Altadena Earth Commons
Mission Statement
Altadena Earth Commons is a living model for community-led ecological restoration and collective healing in the wake of fire.
We Value…
Transforming land into shared teaching spaces
Neighbors cultivating native plants restoring soil health and practicing regenerative stewardship together
Hands on workshops rooted in ancestral wisdom
Creative expression and collective care
Building climate resilience
Strengthening relationships between land and community
About
The Origin
Altadena Earth Commons emerged after the Eaton Fire as a place for neighbors to gather around land, memory, and possibility. On a fire-impacted residential site, community members, artists, healers, educators, and land stewards came together to create space for restoration, shared learning, and collective care. Through hands-on workshops, field sessions, cultural gatherings, and inter-generational exchange, the Commons is a place to learn from the land and from one another. It transforms a place marked by loss into a living gathering ground for ecological renewal, community connection, and a more resilient future.
Our Why
Altadena Earth Commons exists because recovery is not only about rebuilding structures. It is also about restoring relationships: with one another, with the land, and with the knowledge that helps communities endure. Through soil restoration, native planting, cultural gatherings, storytelling, art, and inter-generational learning, the Commons supports Altadena in building a more connected, climate-resilient future rooted in care, stewardship, and shared responsibility.
Altadena Earth Commons is made possible by support from Metabolic Studios, California Community Foundation, Urban Homestead, and Community Compound.
Leigh Adams
Leigh Adams is an accomplished educator and eco-conscious landscape designer whose work centers on regenerative and sustainable practices. For many years, she served as a pioneering horticultural interpreter at the LA County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, where she trained numerous county agencies and community organizations in methods that support and restore ecosystems. Leigh has facilitated hundreds of hands-on, organic gardening workshops and advises audiences including schools, professionals, and private citizens, helping participants develop practical skills and a deeper connection to the natural world. Her experience includes work with the LA County Arboretum, Pasadena Water and Power, Westridge School and New Horizon School, Leigh’s work has been recognized with awards including the United Nations Global Citizen award, the City of Los Angeles Angel Award, and the 2020 National Gardening Teacher of the Year. She continues to bring a deep commitment to environmental responsibility, community education, and creating landscapes that support both human well-being and ecological resilience.
Noni Limar
Noni Limar is a seasoned creative strategist, cultural organizer, and healer with over 25 years of experience leading community-based initiatives at the intersection of art, justice, and healing. She has led creative direction, program development, and film production for national movements and institutions, including Black Lives Matter Global Network, the Center for Third World Organizing, and the Kalliopeia Foundation. Through her work with Soil & Shadow, she spent five years cultivating intentional communities of elders, mothers, farmers, leaders, and artists grounded in the sacred intersection of ecology, culture, and spirit. A long-time resident of Pasadena with her husband and their five children, her work has been featured by platforms and institutions including Warner Bros, Lincoln Center, the Los Angeles Theater Center, and MoCADA, and continues to reflect a deep commitment to creativity, connection, and transformative change.
Jessica Handy
Jessica Handy is a Pasadena native, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and lifelong advocate for community health, food justice, and environmental stewardship. She has spent over 20 years living in Pasadena with her husband Ri-Karlo and their two children, leading public health initiatives for the City—including projects with the Health Department and Parks & Recreation aimed at improving wellness in underserved communities. Her passion for healing deepened through years of outdoor education in the San Gabriel Mountains and her journey into agriculture, which led her to become the founder and farmer of Sandalwood Farm. As an advisor to Kiss the Ground, she champions the vital link between soil health, nutrition, and community resilience. Jessica’s work continues to center equity, regeneration, and the power of land-based healing.
"As we work to heal the
earth, the earth heals us."