Pando Days '23 - Pando Populus

Pando Days ’23 gives Southland colleges and universities the framework and resources they need to help implement LA County’s sustainability plan. Read more about the Pando Days program series, now in its fourth season.

Pando Days brings educators together from across the arts, humanities, sciences, and trades to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the County — water, energy, food, housing, green space, biodiversity, jobs, equity, and more. And asks them to inspire each other. And their students. And Angelenos. And the world. With ingenious new solutions and plans.

To date, 21 colleges and universities have enrolled in the Pando Days program, with over 400 students producing 36 real-world projects implementing visionary change. Pando Days schools and projects come from all 5 Supervisor Districts in the County, and even beyond. To see impact, click here.

Pando Days ’23 enrollment is now open. To apply, go here.

See Pando Days projects produced over previous seasons.

How it works

The Pando Days season begins every year in the spring with outreach to fifty-some colleges, universities, and professional schools throughout the Southland.

Instructors from across departments and disciplines apply for the opportunity to enroll their fall-term courses, studios, or labs in the Pando Days program.

We provide a full curricular framework and a broad range of resources, including a Pando Fellowship opportunity for course instructors and honoraria. The program is provided free of charge.

See Overview deck below for a full description of the program, timeline, and events. College and university instructors, see Instructor’s deck for additional information on curricular resources. Pando Days Subscribing Members, see Sponsor’s deck for information on how you can get involved advising and mentoring school teams.

How It Works: Overview

How It Works: Instructors

How It Works: Sponsors

Pando Days ’23 events

Pando Days ’23 launched at the Pando Days ’22 Awards event, April 16 at 2:00pm at Dabney Hall Lounge and Gardens, Caltech.

Pando Days Launch
April 16, 2023, Caltech

Advisory team

Pando Days ’23 is produced in consultation with Key Advisors Gary Gero, former Chief Sustainability Officer for Los Angeles County, and Rita Kampalath, currently the Acting Chief Sustainability Officer.

Advisory: Taskforce Chair Heidrun Mumper-Drumm (ArtCenter College of Design); Robyn Eason (City of West Hollywood, frmr.); Dean Kubani (City of Santa Monica, ret.); Maribeth Larkin (Sisters of Social Service); Pablo La Roche (Cal Poly Pomona); Luis Navarro (Accenture); Marcela Oliva (LA Trade Tech College); John Onderdonk (Caltech); Andy Shrader (City of Los Angeles, frmr.); Cassie Rauser (UCLA), and Mark Spears (Disney, ret.).

Pando Days Team: Eugene Shirley, Pando Days executive producer and President, Pando Populus. Doug Chang, series producer.Lyn Goldfarb, creative producer. Alexi Caracotsios, research and writing. Betsy Hunter, administration. Chris Lohse, education advisor. Matthew Manos, project-based learning. John Bielenberg, creative direction. Rich Binell, writing. Michael Braley, graphic design. Marc O’Brien, design strategy. Brandt Williams, Thinknado. Fundraising: Ed Bacon, Vickere Murphy, Rebecca Schmitt, and Liz Tesolin.