As sustainability continues to climb the global agenda, LA Climate Week 2026 opened with a special in-person gathering in the scenic community of Yorba Linda, Southern California — one built around youth leadership and family action.
On the morning of Sunday, April 12, 2026, the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum hosted the "Future Keepers · Youth Sustainability Leadership Workshop." Co-convened by the Habitat Watcher Foundation (HWF) team and LA Climate Week, the workshop was organized by the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum Foundation.
Built for scholars, parents, and young people alike, the program wove together keynote talks, a panel discussion, a family climate workshop, and a youth showcase — an interactive platform where knowledge, action, and creativity met.
Parents and young attendees gather at the Nixon Library's garden pavilion.
Anchored in the twin themes of "Families Learning Together" and "Youth Empowerment," the workshop invited young participants to step into the role of "Future Keepers" through voice, creativity, and hands-on practice. As the climate agenda grows more urgent, this cross-generational model — rallying community resources around a shared cause — points to a more grounded, practical path for sustainable action.
Program Highlights
Dr. Jane Zhang, on behalf of the Nixon Foundation, welcomed guests on a rainy spring morning. She spoke to the Library's enduring role in environmental policy and heritage — and to its relevance today in youth education and environmental stewardship. The work ahead, she said, is not about solving single issues but about building systemic solutions; not about running local projects alone but about connecting them into global ones. She looked forward to a deeper, longer-term partnership with HWF.
Shawn Sweeney, Executive Director of LA Climate Week, set the tone: "We're gathered in the gardens of the Nixon Presidential Library because, more than 50 years ago, President Nixon established the EPA and signed the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act into law. Climate Week is not a conference — it's a regional platform, the connective infrastructure for climate action across Greater Los Angeles. And we pulled it off!" Shawn has worked with Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program since 2004. He is an impact producer, humanities educator, social marketer, and climate communicator.
Shawn Sweeney — Executive Director, LA Climate Week.
Simba (Qiang Zhuo), HWF's Chief Scientist, shared 12 years of on-the-ground conservation work and results, and called on more Chinese-American families to step in — on biodiversity, habitat, and broader environmental protection.
Dr. Sherry Chen, HWF Honorary Advisor and environmental scientist, led the Family Climate Workshop — a lively co-creation session where parents and children built and presented ideas side by side, carrying each group from theory to practice to action.
Future Keepers youth participants with their SDG-themed family action posters.
- Cylin Wang, a standout HWF Africa-program volunteer and UCLA student, traveled in to moderate the panel. With poise and precision, she interviewed Dr. Zhang, Shawn, Simba, and Dr. Sherry — drawing out thoughtful detail on conservation principles and on long-running programs that are open for engagement.
From left: Dr. Sherry Chen · Dr. Jane Zhang · Shawn Sweeney · Simba Qiang Zhuo · Cylin Wang (moderator).
- To close the event, the renowned Chinese ink-wash painter Master He Niandan — working through HWF — presented the Nixon Presidential Library with an original painting of a bald eagle, honoring President Nixon's foundational role in bald eagle recovery.
From left: Simba Qiang Zhuo · Xiaoling Cao (HWF Co-founder) · Dr. Jane Zhang (Nixon Foundation) · Master Niandan He.
A Plastic-Free Community Practice
As one of LA Climate Week's flagship community practices, the event ran on a plastic-free footprint — attendees brought their own reusable cups and cut single-use waste to a minimum. Held in the Library's garden, the gathering carried a one-of-a-kind feel: a room that was, in effect, in conversation with nature.
Two focused hours came to a close, but the bigger work is only just beginning — bringing more families and young people onto the front lines of climate action, turning awareness into action, and co-shaping a more sustainable future together.
A Habitat Watcher Foundation special report — Sunday, April 12, 2026
Author: Xiaoling Cao
在全球关注可持续发展的背景下，在 **2026 年洛杉矶气候周（LA Climate Week）**期间，一场聚焦青少年领导力与家庭行动力的线下活动，在南加州美丽的 Yorba Linda 启幕。
4 月 12 日（周日）上午，一场名为 "Future Keepers · 青少年可持续领导力工作坊" 在尼克松总统图书馆与博物馆举办。本次活动由 HWF 栖息地守望者基金会团队联合 LA 气候周官方发起，由理查德·尼克松总统图书馆与博物馆基金会主办。
面向专家学者、家长及青少年群体，活动围绕主题演讲、圆桌论坛、家庭气候工作坊以及青年学生成果展示等多个环节展开，打造了一个融合知识、行动与创意的互动平台。
家长与青少年在尼克松图书馆花园连廊的活动现场。
活动以 "家庭共学" 与 "青年赋能" 为主题，鼓励青少年以 "未来守护者" 的身份参与表达与实践。在当前气候议题日益紧迫的背景下，这种跨年龄协作模式联动社区资源，为可持续行动提供了更加务实的新思路。
活动亮点
张简博士代表尼克松基金会，在春雨纷纷的上午欢迎来宾，介绍尼克松总统图书馆在环保政策和历史传承中的重要意义，以及在当下青年教育与环保意识培养中的价值：不仅关注单点问题，更要建立体系解决；不仅参与 local 项目，更要联合资源发展 global 项目。他期待与 HWF 展开更深远的合作。
"LA 气候周" 执行董事 Shawn Sweeney 在发言时说："今天我们相聚在尼克松总统博物馆的花园里，因为尼克松总统在 50 多年前推动建立 EPA，推动清洁空气、清洁水和濒危物种保护等相关法案。气候周不是一次会议，而是一个区域平台——大洛杉矶地区气候行动的互联基础设施。我们做到了！" Shawn 自 2004 年起就在珍·古道尔 "根与芽" 项目工作至今，长期致力于动物保护与生态环境保护；他同时是一位影响力制作人、人文教育者、社交营销专家和气候传播者。
Shawn Sweeney —— LA 气候周执行董事。
HWF 栖息地守望者首席科学家星巴老师介绍了 HWF 持续 12 年的在地实践项目和取得的成绩，呼吁更多华人家庭关注并参加生物多样性保护、栖息地保护和环境保护的工作中来。
HWF 荣誉顾问、环境科学家 Sherry 博士主持活动中的 "家庭工作坊" 环节，以生动有趣的形式，带领家长和孩子们共创，每组代表上台分享共创成果，完成从理论到实践到行动的过程。
Future Keepers 青少年参与者展示家庭团队的 SDG 行动海报。
- UCLA 大学生、HWF 非洲项目优秀志愿者 Cylin 专程赶到活动现场主持 Panel 环节。落落大方的 Cylin 有条不紊地访谈专家和嘉宾；张简博士、Shawn、星巴老师、Sherry 博士在 Panel 中更详细阐述了环保理念，以及已经执行多年并可参与的项目。
从左至右：Sherry 博士 · 张简博士 · Shawn Sweeney · 星巴（Simba Qiang Zhuo）· Cylin（主持）。
- 活动最后，由著名国画艺术家何念丹老师通过 HWF 基金会，向尼克松总统图书馆与博物馆捐赠一幅白头雕的画作，以表达对尼克松总统当年推动保护白头雕所作工作的尊敬。
从左至右：星巴老师 · 曹筱玲（HWF 联合创始人）· 张简博士（尼克松基金会）· 何念丹老师。
无塑料社区实践
作为洛杉矶气候周的重要社区实践之一，整场活动倡导绿色生活理念，以 "无塑料活动" 形式进行，呼吁参与者自带水杯、减少一次性用品的使用。活动在尼克松总统图书馆花园区域举行，与自然融合的会议现场感，是独一无二的体验。
紧凑高效的 2 个小时结束了，但是影响更多家庭与青少年走入气候行动的第一线，从认知走向行动，共同参与塑造更可持续的未来，才刚刚开始。
HWF 栖息地守望者基金会专题报道 · 2026 年 4 月 12 日（星期日）
通讯稿作者：曹筱玲