Schools & Projects

University of Southern California presentsTest Plot: Rainbow Canyon and TKTKTK TKTKTK TKTKTKTKTKTKTK Faculty Lead: Alexander Robinson Students: Mark Reid, Jordan…

Pando Days ’25/26 projects premiere on an ongoing basis, December 2025 to June 2026. Southland colleges and universities will showcase the…

Pando Days ’25/26 initiatives were conceived and prototyped by Southland college and university teams, each implementing a goal taken from…

The Pando Mobile Water Lab
A series of photographic storytelling workshops and deliverables designed to help us reimagine our relationship with the life force on which we and the rest of the natural world depends: water. 

Pando Days offers extensive educational resources to help you with your project development. Resources run the gamut from seminars and…

We help project teams get the advisory support they need from specialists in their fields, elected officials, public agencies, businesses…

2025/26 Season

Southland colleges and universities come together to address some of the largest sustainability challenges in LA County.

Biophilia Treehouse: Phase 3
Art, science, and education coalesce in an outdoor laboratory for biodiversity.

Housing the Gardener: A DIY Kit
A community-powered housing initiative that turns LA’s empty lots into sustainable homes and green spaces with a low-cost, roll-up-the-sleeves approach.

Stories of Sustainable San Fernando Valley
A project that uses storytelling to thicken the connective tissue of LA’s San Fernando Valley, promoting healing, restoration, and more resilient communities.

Charrette for an Eco-Design Masterplan
Reimagining the Sisters of Social Services’ 11-acre campus in LA’s Encino neighborhood in light of Pope Francis’s “integral ecology” and LA County’s sustainability goals.

Mutual Blue Futures
Using art to creatively translate key climate strategies and objectives.

Hydrogen Station Marketing
Rebranding and revitalizing the Cal State LA Hydrogen Research and Fueling Facility through strategic marketing and outreach.

Mount Meadow
Replacing campus lawn with a dense, native-plant meadow that supports biodiversity and strengthens ecological connections with the nearby Santa Monica Mountains.

FROM ORGANIC WASTE TO ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION
You knew there had to be a better way to compost. This is it!

SECOND BITE: LOS ANGELES
Harvesting large-scale, regional events for excess food and getting it to people in need.

ORIGINLA
Got more homegrown produce than you can eat? Use a digital platform to distribute it among neighbors.

Pando Days ’24/25 projects premiere on an ongoing basis, December 2024 to June 2025. Southland colleges and universities will showcase the…

SHOWER OF GRACE Transforming a trailer into a mobile shower station for the unhoused.

ADOBE WALL
An innovative wall system that maintains a constant temperature of 68-72 degrees fahrenheit within a single family residence.

PURE WATER, SHARED FUTURE: EQUITY-CENTERED MARKETING FOR RECLAIMED WATER An equity-driven marketing campaign designed to increase comfort levels around drinking water reclaimed from LA’s sewers and streets.

BAG/GET: PHASE 2 Software that builds on last year’s success to get fresher food faster to 46 million of our neighbors in need.

Eco-Lab
A mobile hub of inspiration and resources for community-led architecture, landscape, and urban design that targets struggling urban areas.

GATHERING AROUND THE LYLE CENTER
A youth education project on urban wildlife, biodiversity, habitat, and conservation done through educational signage, sculpture, and website integration.

Voyage to Sustainability and Shoreline Safari
Building on the legacy of the Queen Mary ocean liner to educate and inspire for sustainability and using augmented reality to transform Shoreline Village into an interactive aquatic experience.

Stories for Sustainability: Whispers of the Coast and the Path to Impact
A project to uncover forgotten voices of Long Beach through audio storytelling and empower involvement with the city’s unique ocean-urban interface.

Climate Migration and Faith: Phase 2
A communication and action plan for church leaders to mobilize community engagement around the challenges of climate migration.

TEST PLOT: RAINBOW CANYON COMMUNITY CROSSROADS Transforming landcare traditions to address modern challenges and unite communities.

Pando Days ’24/25 initiatives were conceived and prototyped by Southland college and university teams, each implementing a goal taken from…

We help project teams get the advisory support they need from specialists in their fields, elected officials, public agencies, businesses…

Pando Days offers extensive educational resources to help you with your project development. Resources run the gamut from seminars and…

“Think of a Blitz as an opportunity to Think Wrong, when thinking right no longer works.” – John Bielenberg A…

2024/25 Season

Pando Days is a program in higher ed that brings together educators from the arts, humanities, sciences, and communications to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing LA County.

S.H.A.P.E.: Sustainable Hubs and Public Engagement
Creating a trash-free Long Beach through community, research and technology.

TEST PLOT: Green Ravine
An ongoing hands-on experiment in community-based ecological restoration.

A PILGRIMAGE TO THE RIVER
A contemplative journey along the LA River encouraging deep observation, reflection, and action on climate change.

BIOPHILIA TREEHOUSE PHASE 2: LA River Wildlife Corridor
A series of sculptural treehouses for birds fosters healthy ecosystems in an urban setting.

PROBING FOR RESILIENCE PHASE 2: Planting the Garden
Implementing plans developed during last year’s Pando Days season to replace traditional landscaping with native plants.

SUPER SHADE STRUCTURES: A Cool Solution
Cooling cities with innovative shade structures using nature-based designs.

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT: Linking Pierce College to the LA River Through Biodiversity
A network of butterfly planters, bird boxes, and beehives designed to link the massive Pierce College campus to the LA River and rebuild biodiverse systems.

THE STIRLING ENGINE: A Table-top Alternative to Solar Panels
A renewable energy solution designed to augment solar panel energy production for individual home and off-the-grid use.

IT’S ELEMENTARY: Composting to Reduce Organic Waste
A science-based composting program for elementary schools.

CONFLUENCE: The Turtle Connection
A novel multi-sensory experience telling the story of endangered green sea turtles at the confluence of San Gabriel River and Coyote Creek.

KEEPING NATURE ACCESSIBLE
Helping a greater number of blind and visually impaired people get out in nature by removing obstacles to their participation.

BAG/GET: Alleviating Food Insecurity Through Software
A software solution designed to help food banks and pantries get food faster to the people who need it most.

MUSHROOM LAB: Developing a Regenerative Future
Experimenting with mushrooms to expand circular and regenerative agriculture and product creation.

FROM HERE TO THERE IN 2045: Reimagining Transportation
A bold vision to move away from a car centric culture through sustainable mobility solutions with Long Beach as a case study.

THE X FOLIATE SHOWER PROJECT: When Water Is in Short Supply
Water-efficient solutions that address cleansing needs during emergencies.

THE EMERGENCY WATER CHEST: Staying Clean When Disaster Strikes
A portable sanitizing solution for personal use during water-scarce emergencies.

Pando Days ’23 initiatives were conceived and prototyped by Southland college and university teams, each implementing a goal taken from…

Camp Pando is for young people reentering from juvenile detention, foster care, and dropping out of school and focuses them on creative projects that help meet Southland challenges.

We help project teams get the advisory support they need from specialists in their fields, elected officials, public agencies, businesses…

Pando Days ’23 projects premiere on November 28, December 4 – 8, 11 and 14. Twelve Southland colleges and universities will…

Pando Days offers specialist seminars and advisory/mentoring opportunities with extraordinary professionals willing to help with team projects. Currently scheduled: August…

“Think of a Blitz as an opportunity to Think Wrong, when thinking right no longer works.” – John Bielenberg A…

Junk Battle premieres for high. Stay tuned!

2023 Season

Magenta House ’23 challenges middle school students across LAUSD to create water and power sustainability projects.

2022 Season

Magenta House’s program for civic engagement launched across four different middle schools in 2022.

2024

Regional planner Mark VanderSchaaf’s seminar based on his groundbreaking book.

We launched the season with an introductory event for all Southland college and university instructors. Pando Days ‘23 launched on…

2023 Season

Pando Days ’23 brings together colleges and universities from across the Southland to solve local sustainability challenges.

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Pando’s project accelerator supports project R&D, meetings, and events on a campus with a long history of radical commitment.

“Think of a Blitz as an opportunity to Think Wrong, when thinking right no longer works.” – John Bielenberg Blitz…

We launch the season with an introductory event for all Southland college and university instructors. Pando Days ‘22 launched on…

The Pando Days Season Finale and presentation of The Pando Sustainability Awards marked the end of the Pando Days ’22…

Pando Days ’22 Salons rolled out across four locations over the week of November 7-11, exploring some of the biggest…

Pando Days ’22 projects premiered December 6, 7 and 9. Fifteen Southland colleges and universities showcased the work they had…

COUNTY GOAL #7A
Zeroing in on Solar
Developing a strategic plan to place non-profit solar panel factories in LA County’s under served communities.

COUNTY GOALS #1, #5, & #6
Restoring the Sepulveda Basin
Building broad-based support for a plan to transform the Sepulveda River Basin into an accessible green space featuring responsible water management.

COUNTY GOALS #1, #2, #5 & #6
Visions of the Long Beach Breakwater
Community engagement through augmented reality – envisioning a sustainable future where natural waterway processes are disrupted.

COUNTY GOALS #1, #2 & #3
Training the Next Generation
Producing a podcast series that shares the wisdom and experience of environmental leaders across generations.

COUNTY GOALS #1, #2, #5 & #6
Colorado Lagoon
Visitors engage in site-specific augmented reality experiences – interactions make the value of preserving coastal wetlands personal – heightening the desire to protect this essential resource.

COUNTY GOALS #5, #7, & #11
Climate Migration and Faith
Developing a communication and action plan that church leaders can use to mobilize community engagement on the challenges of climate migration.

COUNTY GOALS #5 & #6
Sea Studio
Designing an immersive holding space for artists, scientists, and the greater public to create kinship with our oceans.

COUNTY GOALS #2 & #4
Altered District
Designing architectural prototypes to create a healthy and sustainable work environment.

COUNTY GOALS #4 & #9
Upping Our Recycling Game
Designing an innovative suite of products to reduce waste and promote sustainability through durability, longevity and repurposing.

COUNTY GOAL #6
Watts Next: The Nature Walk
Designing a three-mile green-space pedestrian walk along the Watts train tracks to improve the neighborhood microclimate and quality of life.

COUNTY GOALS # 7 & #8
Mobilizing L.A.’s Transportation Future
Reimagining city space on a human scale, through a holistic transportation system that eliminates traffic, saves energy and provides equitable point to point access.

COUNTY GOALS #2, #4, & #9
Design for a Sustainable Campus
Creating education modules promoting energy efficiency and water conservation – beginning with building design at community colleges.

COUNTY GOALS #5
Safe Passages: Creating a Wildlife Corridor
Constructing a wildlife corridor connecting urban edges to wildlands by reintroducing native plants to attract local animals.

COUNTY GOALS #1, #5, & #6
Probing for Resilience
Employing a data-driven approach to advocate for the replacement of traditional landscaping with native plants.

Pando Days ’22 initiatives were conceived and prototyped by Southland college and university teams, each implementing a goal taken from…

COUNTY GOAL #5
Test Plot: Elephant Hill
Creating a viable ecosystem managed by local community stewardship on once-neglected land.

2022 Season

Pando Days ’22 brings 15 colleges and universities together to create a more sustainable region.

Press Release      MAGENTA HOUSE EXPO       Saturday, April 30, 2022. 1:00pm – 2:00pm A virtual event. Register HERE.                                    …

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2019/20

Aubrey spent her time photographing and facilitating events as well as designing educational materials as a fellow.

2018-19

Geneva helped launch the Pando at Maryknoll program, painted murals, grew produce and helped manage the Magenta House program as a fellow.

2020/21

Maru spent her time growing “plastic” and re-building soil and community as a fellow.

December 2019

Yogan spent a short weekend photographing trees, reconnecting with nature and finding an artistic direction as a fellow.

Series

Our youth program empowers kids to create the water- and power-conscious future we all need and desire.

Series

Our flagship program in higher education unites instructors across the County to tackle the toughest of our sustainability issues.

A middle school student showcase for their most innovative water and power sustainability solutions.

COUNTY GOAL #10
Open Garden: Download App. Unlock Gardens. Reimagine equitable foodscapes in Pomona.

COUNTY GOAL #10
Foodways Connection: Mapping food resources to build food security in LA.

COUNTY GOALS #7B, #8A, & #11
CHARGE TO CHANGE: Marketing EV in Cudahy.

COUNTY GOALS #7B, #8A, & #11
Mapping Cudahy’s Air: Portable air sensors map patterns of air quality.

COUNTY GOALS #7B, #8A, & #11
Systems Approach: A solution for local transportation with global impact.

COUNTY GOALS #3 & #6
P3: An architectural green print.

COUNTY GOALS #3 & #6
Design by Community: A unique tool kit to catalyze community participation in the design of public space.

COUNTY GOAL #2
Mobile Cooling Rooms of Los Angeles: Mobile cooling walls employ an ancient technology in a modern application.

COUNTY GOAL #2
COOLING TIME: Bringing climate justice to Skid Row.

COUNTY GOALS #3 & #6
CREATING ECOLIBRIUM: A mobile performance stage for community engagement.

COUNTY GOAL #2
MEGA MICROS: Small housing on a large urban scale for an underserved population.

Pando Days ’21 initiatives were conceived and prototyped by Southland college and university teams, each implementing a goal taken from…

Middle School teams innovate a water-wise and power-conscious future for LA.

2021

Pando means we’re interconnected.

2018

Second year of our community leadership retreat program.

2018-21

Prototype to incarnate the vision of Pope Francis’s “integral ecology” at the Maryknoll Monrovia campus.

UseMore publicity campaign spurs more conversations about using less.

Educational outreach provides homeowners and renters alike DIY tools to turn their homes Magenta.

2019/20 Season

Southland colleges and universities come together with courses, studios, and labs to build County sustainability.

2021 Season

Ten of the most creative college and university minds take on four challenges within the LA County sustainability plan.

Pando Days Media Kit Pando Days is the most ambitious undertaking of its kind for County resilience. And the public…

COUNTY GOAL: OurCountyLA plan
INNOVATION ENGINE: Identifies strategic sustainability needs, fosters collaboration, and predicts impact.

COUNTY GOAL # 11
GREEN MAP & GO: Map and engage green resources.

COUNTY GOAL #10
FOOD WITHIN REACH: Foodways every quarter mile across the County.

COUNTY GOAL # 8
CAR SICK: Getting us on track for life without cars.

COUNTY GOAL #6
WE ARE THE SEA: Engaging families and neighborhoods with local waterways.

COUNTY GOAL # 5
BIOPHILIA TREEHOUSE: Linking birds and people at the tree level.

COUNTY GOAL # 3
AI: FUTURE OF HOUSING: Employing artificial intelligence to map affordable housing opportunities and match construction resources.

COUNTY GOAL # 2
SALTWATER GARDENS: Innovations for the twin threats of underground saltwater incursion and food scarcity.

COUNTY GOAL #1
RESILIENCE PROJECT: A virtual landscape for resilience learning.

COUNTY GOAL # 4
REPURPOSING LAND: Transforming back-alley wasteland into thriving community space

Credits Executive Producers Eugene Shirley, Adam Eeuwens, and John Bielenberg; Curator Adam Eeuwens; Producers Betsy Hunter (projects), Beth Cohen (Launch…

Press Release Ten Southland Colleges and Universities Prototype Resilience at PANDO DAYS 2019/20 Premieres and Festival Los Angeles, CA, July…

Pando Days initiatives were conceived and prototyped by ten Southland college and university teams, each implementing a goal taken from…

Roll-out Schedule (all times Pacific) June 16, 3:00 PM | AI: FUTURE OF HOUSING | SCI-Arc | Host: John B….

2019/20

Ten Southland colleges and universities come together to implement County resiliency.

Pop-up and neighborhood events teach water conservation and power efficiency.

2018

Contemplative journey to the home of the largest living organism on Earth.

2018 Season

Countywide architecture and design schools take on big junk. Precursor of Pando Days.

2019

Outdoor adventure and hands-on preservation at the site of our namesake.

2017

Reimagining religious campuses as hubs of community resilience.

2018

Peer-to-peer education and innovation for sustainability professionals drawn from LA County’s 88 cities.

Magenta House was conceived in a Blitz.

2017-18

Where LA County’s justice and sustainability leaders go to unplug and recharge.

2017

Citizen-scientist adventure to save the largest living organism on Earth.

2018

Making an impact at LA’s ground zero.

2017

Growing a food oasis in a food desert.

2016

Educating the educators for LA’s great watersheds.

2016

Pandoing a two-acre garden site in Carson.

2016

Helping to create an eco-homeless shelter.

2016

Citizen education on agriculture policy and practice, local focus.

2015

Bringing LA’s communities together to focus on issues raised by Pope Francis.