Andy Zaremba
ANDY ZAREMBA is a leader in the human consciousness and optimization communities. Located in Vancouver, B.C. In 2013, Andy and his brother Mike, partnered to create the Float House franchise, Canada’s leading flotation therapy centres, which now have eight locations across Western Canada.
In addition, Andy co-hosts (again with brother, Mike) the Vancouver Real podcast, a digital media leader in the human consciousness space. The podcast has produced over 125 episodes with incredible guests such as Dr. Gabor Mate, Graham Hancock, Rick Doblin, and Wim Hof to name just a few.
Personally, Andy is father to Ella Faith, his seven-year-old daughter, whose miraculous birth and survival have been key to Andy’s personal growth and dramatically changed the trajectory of his life. In fact, it was during her ten months’ post-birth in the NICU and following two years with full time home care when Andy began his practice of mindfulness meditation, yoga, and self-education through podcasts. This eventually led him to launch both Float House and Vancouver Real podcast.
Andy is living his vision helping to facilitate the expansion of human consciousness worldwide. His interests include traveling, fitness, martial arts, yoga, plant medicine, meditation, music, art, hiking, scuba diving, and stimulating conversation.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inseparable. Majestic. Chaotic.
3 things Nature taught you?
To accept the finite disposition of our existence.
To know we have very little control over our destinies.
To live in awe of our reality.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Komodo National Park, accessed through Flores, Indonesia. The incredible marine biodiversity is more rich than I have seen in any other part of the ocean.
Mount Everest and the journey to its base camp. Beautiful mountain ranges, Sherpa villages, Buddhist temples, glacial moraines, and foothills are truly breath taking.
The Amazon basin and surrounding tributaries. The relatively quick life-cycles in and around the Amazon is a stark reminder of the balance between growth and decay, life and death and order and chaos.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
In awe of the infinite array of possibilities.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
The apprehensiveness of entering into unexplored territory.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Uncertain about the future of humanity given the volatile Nature of our universe.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
I feel a sense of peace or satisfaction in the transitory state between light and dark, with the hope of renewed beginnings.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alert to unexpected phenomena.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
An emptiness that haunts my soul.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
It’s a toss up between Ocean and Mountain.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories in nature was a family visit to the Florida Keys and experiencing snorkeling in the shallow, warm, salty waters for the first time. I remember the ocean feeling very alien. I was curious yet cautious. I’d spent many hours snorkeling in the cold, freshwater lakes of Ontario but the salt water of the ocean threw me off at first. The warmth and extra buoyancy were very welcome. I remember swimming in the shallows over patches of sea weed that would open-up into sandy flats. While swimming across one of them I encountered a stingray. It wasn’t all that big but I remember being warned about stingrays and to avoid them for obvious reasons. At that moment I realized that I was completely out of my element and that the ocean was full of things that could sting and I needed to exercise more caution than I normally would in my day-to-day life. Then, we ventured further out into deeper waters. The vast openness of the water is felt freeing but at the same time a sense of vulnerability. You never know what could be lurking in the waters just out of sight.
I think the entire experience made me more awake to life. Being in new environments forces us to pay attention. It’s so easy to get lost in the mundane of the everyday. We get numb. We intentionally and necessarily ignore anything that’s not immediately useful to us. But once we go into unexplored territory, we pay attention in much more detail. To pay attention is to be awake. To make the unconscious conscious. Nature can provide an excellent opportunity for us to remember to do so.
Gaelin Rosenwaks
GAELIN ROSENWAKS is a marine scientist, explorer, photographer and filmmaker. She began her career working in Antarctica researching over-wintering patterns of Southern Ocean zooplankton after which she earned her Master’s Degree researching the migratory movements of Giant Bluefin Tunas. Alarmed by the changes happening in the oceans, Gaelin founded Global Ocean Exploration, Inc. to share her passion for ocean exploration, marine conservation, and fishing through powerful imagery, words and adventure. She now participates and conducts expeditions in every ocean to alert the public not only to the challenges facing the oceans, but also to what science is doing to understand these changes.
Gaelin is a US Coast Guard Licensed Captain, and a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society, the Explorers Club and the Society of Women Geographers. She has published articles in scientific journals, newspapers and magazines and has delivered lectures at many institutions including the Explorers Club, Patagonia, Inc and Yale University. She has also appeared as a scientific consultant and angler on the National Geographic Channel Series, Fish Warrior. Her photography has been displayed in many exhibitions, including solo exhibitions at Duke University, The Maritime Aquarium and the Patagonia Upper West Side Store in NYC. To Gaelin, there is nothing better than being in the open ocean surrounded by endless blue water and passing wildlife.
3 words to describe Nature?
Alive. Complex. Powerful
3 things Nature taught you?
Resilience, the fragility and robustness of life
Respect
How everything in life is interconnected
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Montauk, New York
Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
The Antarctic Peninsula
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
At ease, the ocean is where I belong.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Respectful
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Grateful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Excited; there is nothing quite as powerful as watching and feeling a storm roll in. The first rumblings of thunder indicate that a storm is coming. When at sea, thunder takes on a different meaning as lightning is so dangerous when on a vessel, but on land, there are few things more rejuvenating than a thunderstorm.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like a small speck on the earth
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10, if not more. Nature is everything.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
When I was 8 years old, I snorkeled for the first time in Bali, Indonesia. When I put my head under the water, the colors and movement were overwhelming to my senses. I already loved the ocean, but I will never forget this moment. It opened my eyes to the magic and the mysteries below the surface.
Spencer Bailey
SPENCER BAILEY is the former editorial director of Surface Media and editor-in-chief of Surface magazine. He has contributed to The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and Bloomberg Businessweek, and worked at The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, and Esquire. Bailey wrote and edited the book Tham ma da: The Adventurous Interiors of Paola Navone, which was published by Pointed Leaf Press in 2016.
At Surface, Bailey has interviewed hundreds of leading architects, artists, designers, and others, including David Adjaye, Tadao Ando, Thom Browne, Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Ian Schrager, Philippe Starck, and Kanye West. Bailey was integral to the launches of the Design Dialogues live conversation series, of which he is a frequent moderator, and the Surface Studios brand marketing unit. As editorial director of Surface Media, he oversees the company’s content across a range of digital and print platforms. During three years of reporting for The New York Times Magazine, from 2011 to 2014, he interviewed authors, celebrities, politicians, and cultural figures such as Al Sharpton, Tony Hawk, Rodney King, and Cyndi Lauper for a “How To ...” column.
Bailey is a trustee of the Noguchi Museum in Queens, New York. He also serves on the New York honorary committee of the L’Ecole jewelry-making school, which is supported by Van Cleef & Arpels. He was on the juries of the 2016 James Beard Restaurant Design Awards, the 2016 Rado Star Prize, and the 2017 Swarovski Designers of the Future Award. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, he is a graduate of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
3 words to describe Nature?
Reflective. Relaxing. Restorative
3 things Nature taught you?
To appreciate it more.
To slow down.
The importance of quiet.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Francie’s Cabin, in Breckenridge, Colorado.
Katsura Imperial Villa, in Kyoto, Japan.
The Noguchi Museum, in Queens, New York.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Meditative
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Curious
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Anxious
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Like I should probably take a photo of it with my iPhone.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Excited
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Depends on the context.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mountain
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
One night, when I was probably around age 8, my brothers and I decided to “camp out” in our family’s yard in suburban Denver. We read some scary stories that night. I remember hearing thunder in the distance. Shortly after falling asleep, we were awakened by a hail storm. A lightning bolt cracked above, and almost immediately we noticed that my twin brother’s hair was standing straight on end. The lightning had struck the tree next to us. We decided to wimp out and rush indoors. That was probably a wise decision.
Daan Roosegaarde
Dutch artist and innovator Daan Roosegaarde is a creative thinker and maker of social designs which explore the relation between people, technology, and space.
Roosegaarde has been driven by nature's gifts like light emitting fireflies and jellyfish since an early age. His fascination for nature and technology is reflected in his iconic works such as SMOG FREE PROJECT (the largest outdoor air purifier which turns smog into jewellery) and VAN GOGH PATH (bicycle path which glows at night).
Roosegaarde studied Fine Arts and graduated from The Berlage Institute in Rotterdam with a Master in architecture. He founded Studio Roosegaarde in 2007, where he works with his team of designers and engineers towards a better future.
Roosegaarde has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the London Design Innovation Medal, the INDEX Design Award, DFA Gold and Grand Award Hong Kong, LIT 2017 Lighting Designer of the Year Award, Platinum A'Design Award 2017, D&AD Awards 2017, Core77 Design Awards 2017, Dutch Artist of the Year 2016, the World Technology Award, two Dutch Design Awards, the Charlotte Köhler Award, and China's Most Successful Design Award. He exhibited at the Design Museum London, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, Tate Modern, Tokyo National Museum, Le Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris, Victoria & Albert Museum, and various public spaces across the globe.
Through lectures across the world Daan frequently shares his visionary ideas and projects.
Daan Roosegaarde has been selected by Forbes and Good 100 as a creative change maker and a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum. He is currently a visiting professor at Tongji University in Shanghai.
3 words to describe Nature?
Experience
Knowledge
Surrender
3 things Nature taught you?
The Art of Communication
Beauty is evolution
Harmony - everything has a purpose
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Night diving in Bali
Watching Northern Lights in Norway
In some bizarre way, looking at snowflakes under a microscope!
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Curious and hungry for knowledge. The ocean is a pool of knowledge we understand so little
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Humble and fascinated. All these trees that communicate with each other! All this information stored and shared. The forest exemplifies beauty and communication into one.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Puzzled and mystified. What can we do with the hidden energy. There is so much power, so much potential.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Aware of our relationship with the universe. A sense of movement that is beyond us.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Excited! This explosion of energy, this release of pure power.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cold. Brings me back to these long cold Dutch nights when were working on developing sail prototypes, how to harvest the energy from the wind.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I was ocean, but recently, after being in Dubai, I have become a desert person.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
8 on a personal level. But our society should be a 10, in a way that our creative and engineering should be based on the way nature does it, like Biomimicry. Nature has so much to teach us. We have so much to learn from it.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I was night diving in Indonesia when suddenly all these creatures started to produce light. We work so hard at creating light, spending so much energy and material so that we can illuminate our lives. And here were these simple organisms emitting so much light in a way that was natural and effortless. It was so humbling! We have so much to learn from Nature.