LOS ANGELES — More than 100 organizations and over 5,000 people are expected to attend Los Angeles' inaugural Climate Week beginning Sunday, with events taking place at over 85 venues across the city where activists, researchers and business leaders will exchange ideas on how to tackle the challenge of climate change.
The event's website promises "diverse events for the LA community to collaborate, exchange ideas, and foster local climate solutions. Join us to learn from climate organizations, policymakers, innovators, companies, and changemakers from across LA and beyond on innovative climate change solutions."
Climate Week is being organized by the non-profit group Collidescope Foundation and Terra.do, which described itself as "a complete ecosystem of climate professionals, employers, experts, and newcomers — united by a strong drive to start working on this generation's biggest crisis, climate change."
LA's version is modeled on New York City's Climate Week, which is taking place from Sept. 22-29 this year.
An opening ceremony will be held from 5-10 p.m. Sunday at House of Cocotte at 2028 E. Seventh St., in downtown LA's Arts District. It will include a red carpet, an immersive art installation and a vegan buffet.
Speakers at the opening ceremony will include Nancy Sutley, LA's deputy mayor for energy and environment, Jerome Foster of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, Hungarian author Diana Urge-Vorsatz, vice president of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Susan Goldsmith, sustainability lead for Deloitte US, Kayalin Arkens-Irby, head of growth for Planet FWD, animal rights activist Genesis Butler, Kristy Drutman, co-founder of Green Jobs Board, and environmentalist and influencer Isaias Hernandez, also known as Queer Brown Vegan.
A handful of events will take place earlier Sunday, including "Electric Dreams: Transforming Homes for a Greener Tomorrow," sponsored by the Sierra Club's Los Angeles chapter.
Monday's schedule includes "Shifting Climate Narratives: Transforming LA's Entertainment Industry To Catalyze Climate Action" from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at Rita House in the Fairfax neighborhood, a noon presentation by the USC Price School of Public Policy on "Racing Towards Policies for a Sustainable Future," and a 5:30 p.m. town hall at Fiesta Hall in West Hollywood on "Climate Action with Legislation" hosted by Plant Based Treaty.
Tuesday's slate includes an watch party for the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kalama Harris beginning at 5:45 p.m. at Meadow Fig at 109 N. Avenue 56 in the Highland Park neighborhood.
UCLA's Anderson School of Management is presenting two events Tuesday: a workshop on pivoting careers to climate at 3 p.m., and a "Climate Careers: TED talks & Networking Mixer at 5 p.m.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the local Sierra Club chapter will host a virtual panel featuring activists who are urging the Los Angeles Dodgers to scrap their sponsorship deal with Phillips 66 of the 76 gas station brand over its use of fossil fuels.
Other events throughout the week include comedy shows, a trivia mixer, a story time for preschool children, several film screenings, musical performances and art exhibits, a fashion show, a clean energy expo, a sustainable business market, a sustainability tour of the LA Convention Center and a 9/11 Day of Service.
One of Climate Week's most active sponsors is Plant Based Treaty, which is organizing 10 events this week as part of its mission to fight climate change by promoting a plant-based diet "at the systemic level." In 2022, the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to endorse the group's global grassroots campaign created as a companion to the Paris Climate Agreement. It was later signed by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.
The group's Climate Week activities include a Sustainable Fashion Conference and fashion show Tuesday evening at downtown's ArtShare LA, a 5k run on Thursday, an online workshop Friday on how climate change is affecting animals, a Climate Art Gallery open Wednesday through Saturday at the Youth Advocates for Change headquarters in Culver City, and a climate march and rally for oceans Saturday in Santa Monica.
The activities will expand outside the city next Saturday for a 6:30 a.m. hike to the summit of Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains to explore "Nature-Based Solutions to Climate." Next weekend's events also include beach cleanups Saturday in Santa Monica and Sunday in Venice.