended Meals4Planet.org, an online cookbook from Jenny Jay, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Reduce your transportation emissions by walking and biking whenever possible, using public transit or carpooling, and reducing air travel. Use teleconferencing for business meetings and consider vacation by train.

Reduce single-use plastic in your household, work and play, including dishware (carry reusable utensils and straws with you), toiletry containers (bar shampoos/conditioners/soaps), food (buy in bulk using reusable bags) and compostable garbage bags. UCLA Sustainability’s Zero Waste Coordinator Kikei Wong encourages, "Recycling helps, but reducing waste and reusing is better."

Reduce your household energy consumption. Turn off appliances and lights when you’re not using them. Try hang drying clothes instead of using a dryer, and open up your blinds for natural light instead of turning on the lights.

Drink from the tap. Use a reusable water flask instead of plastic bottles. It’s a surprise for many people to learn that tap water is better regulated than bottled water in the US. You can also purchase filters that fit on your tap. The UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation is conducting research and hosting discussions to increase trust in tap water.

Save water. Convert your lawn to drought tolerant landscaping. Turn the sink off when brushing your teeth; take quicker showers; or use a broom to clean the driveway, sidewalk, and stairs rather than a hose.

Go paperless. If possible, go paperless with bank statements, receipts, etc., bring laptops/tablets to meetings instead of printing out agendas and documents, and publish reports online instead of printing copies.

Be mindful of what you purchase and buy less stuff. Before you purchase anything, Sustainability Manager Erin Fabris says, consider whether you actually need it. "Instead, repurpose old clothes and learn how to sew, so you can fix garments rather than throw them away," she recommends. "Shop secondhand when possible." Fast fashion may be cheaper, Fabris says, but most brands are unethical and unsustainable. Instead, "Buy certified sustainable products such as Fair Trade, Leaping Bunny, or B Corporation."

Measure your carbon footprint (and offset if you can). All our behaviors and lifestyle generate carbon emissions. You can use one of the multiple carbon footprint calculators (e.g. The Nature Conservancy, Terrapass, Carbon Footprint, EPA…) to identify your largest ‘carbon budgets’ and see how you can reduce or offset them.

We encourage all of our students, faculty and employees to take these small steps with you. With this knowledge, we can make Los Angeles and the world a better place today.

If you’d like to learn more about what UCLA is doing for sustainability, check out our Sustainable LA and stay tuned for our March UCLA Magazine feature story tilted, "10 Climate Emergencies and how UCLA is solving them."

Saving the planet isn’t just for superheroes. And it’s not wishful thinking, either.

10 Tiny Steps Toward Sustainable Living

10 Tiny Steps Toward Sustainable Living | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

Whether you are a Gen Zer entering the workplace or a boomer entering retirement, there’s no denying the fact that you aren’t getting any younger.

But does the thought of growing old sting? Even though aging often has a negative connotation, it doesn’t have to. 

Western culture tends to define aging as a gradual physical decline — associating it with aches, pains and a foggy memory — and becoming out of touch with a fast-paced society (e.g., the internet meme “OK boomer”). We are led to believe that our best days are a summit that will pass us by. 

But when we look at the science of aging, fundamental pieces of this negative narrative start to vanish. 

Alan Castel, a professor of psychology at UCLA, is an advocate for aging victoriously. “Our own attitudes about aging do influence how we age,” Castel says, “so if you think positively about what can happen as you get older, then you might be active and healthier, and you might live longer.”

In his book Better With Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging, Castel cites a study in which researchers used Catholic nuns’ diary entries from when they were in their 20s to determine their levels of happiness. Of the most cheerful nuns, 75% lived to age 80, but only 40% of the least happy nuns lived that long. The happiest nuns lived about 10 years longer than the least happy nuns.

Castel uses this example to support his view that there are things you can do today — whether you’re 25 or 65 — to live a happier, healthier and longer life. 

In Better With Age, Castel interviews role models who have thrived in their later years, including Maya Angelou and legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, to show how you can age victoriously, too.

What is the secret to health and longevity? According to Wooden, there are two essential ingredients: love and balance.

“Find who and what you love, and have balance in your life, both mentally and physically,” Wooden told Castel. And research backs up this advice. 

Loneliness has become a public health crisis. Social isolation leads to numerous mental and physical ailments that can take form at a young age and lead to premature mortality. And according to the UCLA Loneliness Scale, nearly half of Americans feel lonely, with Gen Z reporting the highest loneliness score. For those who are older, Castel says loneliness “poses as large a risk to long-term health and longevity as smoking cigarettes and may be twice as harmful for retirees as obesity.”

However, those with strong social connections have a 50% lower risk of dying early. Older adults who stay socially active are less likely to develop dementia and have stronger immune systems. “Staying sharp involves staying connected — and not to the internet,” Castel says. 

Are you experiencing loneliness? If so, you’re not alone. There is a community waiting for you — including one at UCLA.

Do you have a dream that you haven’t dared to explore, like making a career change? Or it could be a far simpler action, such as signing up for a painting class. 

Castel’s research and interviews with superagers tells an encouraging story. “Things like wisdom and creativity can blossom in older age,” he says. “Frank Gehry, the architect, designed conventional structures early in his career and now designs creative buildings he would only dream about when he was younger.” Examples of a late-life creative bloom abound. In fact, it wasn’t until Claude Monet was 73 that he began to paint his treasured water lily masterpieces.

It’s never too late to find what you love and pursue it. This psychological realignment will give your life meaning and lead to happiness and vitality. 

There are two aspects of balance that pay near-instant dividends.

Physically, it is important to start balance training early in life and continue it as you get older. By the time you’re 50, falls often lead to hospitalization. But you don’t need to buy a yoga mat to improve your balance. You can train at home or at work — all you have to do is stand on one leg for a minute, then switch. Once you get good at that, try it with your eyes closed. 

Like the rest of your body, your brain is a muscle that also should be exercised for balance. Mental balance helps us deal with life’s many priorities and unexpected events. Mindful awareness meditation has been proven to reduce stress, improve attention, boost the immune system, reduce emotional reactivity and promote a general sense of health and well-being. And it’s easy to get started. You just need to find a quiet place, sit and listen. 

 Aging doesn’t have to be a drag. As you get older, you can grow in happiness, creativity, even strength and mental resilience. But what about memory? That’s going to fade away regardless, right? 

Well, it depends, because there are many different kinds of memory.

“Some types of memory, like episodic memory, might decline as we get older, so you might be more likely to forget what you had for breakfast two days ago,” Castel says. “But the brain adapts and compensates by providing other benefits.” 

Our brain adapts to aging by focusing less on inconsequential information. At the same time, we develop more sophisticated or personal tactics for remembering what is truly important to us. 

“In many ways, our metacognition, or our ability to selectively remember information and notice when we don’t, may improve as we get older,” Castel says. “As a result, we may use strategies such as writing things down to ensure we’ll remember important things in the future.” 

But there’s more: “Semantic memory might get better with age, meaning we can rely on prior knowledge and experience,” he says. Older adults might use their knowledge base and their curiosity to enhance their memory.  

Past experiences can blossom into newfound creativity and wisdom, and this evolution can apply to all sorts of life experiences and people. 

There’s at least one more benefit to having a more selective memory as we age. 

“A selective memory can also help improve mood. Many older adults in their 70s and 80s report greater life satisfaction and happiness than in their midlife,” Castel says. “As an added bonus, these later decades tend to be made of happy memories, because a selective memory helps people focus on the things that are most important to us.” 

You can choose to rethink aging and, in the process, add years of happiness to your life. Instead of a gradual decline, view life as an upward climb. Once we get over the hill, we go up the next one. With effort, we can appreciate each view as different, but equally meaningful. 

If you’re looking for a new hill to climb, look no further than your community. There’s always something happening at UCLA, such as local events or UCLA Extension courses. Now is the time to grow with knowledge. 

It’s never too late, or too early, to start aging well. Our UCLA expert dismisses stereotypes associated with aging and provides tips for a happy, healthy life.

It’s Time to Rethink Aging

Aging Well | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

“Have you tried these new plant-based burgers that taste like beef?”

“What is plant-based meat made out of?”

Plant-based meat has exploded in popularity in recent months, popping up in fast-food restaurants and grocery stores all over the country. As millions of people try it for the first time, they’re having conversations and asking a lot of questions.

To better understand these foods, we talked to two UCLA experts: Amy Rowat, associate professor of integrative biology and physiology, and Jennifer Jay, professor of civil and environmental engineering. Here, Rowat and Jay break down the science of how plant-based meat is made, and show us how these new burgers can help fight climate change.

The success of plant-based burgers depends on how much they look, smell and taste like meat. So how do companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat pull this off? 

Amy Rowat specializes in answering this kind of question. She uses food to teach scientific concepts — undergraduate students eat apple pie on the first day of her class to learn how butter’s molecular structure creates a perfectly flaky crust. Rowat leads UCLA’s Rowat Lab and helps organize Science&Food, a series of popular public lectures at UCLA featuring chefs and food critics.  

Rowat points out that tens of millions of dollars have been poured into research and development at companies like Beyond and Impossible — all with the goal of satisfying each of our senses. 

The first impression of an Impossible or Beyond burger is that it has the same pink color as raw meat. To achieve that color, engineers use two different methods. “Some products use molecules from plants like beets, which are naturally red,” Rowat says. “Others, like the Impossible burger, use industrial fermentation. That’s a fancy way to say they use microbes to produce a protein that gives the red color. It’s very similar to hemoglobin, which gives the red color to blood.” 

When you touch a plant-based burger patty, it has a similar texture to beef. “Using technology to organize how all these molecules are arranged in the burger is an important component for the texture,” Rowat says. “Extrusion is a popular method to get the fiber structures, used famously by Beyond Meat.” Beyond’s extrusion machines heat and pressurize the plant proteins to realign their structure, creating that meaty texture.

Most importantly: Plant-based meat has to deliver the same taste and melting mouthfeel of a beef burger. “Meat has a lot of saturated fat, which melts at a higher temperature,” she says. “So when you cook it, their liquids will ooze out and melt. It feels delicious on your tongue.” To create that effect in plant-based burgers, coconut oil is a popular ingredient.

While the science and technology is impressive, they’re not what Rowat gets most excited about. For her and Jennifer Jay, the most exciting part is plant-based meat’s environmental impact. 

How plant-based meat can help fight climate change

Many people aren’t aware of the impact diet has on the environment, especially as a contributor to climate change. According to the United Nations, livestock accounts for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions — a larger source of emissions than transportation. Beef alone accounts for a whopping 41% of livestock emissions.

Jay is an expert in how food impacts our environment. She works in UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, and also runs the website Meals for the Planet, which publishes environmentally friendly recipes and related news. 

Jay explains that animals are an especially energy-intensive food source. “When you feed animal feed to an animal, most of the calories don’t go toward making meat that we would eat,” she says. “Most of the calories go toward maintaining the animal… and a lot of the energy that you’re giving the animal doesn’t become meat. So part of the carbon footprint comes from just the additional food that you need to grow for the animal.” 

“The other part is that ruminant animals have another mechanism for introducing greenhouse gas equivalents,” she says, “which would be the fact that they produce methane as part of their natural digestion.” In other words, when cows belch and pass gas, they produce one of the most potent greenhouse gases driving climate change.

Jay is particularly good at putting the environmental impact of food into simple terms. For example, she says that switching one plant-based burger for one beef burger saves the same amount of CO2 emissions as driving the average American car for 12 miles. 

She breaks down the Paris Climate Agreement into simple, personal terms as well. To meet America’s emission targets, she says, every American must keep their emissions under 2,730 grams CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalents) per day. If you substituted a beef burger for a plant-based one, you save 3,300 grams CO2e — more than the daily reduction rate. 

Solving climate change starts with small choices

Rowat and Jay make different personal choices when it comes to food. Rowat eats meat on occasion, while Jay eats a plant-based diet. Both understand that meat is an important part of many people’s diets. “People have an intrinsic drive to eat meat,” Rowat says, “and there are cultural and religious preferences. Food is very personal. It’s a very personal choice.” 

Even if meat eaters try only one plant-based burger, Rowat and Jay are thrilled that people are taking the opportunity to learn about food and its impact on the environment. With global population projected to reach 10 billion by 2050, food — and beef, specifically — will be a bigger and bigger contributor to climate change. 

Over time, small choices can add up to a larger impact. For example, switching a beef burger to a plant-based once a week for a year is the CO2 equivalent of driving a car for 624 miles. Climate change doesn’t have to be solved by politicians and international agreements alone. It can start with each of us making simple, informed choices — like ordering a burger — in our day-to-day lives. With knowledge, we can serve a sustainable future.

Two UCLA experts on how plant-based meat is made — and how it can help fight climate change.

Climate Burgers: Breaking Down the Science of Plant-Based Meat

How Plant-Based Meat Can Help Fight Climate Change | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

Stakes will be high when Californians vote in the primary polls on March 3, three months earlier than in the 2016 presidential race. 

And tensions will be high, too — at home, at work or over dinner. The wrong word or a political joke, and a pleasant evening could be ruined. 

So how will friends and families avoid such bear traps over the holiday season? Mark A. Peterson, professor of public policy, political science and law at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, believes it is possible to have a calm conversation about politics with people outside your bubble. 

Political discussion, the professor says, is all about polite discourse — something that’s perhaps forgotten during election fever, when political divides deepen. 

A recent study from the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic magazine suggests that 45% of Democrats and 35% of Republicans would be unhappy if their child married someone from the opposite party.

And, according to a PRRI poll, fewer than 40% of respondents said there were political divisions within their family, suggesting that 60% of people may be losing the habit of talking to others who disagree with them in informal or safe settings. So how do we talk politics?

Peterson has some rules that might help lower the temperature during social gatherings. 

Unlike the candidates, the first rule is to forget about “winning.” 

He advises to make it more of a discussion than a debate. “We’re really caught up in this ‘us versus them’ world. But we can all take part in civil discourse without giving up our principles or self-respect,” he says. 

Secondly, focus on understanding. “Listening is one of the most powerful instruments for getting someone to start taking you more seriously,” Peterson says, “and for you to start taking them more seriously.” 

Finally, follow these two simple words: Be kind. “Being kind extends to the people you disagree with,” the professor says. “That effort builds a deeper connection and allows a constructive sharing of ideas.” 

So, if Californians keep their famous chill during the run-up to the March 3 primary, what could be the result? 

One possibility is a mass culling of candidates as never before. When the union’s most populous state had its say in June 2016, Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were the clear front-runners. 

Peterson says that the number of states voting on so-called Super Tuesday — 14, including Texas — will make it complicated, but “California will get more attention and be part of this larger story.”

An alternate scenario could see California become less of a deciding factor and more akin to a turbo boost for a nominee who stands out in other early primary states. Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina will all vote before California. 

But in all of these states, the professor says, the challenge will be the same: How do we talk politics without getting mired in disagreement? It’s a skill. 

In 2016, Clinton won the Golden State’s Democratic vote by 7 percentage points over Bernie Sanders. She took the cities and, more controversially, the superdelegates; he dominated in suburban and rural areas. This season will generate its own surprises and anxieties. One can only hope to drink from the political pool both responsibly and generously.

We are weeks away from the California primary. Political temperatures may soar, but with these tips, you can keep it cool.

Revealed: The Rules of Civilized Debate

Revealed: The Rules of Polite Debate

Civil Discourse | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

Gaurav N. Sant has a refreshing attitude about climate change. 

As UCLA Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Sant understands the scale of this challenge as well as anyone. “Don’t get me wrong: Climate change is an enormous problem of global dimensions,” Sant says. “But we’re not going to do ourselves any favors by saying that this is a problem that we cannot solve.” 

Sant has reason for optimism. He and his UCLA colleagues have found a solution at the source of the problem itself: carbon dioxide (CO2). Billowing from power plant smokestacks and other sources around the world, CO2 is the main greenhouse gas driving climate change. According to the U.N., global CO2 emissions must reach net zero by 2050, or many effects of climate change will be irreversible. 

In the face of this challenge, Sant and his colleagues asked a question: Instead of sending all of this CO2 pollution into the atmosphere, what if we transformed it into a useful product? The result is called CO2Concrete, a win-win technology that captures emissions and recycles them into a lighter, stronger and sustainable alternative to traditional concrete. 

The technology behind CO2Concrete is based on a concept called “CO2 mineralization,” or the conversion of CO2 gas into solid minerals. To put this into simpler terms, Sant points to a similar process found in nature. 

“We live in Los Angeles,” he says. “Take a walk on the beach and pick up a seashell. You see what a seashell is: It’s made of white stuff, it’s pretty strong and it looks kind of cute. CO2Concrete is based around the same material that bonds a seashell: calcium carbonate, or limestone. Exactly how sea creatures produce their own home, i.e., a seashell, we can use carbon dioxide that comes out of the flue gas of a power plant, apply very simple, acid-based neutralization chemistry, and produce a cemented construction component.” To create this concrete rapidly, and on a large scale, the CO2Concrete team is developing a system of 3D printing that further revolutionizes the material. 

Thinking about concrete in terms of Legos

Mathieu Bauchy, UCLA Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is a collaborator on CO2Concrete. Bauchy envisions a future without a need for concrete trucks that mix and pour concrete at construction sites. This traditional process is slow, Bauchy explains, and not well-controlled. Traditional concrete is also one of the weakest materials relative to its weight. To address these shortcomings, the team has designed a 3D printing system that embeds CO2 efficiently while creating a stronger product. 

“The idea is to create precast concrete building blocks that can be assembled Lego-style,” he says. “3D printing allows us to create a porous structure, where CO2 can be embedded very efficiently into CO2Concrete. So it’s a two-step process. You 3D print an optimized concrete structure that offers higher performance in terms of strength, and you use 3D printing to enhance the absorption of CO2 into these materials.” 

For a building process that hasn’t changed much in decades, 3D printing has the potential to usher in a new era of precision manufacturing and rapid assembly.

Despite competitors pursuing similar goals, Sant and Bauchy are confident in their technology. “We’re able to absorb CO2 from dilute flue gases into CO2Concrete without any need for purification or enrichment — avoiding a need for what’s known as carbon capture,” Sant says. “We’ve essentially removed the Achilles heel that has prevented the utilization of waste carbon dioxide in a cost-effective manner. This is maybe the single most significant outcome that we’ve been able to access that others have not.”

Sant and Bauchy aren’t content with prototypes. Their goal is to develop a solution that makes economic sense in an industry driven by profit. “The construction sector likes a couple of things,” Sant says. “It likes materials that are cheap, because this is an industry that’s based on what’s known as the lowest bid. It likes materials that are functionally equivalent to regular concrete. And perhaps most importantly, it does not want to change how it operates. CO2Concrete offers all of these attributes, along with a greatly reduced carbon impact.” 

In the spring of 2020, CO2Concrete will be put to the test at a real power plant in Wyoming. The team are one of several finalists for the $20 million NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, a global competition to develop technologies that convert CO2 emissions from power plants.

“We’re going to run a live demonstration,” Sant says. “We’ve been funded by the Department of Energy and the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation via multi-million dollar grants to actually build the first-of-its-kind industrial scale system that will demonstrate the CO2Concrete process at scale at a real power plant. We’re going to do that in Wyoming, and then we’re going to do it again at the National Carbon Capture Center in Alabama.”

Putting his work in the larger context of climate change, Sant acknowledges that the problem cannot be solved with technology alone. Large cultural, societal and regulatory shifts are required as well. To accomplish these things, he believes positive thinking is essential.

“The reality is that [climate change] is not going to be solved in your generation and mine,” Sant says. “It’s going to be solved by this generation and others as we go down the road. So if you don’t set the perception as positive, you’re going to disincentivize people from wanting to participate. We need to be thoughtful about how and why people choose to take on the careers that they do ... I think it’s a question around human behavior and psychology, and how you get people to work on things that are really important, while knowing they can actually make a difference.” 

At a time when the news around climate change is increasingly dire, projects like CO2Concrete are a ray of hope. And with live demonstrations of this breakthrough technology, it is proof that with knowledge — and positive thinking — we can make our world a better place. 

UCLA’s CO2 Concrete captures industrial pollution and converts it to sustainable concrete.

Inside the Effort to Turn Pollution into Sustainable Concrete

Turning Pollution into Sustainable Concrete | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

After the Ridgecrest earthquake on July 4, Scott Brandenberg and Jonathan Stewart, UCLA professors of civil and environmental engineering, got in a car and drove to the epicenter. Stewart organized a seven-member team of earthquake researchers with the goal of gathering time-sensitive data in Ridgecrest and Trona, California. 

They were in a motel when the second, larger 7.1 temblor struck the following day. “I was not very far away from where you check in,” Stewart says. “A young woman, who I recognized from check-in, ran out of her office. ... She was really scared. People in the hotel were running out of their rooms. We reassured everyone as best we could that they were not in danger, [and] there was no need to panic.” 

For these motel guests and millions of Californians, the Ridgecrest quakes were a wake-up call to learn more about earthquake safety and policy. To debunk some common myths and misconceptions, we interviewed Brandenberg and Stewart to get the facts and learn how UCLA researchers are “turning disaster into knowledge.” 

Myth: During an earthquake, the biggest threat to safety is collapsing buildings.

“During the event, most injuries are from nonstructural components falling — for example, a TV or a cabinet that isn’t tied to a wall,” Stewart says. “And in the aftermath of a large earthquake, far more people would be affected by a loss of water, gas, electricity and cell service. Some buildings will collapse, but there won’t be a lot of them.” Fearing a building collapse, many people immediately run outside, but Stewart cautions against this. “The last place you want to be is right outside a building,” he says. “Things fall off: roof tiles, stucco, air conditioning units. Stay inside, drop, cover and hold on, and leave after the shaking stops.”

Myth: During an earthquake, you should stand underneath a door frame.

This common misconception dates back to the 19th century, when many homes were built with adobe. Adobe structures were prone to crumbling during a large earthquake, leaving only the wooden door frame standing.

Today, this advice is out of date. Standing in a doorway does not protect you from falling objects, and during the event, doors can swing back and forth wildly, potentially hitting you or crushing your fingers. Stewart agrees with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Geological Survey’s advice to drop, cover and hold on: 

Drop onto your hands and knees. This protects you from being knocked down. If a table or desk is nearby, crawl underneath for shelter. If no shelter is available, crawl next to an interior wall, away from windows. 

Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand. 

Hold on until the shaking stops. If you’re under shelter, hold on to it with one hand. If there’s no shelter, hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands.

Myth: My building will be fine. We have codes. 

“While we have had codes for decades,” Stewart says, “the reliability in terms of seismic protection of a code from the 1960s and 1970s is not nearly as good as a code in the modern era. We’ve learned a lot about what makes buildings vulnerable.” However, he cautions, many structures built to code in the last 10 years are still damage-prone. “Even with a modern code,” Stewart says, “the intention is that the building won’t kill you, that you would be able to survive the event and walk out of the building. Your person will be fine, but your overall situation might be very much not fine. You may not be able to go back into your home or your business. You may have a complete financial loss. Per the objectives of the code, that is a success.”

UCLA research helps regulators and builders understand seismic demands in different regions and design more resilient structures. “Our research is used in the National Seismic Hazard maps produced by the USGS, which affect the design of almost all structures built in the U.S.”

Myth: California is going to break off into the sea.

“The plate boundary that we have in most of California is the San Andreas, a strike-slip fault,” Stewart says. “The movement across a strike-slip fault is lateral.” In other words, there are two plates sliding past each other, but they will not move apart from one another. “There’s no elevation loss that would cause land to fall into the sea,” he adds. Even if we look north of Mendocino [California], into Oregon and Washington, where large subduction earthquakes occur, we typically find after large subduction earthquakes that the ground surface in coastal areas rises, not descends. Nowhere along the West Coast of the United States is ‘falling into the sea’ a problem.” 

Myth: The government will take care of us in the aftermath.

“In the event of a major earthquake in Los Angeles, there is the potential for disruption to many services we rely on on a daily basis, including water, electricity and cellular service,” Stewart says. “After a major earthquake, there will be a period of time — one to two weeks — when you’ll be on your own. Make a plan in advance for you and your family so you’re prepared until the government has time to deliver aid.” For more information on earthquake safety and preparedness, visit ready.gov.

Myth: The ShakeAlert app didn’t go off during the Ridgecrest earthquakes. It must be broken.

L.A.’s ShakeAlert app triggers alerts based on the intensity of shaking, not magnitude. The epicenters of the July earthquakes were far from Los Angeles, so shaking was not intense enough to trigger alerts in the greater Los Angeles area. 

Officials are aware of the public reaction after the July temblors. “Because the lack of an alert caused some people to falsely assume that the system doesn’t work, [officials] have revised it so that a large magnitude earthquake that produces small shaking will nonetheless trigger an alert,” Stewart says. “That’s not needed for safety reasons; it’s just to help the public have more confidence in the app.” 

Myth: The chances of the big one happening are low. 

The risk of a large earthquake on the San Andreas fault is actually quite high. “The San Andreas fault produces large earthquakes on an average time interval of every 150 to 200 years or so,” Stewart says. “There are portions of the San Andreas, including near San Bernardino, that have not had an earthquake in over 300 years. In short, we’re overdue.” 

Myth: The only earthquakes that can threaten L.A. are actually in L.A.

Earthquakes hundreds of miles away can have a major impact on Los Angeles. For example, about 40 percent of our water supply is vulnerable to a significant earthquake in Northern California. According to Brandenberg, “The Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta is the hub of the state’s water distribution system, delivering fresh water to more than 25 million residents and 3 million acres of farmland. Delta water conveyed through a network of levees is crucial to Southern California. … Had [2014’s] magnitude 6.0 Napa earthquake been located a few miles to the southeast, it could have caused a severe shortage of fresh water.” 

Stewart adds, “This is something that UCLA researchers are deeply involved in, especially understanding the nature of seismic risk in the Delta. Our work has addressed both the demand assessment [how strong the shaking would be] and the performance evaluation [how the levees would likely deform]. This information is highly relevant to the Department of Water Resources, which manages this critical infrastructure.”

“We’re used to weather forecasts for tomorrow or a week from now,” Stewart says. “We can’t predict earthquakes on those kinds of time horizons. What we can do is predict them on long time horizons that are more akin to the geologic cycles. We can predict probabilities of earthquakes and shaking levels over the next 50 years or 100 years, and we can do that fairly well. UCLA is involved in producing the models used to predict ground shaking levels in future earthquakes, which is a critical element in our building codes.” 

After the Ridgecrest quakes, Stewart’s goal was to gather data and release a report within two weeks. “The details of the fault rupture are slowly being lost,” Stewart says. “Data is lost through cleanup efforts and natural processes. In Ridgecrest, there’s earthquake tourism — people walking around the fault. And there’s natural processes. ... It’s a very hot and dry and windy area.” 

Working against the clock, the team fanned out across the area to collect observations. “We looked for fault displacement, landslides, liquefaction and ground deformations that are produced by liquefaction. We looked for how different types of structures performed, and how that relates to the soil conditions beneath them. We have evaluated the intensity of ground shaking from recording instruments.” Stewart’s team released their Ridgecrest report on July 19. This data helps grow our knowledge of earthquakes, and it will be useful in future research to improve public safety and provide more reliable seismic risk assessments in California and around the world. 

To debunk some common earthquake myths and misconceptions, we interviewed UCLA experts to get the facts and learn how researchers are “turning disaster into knowledge.”

Separating Earthquake Fact and Fiction

Separating Earthquake Fact from Fiction | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

For nearly 20 years, childhood obesity has been considered a public health crisis in the U.S. And yet, more children than ever before are struggling with weight management. Nearly 42 percent of teens between 16 and 19 are overweight or obese, and the repercussions are determining their future right now. 

Obese children are at nearly twice the risk of having three or more co-morbidities, when compared to children who are not overweight, according to research led by Dr. Neal Halfon, Professor at the Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH), the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Luskin School of Public Affairs. These kids don’t just bring the potential for depression, ADHD or a learning disability to school with them; they could bring all three or a number of other associated conditions. Any one of these co-morbidities on its own can seriously limit a child’s academic progress and transition into adulthood. But for some of these children, the idea of moving into a career is the last thing on their mind. They’re far more concerned with other pressing realities, like bullying and thoughts of suicide. 

While the scourge of childhood obesity has become entrenched in our society, progress has been made to untangle its complexities and root it out. Through a combination of research and hands-on community involvement, UCLA and partners are helping our children find the solutions that fit their unique challenges. 

A healthy appetite for water-rich, fiber-rich produce plays a crucial role in curbing food cravings and reducing obesity in children. But these choices have become harder to find in many day-to-day environments, especially for those who need healthy options the most. 

More than 42 million people in the U.S. are food insecure. They lack reliable access to food that is both affordable and nutritious, like fresh produce. Instead, when they walk to and from school or go out for lunch on the weekend, they find themselves choosing from an abundance of fast food and convenience store snacks.

“The gut microbiome research suggests that the quality of what one eats is an important influence on satiety. People who need to economize when it comes to food choices buy low-cost foods that are fiber-poor and calorie-rich, and because the lack of fiber reaching the gut microbiota depresses satiety signaling, it also means they need more calories to feel satisfied than people with diets high in fruits and vegetables,” explains Dr. William McCarthy, Adjunct Professor in the FSPH Department of Health Policy and Management.  

While the food insecurity situation can be dismaying, Dr. McCarthy knows there is hope. His research has shown that even if children don’t make the healthy choice right away, just giving them the option will develop their appetite. "Schools need to be patient and tolerate some plate waste … but students will not expand their liking for fruits and vegetables if they don't at least taste the food." 

One way UCLA is making the healthy choice the easy choice is through Good Food for Local Schools (GFFLS). The national school lunch program feeds almost half of all kids in the U.S. That’s 31 million hungry bellies every day. GFFLS provides school districts with a comprehensive tool kit of resources for supporting healthy, sustainable food in pre-K–12 schools. This includes curriculum, operational resources, policy, research, and services that help our school districts make informed, systemic change.

Children also need to balance the calories they consume with enough physical activity. But it’s no secret that they are living increasingly sedentary lives, attached to digital devices. Activities that could be fun and full of exercise are greeted with moans of aversion. 

For generations, Physical Education (P.E.) was the front line of defense against inactivity. This was especially true for inner-city youth. However, funding cuts and pressure to perform well on standardized tests have made P.E. an afterthought for many districts. The situation is currently so bad that the median P.E. budget is only $1.50 per student a year, in a school of 500 students. The result is that many students in this generation are growing up without adequate fitness equipment, a motivational fitness curriculum, and professional development for their teachers.

UCLA has an active presence in thousands of schools across the nation. The Sound Body Sound Mind (SBSM) program is one example of how our research can combine with action to create change. The program, which serves more than 185,000 students a year, is unique in that it develops both the body and the mind to enjoy physical activity. Most of the children in the program don’t start off thinking of themselves as athletic. But after they’ve been in the program for a while, they report higher levels of confidence and perform better on fitness tests. As the SBSM cofounder Professor William E. Simon likes to say, “exercise is preventive medicine.” 

While it’s clear that programs targeting nutrition and exercise help, it isn’t clear why results aren’t easy to replicate from one zip code to another ... yet.   

“Looking at our data it became very clear that we have families in census tracts right next to each other with very different obesity rates—one community where the trajectory was going up right next to another where it was going down, for reasons that weren’t clear,” says Dr. Shannon Whaley, Director of Research and Evaluation at Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC (PHFE WIC). “Up to now, no study that I’m aware of has looked at the interplay between community-level environmental issues and early childhood obesity rates.” 

What the public health community and concerned agencies have been lacking is a tool that can help them understand the myriad of cultural factors at play. And that’s exactly what a team of researchers at the FSPH is creating.    

“We want to understand which strategies are most effective within the context of a specific neighborhood,” says Dr. May C. Wang, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences at the FSPH. The result is an NIH-funded interdisciplinary project led by Wang and Dr. Michael Prelip of UCLA, in partnership with Whaley of PHFE WIC and others, called the Early Childhood Obesity Systems Science Study (ECOSyS). 

ECOSyS innovatively applies methods from the field of systems science, to better understand the impact of various intervention strategies on childhood obesity in diverse neighborhood or community settings, and has the potential to advance knowledge about replicating and scaling-up interventions. For instance, preliminary findings suggest that interventions that promote breast-feeding may influence the effectiveness of child nutrition and physical activity programs on child growth.

“Rather than examine one program or policy at a time to see its impact, with systems science we can examine a collection of programs and policies all at once to determine their impact on obesity among the 2- to 5-year-old population,” says Dr. Prelip, Professor and Chair of Community Health Sciences at FSPH. It’s a breakthrough that promises to help agencies across the nation coordinate their efforts and utilize their finite resources on well-informed, comprehensive change. 

In less than a single lifetime, childhood obesity has become one of the greatest threats to our children. The causes are numerous, but more than ever before, our understanding of them is clear. With the knowledge gained through research and civic action, we can fight back together. It will take community-wide support as well as individual determination to create the systemic change our children need. But it is possible, and within our power, to help them make their next choice their best choice.

While childhood obesity has become entrenched in our society, progress has been made to untangle its complexities and root it out.

Childhood Obesity: Solutions that Fit the Problem

Overcoming Obesity | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

In any given year, post-traumatic stress (PTS) affects as many as one in five veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

The impact of PTS can be severe and long-lasting, sometimes felt for years on end. Often, the impact is not only felt by the veteran, but their families as well. 

Despite growing awareness of the problem, a lack of treatment enables PTS to continue tearing into veteran families. According to one study, less than half of veterans who need mental health services receive any treatment at all. 

A former Marine Corps engineer, Tess Banko has experienced PTS first hand after being subjected to military sexual trauma (MST). She also suffered a devastating permanent back injury that led to a tumultuous return to civilian life, and lost her husband to suicide while he was deployed in 2003. 

Today as executive director of the UCLA/VA Veteran Family Wellness Center (VFWC), Banko brings her own life experience coupled with behavioral health education to a groundbreaking new program. “The VA is primarily funded only for individual veterans’ care,” Banko says. “There’s a small component for caregivers and the children of deceased veterans, but as far as the wider population of families, children and significant others … there are no funded services through the VA system.” 

Banko’s team provides services that build skills for communication, parenting, family resilience, relationship building, and successfully navigating trauma and transitions. The program is based on FOCUS (Families Overcoming Under Stress), which has been pioneered at over 30 active duty military bases. The VFWC represents the first time that FOCUS has been fully adapted and customized for the veterans and families population.

“It’s been a real delight to see small children walking through the hallways,” Banko says. “Children that are barely learning to walk, pregnant girlfriends coming in with their veteran boyfriends … being a veteran, this effort means a lot to me.”

Octavio Sanchez is a former staff sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and a father of four. While deployed in Ramadi, Iraq, on June 16, 2005, Sanchez’s platoon was coming back from a patrol when an IED exploded underneath his vehicle. Sanchez survived, but suffered third-degree burns on 70 percent of his face and body. 

Before arriving at the VA Greater Los Angeles, he was told there was nothing more that could be done for him. Sanchez was then referred to UCLA’s Operation Mend, a program that provides state-of-the-art cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, as well as mental health care, for wounded warriors, free of charge. 

The Operation Mend team, comprised of a vast array of experts in neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and integrative medicine, brought a new level of knowledge and possibility to Octavio Sanchez and his family. 

Sanchez underwent several reconstructive surgeries, drastically altering his appearance. "I can go out, I feel more comfortable,” Sanchez says. “It's just boosting my confidence up a whole lot more ... I'll always be grateful to Operation Mend.”

Basic training for a different kind of venture

Veterans have some of the most transferable job skills imaginable, including leadership, problem solving and management. But navigating a career change is tough for anyone, and it can be especially difficult for veterans with a disability.

A program in the UCLA Anderson School of Management offers training and guidance to apply these skills to a new endeavor: starting a business. 

The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities includes a nine-day residency, a 30-day online curriculum and 12 months of ongoing mentorship from faculty experts. Veterans receive training in every aspect of starting and running a business, from marketing to hiring and legal issues. They meet with successful entrepreneurs and build connections with other veterans in the program. Many go on to employ other veterans and launch businesses that become a part of the fabric of their communities. 

Each and every veteran has made a commitment — to their nation and to their community. UCLA honors veterans with a commitment of its own. Spanning the entire campus, taking shape in over 100 programs and initiatives, it’s a commitment to open every new advancement in knowledge, education, healthcare and research to veterans. UCLA’s commitment is a model for the nation; proof that knowledge can make an extraordinary difference in the lives of veterans and their families.

UCLA opens every new advancement in knowledge, education, healthcare and research to the veteran community.

How Knowledge Heals Our Heroes

A Commitment to Heal Our Heroes

Healing our Heroes | UCLA: Knowledge Solves

In Los Angeles, the sight of homelessness is all too common. 

The problem is present in virtually every neighborhood, from Skid Row to Bel Air. For many Angelenos, to step over the homeless on the sidewalk — or look away from an encampment under an overpass — is an everyday occurrence.

But the facts of this crisis have become too staggering for Angelenos to ignore. Homelessness has surged 75 percent in six years. An estimated 57,000 people will be without a home in Los Angeles tonight. Many of these people are families and children; veterans and friends. 

In the latest UCLA Anderson Forecast, economist William Yu illuminates the factors behind this recent increase. For many, California’s unprecedented housing crisis sends the price of rent skyrocketing out of reach. Yu also points to other factors exacerbating homelessness: 26 percent of homeless individuals in California are severely mentally ill, 18 percent chronically abuse drugs and 24 percent are victims of domestic abuse. 

With a public-health crisis unfolding in real time, UCLA students, researchers and faculty are taking action to apply knowledge and confront homelessness where it’s happening.

A truck rumbles off UCLA’s campus and into the streets of Hollywood and Santa Monica. The truck belongs to the Mobile Clinic Project at UCLA, a program staffed by medical and public-health student volunteers. The students work together to run outreach and fund-raising and provide free primary care for the homeless.  

On a typical evening, medical students work with patients one-on-one, registering them, asking questions and taking detailed notes. They check blood pressure and dispense medication, and when confronted with serious health issues, arrange transportation to a nearby hospital or health clinic. 

For the volunteers, the Mobile Clinic offers a valuable opportunity for hands-on training and experience. For the patients and clients in the community, the knowledge and services provided by the Mobile Clinic are invaluable.

Fostering recovery through public psychiatry

Mental illness can make it very difficult for homeless individuals to take advantage of programs and services. Responding to this tragic catch-22, UCLA psychiatry students are embracing a hands-on approach to mental health and homelessness.  

UCLA psychiatry students at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior are actively involved in a range of programs and partnerships with law enforcement, the criminal justice system, legislators and social service providers. UCLA public psychiatry residents go on site visits, engaging patients in outpatient clinics for veterans, Skid Row and the Los Angeles County Jail.

Like many of the major challenges of our time, homelessness can feel like an intractable problem. Every day, in ways large and small, UCLA students, researchers and faculty prove that progress is possible. That solutions start with knowledge. And that change happens when people collaborate and apply their knowledge to make our community a better place. 

UCLA takes action to apply knowledge and confront homelessness in Los Angeles.

KNOWLEDGE SOLVES

10 Tiny Steps Toward Sustainable Living

It’s Time to Rethink Aging

Climate Burgers: Breaking Down the Science of Plant-Based Meat

Revealed: The Rules of Polite Debate

Inside the Effort to Turn Pollution into Sustainable Concrete

Separating Earthquake Fact and Fiction

Childhood Obesity: Solutions that Fit the Problem

A Commitment to Heal Our Heroes

Out of the Classroom, Onto the Streets

Why UCLA Believes the End of Depression is in Sight

Answers Among Ashes: Preparing California for Wildfires

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