The Pando Sustainability Awards honor the project-based work of LA’s young people and practical visionaries who care. The 2025 event will be held in the early fall and celebrate the success of Pando Days projects produced over the 2024-25 school year.
The Pando Awards celebrate the amazing work of young people in developing a more sustainable California Southland and world.
The event provides a unique opportunity for teams to move their projects forward with support from local communities, and involves public agencies, businesses, NGOs, philanthropists, sustainability professionals, and media. Awards of excellence are given out based on the decisions of a distinguished panel of sustainability and social-impact professionals.
2024 Pando Awards keynote speaker was Betty Yee, Vice-Chair of the California Democratic Party and former California State Controller. Special Guest presentations included Gregory Boyle, SJ, founder of Homeboy Industries and recipient of Pando’s Lifetime Achievement Award; Rita Kampalath, LA County Chief Sustainability Officer; Pando founding Chair John B. Cobb, Jr., and more. Pando Vice Chair Ed Bacon moderated the event.
It’s the sustainability event of the year! To see the whole event program, go HERE. To see photos, go HERE.
To download a PDF copy of The Pando Sustainability Awards book (2024) go HERE.
2024 winners
The Pando Awards honor outstanding achievement in the prior program season.
Pando Days awardees from the 2023 season include the following (note, for more information, see the full program and range of projects):
Magenta House awardees from the ’23-’24 season include the following (note, for more information, see the full program and project range.
Practical Visionaries Who Care:
Every year, we honor those in Southern California who are making a difference for young people of all ages in sustainability. We honor them in the following categories: the Immortal Earthkeeper Award for Lifetime Achievement, Earth Visionary, Earth Champion, and Earth Guardian. Honorees are given fine art prints by Pando Artist-in-Residence Tucker Nichols.
Honorees:
Immortal Earthkeeper Award for Lifetime Achievement:
Father Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries
Earth Visionary Award:
Kaiser Permanente Community Health Fund, Metropolitan Water District, LA County Sanitation Districts, LA United School District, LA Department of Water and Power, Clean Power Alliance, Calpine Energy Solutions, LA County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Alexandria Technology, Plante Moran, California Institute of Technology, Floe Financial Partners, John Buchanan, John B. Cobb, Jr., Jay and Bonnie Farbstein
Earth Champion Award:
Holly Mitchell, Lindsey Horvath, Katy Yaroslavsky, Jason Lyon
Earth Guardian Award:
Betty Yee, Rita Kampalath, Mikala Rahn, Maximilian Christman
Pando Sustainability Awards Host Committee: Jane Close Conoley, President, California State University, Long Beach; Christian Cruz, Senior Community Outreach Manager, Clean Power Alliance; Mick Dalrymple, Chief Sustainability Officer, University of Southern California; Karen Hofmann, President, ArtCenter College of Design; Rita Kampalath, Chief Sustainability Officer, County of Los Angeles; Paul Koretz, Los Angeles City Councilmember Emeritus, 5th District; Paul Krekorian, President, Los Angeles City Council and Member, 2nd District; Ann McElaney-Johnson, President, Mount Saint Mary’s University; Peter Laugharn, President, Conrad N. Hilton Foundation; James M. Limbaugh, President, West Los Angeles College; Heidrun Mumper-Drumm, Chair, Chief Sustainability Officers Taskforce; Ravi S. Rajan, President, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts); Kecia Washington, Director of Innovation, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
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Thank you!
Pando Days is a collaboration with the CSO Taskforce for LA County with the ’23 season made possible in part by the support of our generous partners:
