Salem Afeworki (ELP 2014) | Head of Sustainability, Engagements and Partnerships, Burbank Water & Power, United States

Salem Afeworki (ELP 2014), in collaboration with members of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Orange County Branch and Los Angeles Section and local sustainability experts, developed the 2023 State of Sustainability Survey to better understand the sustainability landscape in Southern California. 

The first edition of the State of Sustainability Report was published in 2017 covering Orange County. This second edition covers Orange County and the greater Los Angeles area.

Businesses, academia, nonprofit and government organizations representing diverse sectors were invited to participate in the survey to improve understanding of their sustainability operations, rate of returns on sustainability investments, and upcoming opportunities and challenges. 

The survey was open for six weeks starting on February 20, 2023. 105 people responded to the survey, including two respondents from France! Salem and her team are currently analyzing and processing the data, and plan on publishing the final report with key takeaways in summer 2023. The report will shed light on current sustainability practices and will be used to assist in policy development, collaboration opportunities, and implementation of climate action and decarbonization initiatives in California. 

In early March, Salem met with Susan Carpenter, a member of the Beahrs ELP faculty, who also happens to reside in Southern California. In addition to catching up and remembering the good times at Berkeley in 2014, they explored ways they can collaborate to advance sustainability locally. Susan provided valuable insights and suggestions to the State of Sustainability survey design and questions that were instrumental in improved survey results. The Beahrs ELP community continues to support each other after almost a decade of program completion. Go Bears!