OCTOBER 15–20, 2002: Van Sant attended SKY ART Conference 2002 in Greece. The first such gathering of the sky artists since 1986, it brought together a new generation of artists operating at the art/science/technology/sky intersection (i.e. Marko Peljhan and Stelarc) with the ‘old guard” practitioners as Otto Piene, Elizabeth Goldring, and Van Sant.

2003: Van Sant made Marsh Birds Rising for the Muth Interpretive Center, Newport Beach, CA.

2004: Laura Gorman of the Western Association of Art Conservation monitored the relocation of Luau at Honolulu airport.

2005: Van Sant made Sandpiper Wall  for the Hoag Memorial Hospital, Newport Beach, CA.

MAY 7, 2006: The ISDC presented Van Sant with a “Leonardo Da Vinci Space Art Life Dedication Award” during the 25th International Space Development Conference in Los Angeles, CA. This prestigious award was given “for a lifetime of artistic actions in and with the sky and outer space, including his brightly clear re-envisioning of the Earth.” [3]

2006-2007: Applying the GeoSphere goal of environmentally sensitive resource management to a real-life situation, Van Sant compelled Caltrans to change a key aspect of its road widening process in the Owens Valley.

Caltrans intended to widen Highway 395 in Independence by trucking aggregate from Olancha. As described by a local resident, Van Sant wondered “Why are they coming all that way - it makes no sense? He felt it was all about gouging the state for more public money…So, he researched soil types, the probability of deaths on the highway, and calculated risk factors for maiming. He had numbers about pollution, wear and tear, and the cost to taxpayers. Then, at a public Caltrans meeting, he made a public statement. He laid out all his stats. He busted them!” [5]

2008: An Otis College of Art and Design team interviewed Van Sant about his life and work for the Otis Legacy Video series.

MAY–OCTOBER, 2008: Van Sant participated in the Cool Globes exhibition at the US Botanic Garden, Washington DC. It featured over 100 five foot diameter globes that had been painted with environmental themes by artists who, in addition to TVS, included Jim Dine and Juame Plensa.

JULY 13, 2008: Oak Creek flooded, which greatly impacted the local community and sent a boulder crashing into Van Sant’s Owens Valley home.

FEBRUARY–APRIL, 2012: Van Sant taught a workshop for Otis College of Art and Designtitled The Art of Kite Building. He agreed to do so only on condition that Otis hold a kite festival.

APRIL 14-15, 2012: The First Annual Otis Kite Festival took place on Santa Monica Beach.

2013: Working once again with Tony Sheets, Van Sant made a sculptured concrete History Wall for the Orange County Peace Officer's Memorial, Tustin, CA. The Memorial was a collaboration between Van Sant and sculptor Eugene Daub, who created its freestanding bronze figures, and landscape architect Sarah Gronquist.

2014: The Los Angeles Conservancy presented Van Sant with a “Modern Masters Award,” which recognizes a lifetime of achievement in the fields of modern architecture and design.

March 6, 2023: At the age of 92, Tom Van Sant died in Guadalajara, Mexico “with his dear friend by his side.” [6]