Pandora Thomas

Background

About Pandora Thomas

The earth is my employer Pandora Thomas is a passionate global citizen who works as a caregiver, teacher, writer, designer and speaker. Her work emphasizes the benefits of applying ecological principles to social design.She studied at Columbia and Tufts University and with several permaculture and ecological design programs.Her writing includes a children’s book, various curricula and a manual entitled "Shades of Green" for individuals wanting to teach green building to youth. She has keynoted and lectured both domestically and internationally on topics ranging from diversity, social justice, youth and women's leadership, social entrepreneurship permaculture and sustainability. She has designed curriculum for and taught groups all over the world as diverse as Iraqi and Indonesian youth to men serving in San Quentin and men and women returning home from incarceration.Her most recent projects include serving as lead designer for the Permaculture + Social Equity Design Team as part of the Resilient by Design bay area climate change challenge, co-founding the Black Permaculture Network, working for 6 years with Toyota to design and serve as a coalition member of the Toyota Green Initiative, which supports African Americans in understanding the benefits of adopting sustainable lifestyles; co-designing, teaching with and directing Pathways to Resilience-a permaculture and social entrepreneur training program that worked with men and women returning home after incarceration.She has studied four languages and lived and worked in over twelve countries and her other achievements include being featured in the films The Future of Energy and Inhabit, presenting at Tedx Denver and SF, and being awarded internships and fellowships to the Center for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University, Green For All, the Bronx Zoo and the Applied Research Center. When she is not working you can find her spending time with her beloved mother and cats or in the redwoods.