CivicSpark, a program of the Local Government Commission, is dedicated to assisting local public agencies in addressing issues such as climate change. Each year, CivicSpark recruits Fellows to augment public agency staff for 11 months. During their service year, the Fellows implement a needed sustainability and resilience project for a public agency.
Shawn Fujioka is helping SBCCOG member cities and agencies implement energy efficiency measures through the SoCalREN Public Agency program.
Shawn Fujioka is a recent graduate from UCLA with a B.S. in environmental science and minors in geographic information systems and technology (GIS&T) and geography/environmental studies. Prior to becoming a CivicSpark Fellow, Fujioka was a Climate Action Corps Fellow at TreePeople where she assisted with habitat restoration efforts in the Santa Monica Mountains and Angeles National Forest.
During her SBCCOG Fellowship, Fujioka is working on the SoCalREN Public Agency program to help regional cities, school districts and water districts save energy and money through energy efficiency projects. Fujioka has expressed her excitement “to connect with other individuals in the environmental field and create real-world change.”
“Most of my time at UCLA was spent gaining background knowledge about environmental issues and how to address them, but I am now thrilled to apply this knowledge towards creating climate solutions in my local community,” Fujioka said.
Anne Youngdahl is helping SBCCOG member cities progress their sustainability goals by working with them to update their Climate Action Plans.
Anne Youngdahl will be emphasizing capacity building for the SBCCOG in support of its goals and climate action planning for member cities. During her fellowship, she is updating cities’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventories for 2019 and 2020 across the energy, transportation, waste water sectors. She is excited to help cities assess their progress toward climate and sustainability goals from previously-adopted climate action plans.
Youngdahl received a B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Prior to joining the SBCCOG as a CivicSpark Fellow, she worked with the UCLA Sustainable L.A. Grand Challenge on its Environmental Report Cards for Los Angeles County. Her work focused on evaluating sustainability metrics across topic areas for the greater Los Angeles area. She is interested in interdisciplinary approaches to sustainability challenges and data-driven policy development.