About the Initiative

Our Story

The Sustainable San Fernando Valley is more than a place—it’s a movement led by students and community partners.

  • Rooted in people, place, environment, and innovation
  • Building connections between CSUN students, residents, small businesses, and changemakers
  • Transforming research into action that makes neighborhoods safer, greener, and more resilient

At its core, this initiative empowers students to lead real-world sustainability solutions for the Valley’s future.

Vision & Values

We envision a Valley where students lead sustainability and resilience efforts, creating stronger communities and meaningful career pathways.


Our work is built on four guiding values:

  • Community: Honoring diverse histories and ensuring place-based driven solutions
  • Innovation: Bridging research, technology, and lived experience
  • Resilience: Addressing heat, wildfire, and climate challenges with forward-thinking strategies
  • Connection: Linking campus and community for long-term, shared impact

Interdisciplinary Approach

Sustainability challenges don’t fit in one box—and neither do we.

  • We unite environmental science, engineering, health, education, business, policy, and the arts
  • Students collaborate across disciplines to tackle issues like wildfire resilience, urban greening, and clean energy
  • Working with local partners, we move ideas from insight to action, turning learning into leadership

San Fernando Valley Sustainability Stories

  1. Film, Food, Fauna: 2028 Summer Olympics

  2. Mass Transit in the Valley

  3. Stories from the East San Fernando Valley

  4. Panorama City: The Plant

Goals For 2025 - 2028

 

  1. Advance Wildfire Resilience & Workforce Pathways
    Create training and certification pipelines for students and reentry populations, including formerly incarcerated individuals, focused on wildfire resilience, wildland firefighting, and geospatial skills.
  2. Implement Student-Centered & Community Programs
    Expand internships, micro-certificates, and applied projects, including Sustainable Soraya, a keystone model integrating arts and sustainability.
  3. Create Sustainable Metrics and Measurements for San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles Region 
  4. Strengthen Regional Impact
    Position CSUN as a regional hub for sustainability, resilience, and arts innovation across the San Fernando Valley.

CSUN-Wilfire-Resiliency-Summit-0195

CSUN Wilfire-Resiliency Summit Com 1

CSUN Wilfire-Resiliency Summit people 1

Dr. Sheila Lakshimi Steinberg

Director, Institute of Sustainability

Institute for Sustainability
Sustainability Center (SB)
Room 103

  • Phone: (818) 677-4401

Send email