Matt Petersen 
Chief Sustainability Officer, City of Los Angeles 

Matt Petersen is the CSU, Chico College of Behavioral and Social Sciences 2015 Distinguished Alumnus. He graduated from CSU, Chico in 1990 with a degree in political science and minors in public administration and business administration. After Hurricane Katrina he helped in the rebuilding of New Orleans by creating a sustainability village. As the first Sustainability Officer of the City of Los Angeles, Peterson currently is responsible for a city-wide water sustainability campaign, which is part of Los Angeles’ Sustainable City Plan. A key to his philosophy is to “turn consumers into citizens,” by encouraging people to adopt sustainable practices and “take responsibility for a small corner of the world.” 

Recorded: April 9, 2015