Sustainable Works Home2024-09-27T09:41:15-07:00

We help people activate sustainable behaviors

Sustainable Works fosters healthy and more equitable communities to heal our natural environment

through interactive events, educational programs and green business initiatives

About Us

Sustainable Works partners with cities, businesses, organizations, and educational institutions in LA County to help them reach their sustainability and climate action goals. Our programs are designed to provide key stakeholder groups with the motivation, knowledge, and resources needed to integrate more sustainable solutions into their daily lives.

We’re grateful for our sustainable office space located at the Sustainability Center at Santa Monica College where we’ve been assisting Santa Monica – and other cities – since 1998.

Events

Working with cities and communities, we co-create innovative, educational events to engage and inspire their residents, businesses, and students to make more sustainable decisions. These events include sustainable film series, student contests, and green prizes and awards for notable achievements in diverse categories from the arts to business and community at-large.

Current Events

Click on an event below for more info and to register

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Past Event Highlights

An Inconvenient Sequel Film Screening and Q&A with Al Gore

Thank you for attending the Environmental Documentary Screening of An Inconvenient Sequel on January 6th! We had an amazing panel discussion with former Vice [...]

Check out more of our past events

More Events

Team

Staff

Advisory Board

Board Chair

Vicki Liao

Board Member

Bonny Bentzin

Board Member

Zadra Rose Ibañez

Board Chair

Vicki Liao

Vicki has 10 years of business development, sales and strategy experience in the media and entertainment industry. She is passionate about sustainability and an advocate for environmental education. She currently serves on the Greener World Board at Sony Pictures studio, which is responsible for planning initiatives to educate employees on sustainability and environmental issues. Additionally, as the co-head of Sony’s employee garden, she launched a learning program in partnership with Sony’s Daycare and Employee Resource Groups to teach sustainable gardening.

In her free time, Vicki enjoys gardening, biking around downtown LA and reading sci-fi books. She holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and a BS in Business Administration from UC Berkeley. 

Board Member

Bonny Bentzin

Bonny is a key member of the leadership team for sustainability at UCLA, helping manage sustainability across the university and working to foster partnerships among academic, research, and operational departments to create a world class living laboratory for sustainability. Bonny began her career in higher education sustainability as the Assistant Director of the Office of Sustainability Initiatives and the Director of University Sustainability Practices at Arizona State University, where she was instrumental in designing the overarching sustainability vision and executing the campus sustainability strategy for the university. Her role as the founding Director of University Sustainability Practices included an expansive project portfolio spanning all area of operations for the University’s four campuses, as well as working on community engagement, organizational change management and the academic and research missions for the institution. She then served as the Director of Sustainability for GreenerU, a greater Boston area consulting firm focusing on the higher-ed sector in New England.

Prior to joining UCLA, Bonny was the Head of Sustainability and Project Integration for the Trust for Sustainable Development, working on Spirit Bay Developments, coordinating all sustainability aspects and planning key projects for a new town concept being developed in partnership with the Sc’ianew First Nation (Beecher Bay Band) near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Board Member

Zadra Rose Ibañez

Zadra Rose Ibañez began her career in the banking and pension industry before moving into non-profit administration. As Director of Operations for an educational non-profit, Ms. Ibañez has over a decade of experience in fundraising, operations, communication, and non-profit management and currently serves in an advisory capacity for several NPOs in California and New Mexico.
Zadra holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Colorado State University and a certification in Global Sustainability from UCLA. She remains a strong advocate for sustainable practices and is a member of USGBC.

Board Member

Jaclyn Allen

Board Member

Priya Bhikha

Board Member

Becky Martin

Board Member

Jaclyn Allen

A passionate and purpose-driven leader, Jaclyn partners with businesses, brands, and communities to integrate environmental and social responsibility with their everyday work. Currently, Jaclyn serves as the Director of North America for Salterbaxter – a mission-driven, creative consultancy that specializes in sustainability. Previously, Jaclyn was the director of sustainability for a major fashion brand where she created the company’s first-ever, global sustainability program. Jaclyn has also worked in public affairs as a consultant with the California Department of Water Resources and built diverse coalitions for statewide ballot measures supporting environmental and clean energy initiatives. 
Jaclyn earned her MBA from the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts with honors in International Relations from the University of California, Davis.

Board Member

Priya Bhikha

Priya Bhikha works as a fintech consultant for Capital Group and is based out of their LA office. She is also a Riordan Leadership Institute Fellow and is currently pursuing an eight-month nonprofit board training program with the goal of better serving her community. She recently graduated with an MBA from University of Southern California and served as President of the Graduate Women in Business association, a Marshall Leadership Fellow, and a Forté Foundation Fellow. Prior to business school, she received her undergraduate degree from the Gallatin School at NYU and began her career in California’s real estate industry. Beyond her professional life, Priya is an avid reader, scuba diver, roadtrip enthusiast, and lover of F1 racing – go Mercedes!

Board Member

Becky Martin

Becky is a Sustainability Manager at Toyota Motor North America leading projects in renewable energy, biodiversity and environmental justice. Prior to Toyota, she worked at Burt’s Bees, GameStop, Citigroup and several nonprofits in sustainability, international development, IT and finance. She has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill and an MBA and Masters of Science in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan. In her free time, she volunteers with the Santa Monica Bay Foundation helping to restore native habitats and maintain school gardens in underserved communities.

In Gratitude to Our Corporate Sponsor

Please help support our mission and join the ranks of our valued sponsors

Sponsorship Info

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