Ivan Salas Jefferson
Iván Salas Jefferson is the founder of Iddes Yachts a Naval architecture, superyacht design & project management company based in Palma de Mallorca. Iddes was shortlisted for the Concept Yacht Over 40 Meters Award in The International Yacht & Aviation Awards with their superyacht HOP in 2019 and their Class 55 won a Red Dot Award and the German Design Award in 2020. Ivan and his team are behind the groundbreaking Earth300 design, a 300m Molten Salt Reactor-powered exploration & scientific vessel.
3 words to describe Nature?
Revitalizing. Self-Ruling. Vulnerable
3 things Nature taught you?
To stop
To let go
To trust the unknown
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The Andes
The Mediterranean Sea
Any spot with a good wave.
When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel...?
Nomadic
When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel...?
Oxygenated
When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel...?
Powerless
When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel...?
Untroubled
When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel...?
Enchanted
When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel…?
Restored
Are you an OCEAN, MOUNTAIN, FOREST, or DESERT person?
All of them
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Feeling the take-up and energy of a wave at my local beach in Palma de Mallorca
Erik Nissen Johansen
Erik Nissen Johansen is the founder and creative director of global award-winning hospitality design studio Stylt in Gothenburg, Sweden. For more than 25 years, Stylt has combined concept development, interior architecture, design, and branding to create unique hospitality experiences for clients all over the world, including more than 400 restaurants and 250 hotels: the Pater Noster Lighthouse and the Niehku Mountain Villa in Sweden, the ANDAZ by Hyatt in Dubai, the 25h hotels in Düsseldorf, Copenhagen and Melbourne, the Downtown Camper by Scandic in Stockholm, the Smoki Moto JW Marriott in Dubai, the LEGO House in Billund, the Huus hotel in Gstaad, the Lydmar in Stockholm, the Spedition hotel in Switzerland, the Klaus K hotel in Helsinki, the Well Spa in Oslo, Le Rouge in Stockholm, Le Pain Français in Gothenburg, Creekside Villa in Canmore Canada, and the Stenungsbaden Yacht Club in Gothenburg.
Under Erik’s leadership, Stylt has won several awards: Global UNESCO Prix Versailles for Best Hotel Interior (twice), National Geographic Traveller Big Sleep Awards (twice), several AHEAD awards, Best New Boutique Hotel in the World, IH&P Award for Worlds Best SPA design and many more.
3 words to describe Nature?
Calm. Enchanting. Enriching
3 things Nature taught you?
Be humble
Be respectful
Feel alive
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The Solomon Sea
West Sweden Archipelago
The Norwegian Fjords
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Creative
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Alive
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Rejuvenating
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Stunning
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Majestic
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Captivating
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
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
The first time I tried snorkel gear, I was 4, a new world opened up in the Oslo fjord.
Pravin Pillay
Prav Pillay is the co-founder of Humanitas Smart Planet Fund, founder of Emergent Performance Consulting, and an artist, researcher, and educator whose creative practice explores how we locate ourselves through the politics of place, culture, and ecology. He has more than 35 years of experience as a social entrepreneur leading, developing and coaching high-performance teams and organizations working on progressive and challenging projects across private, public and not-for-profit sectors. He specializes in Progressive Tech orientation developed over almost 4 decades of involvement in mainframe operations, national data network management, new media and video streaming tech, robotics, AI, SAAS, military-grade surveillance and security, and social tech initiatives.
For several years, Prav was a co-facilitator of Media That Matters - a gathering of media change makers at Hollyhock a leading educational facility on west coast of Canada and more recently served as the Artist and Community Strategist in Residence with R.A.V.E.N. (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs), sessional instructor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design and also an Executive in Residence with VIATEC - a technology incubator in Victoria, BC.
Prav holds a B. Arts and Science from McMaster University, a BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, an MBA from McGill University and an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan. During his MFA, Prav sought to understand the nature of systems based artworks and collaborated with engineers in Human-Computer interaction to conduct art-science experiments that played in the intersection of art, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
3 words to describe Nature?
Truth. Beauty. Goodness
3 things Nature taught you?
The meaning of Truth
Beauty
Goodness
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The seasonal waterfall in the temperate rainforest near my island home in the Pacific North West
A particular island in a glacier-fed lake in the Xeni Gwet'in territory of British Columbia, Canada
A particular mountain top in the Sinai Desert
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
At home
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
At home
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
If active - I am in awe. If dormant - pensive.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
The beingness of the temporal moment in the vastness of time
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alive and awake
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Clean inside
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Each biome is equally compelling. The call is towards deep wild places.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Raising monarch butterfly caterpillars. First collecting the caterpillars and milkweed from under the bleachers of the suburban high school near my home. Then caring for the caterpillars and observing them undergo metamorphosis to chrysalid form and then to butterfly. Finally releasing the butterflies to nature.
Marc Keane
Marc Peter Keane is a landscape architect, artist and writer based in Kyoto, Japan. His work is deeply informed by Japanese aesthetics and design sense: simplicity, serendipity, off-balance balance, and naturally weathered patinas. Working in situations as divers as a 350-year-old house in Japan and a contemporary museum in the United States, he designs singular gardens that are both beautiful and contemplative. Keane is also known for his ceramic artwork and his many books on Japanese gardens and nature. (instagram)
3 words to describe Nature
Nature. Is. Everything.
3 things Nature taught you
Nothing. Is. Un-natural.
3 most treasured Nature spots
Weeds bursting through city sidewalks
Birds flying and nesting inside of Home Depot
Moss growing on shaded walls
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...
Connected to any and all things at once
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...
As if I’ve just come home
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...
Like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...
Momentarily much much bigger than I really am
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...
Depends on how many seconds after the lighting strike it comes (yes I count)
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...
Depends on where I am —
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person
I, like everyone else, am all of those
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being
The better question for our time is, on a scale of 1 to 10, how important are you to Nature’s well-being
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Camping in the Canadian forests, a violent night storm, ending abruptly, the clouds sliding off into the distance to reveal an ink-black sky pocked by an infinity of stars. And in the darkness between those stars… wonder.
Sofia Sanchez de Betak
Sofía Sanchez de Betak (aka, Barrenechea) is a Buenos Aires born, New York based, Art Director and Fashion Consultant.
An avid world traveler and style influencer, Sofía is the author of the Assouline published book, “Travels with Chufy",where she highlights off-the-radar hideaways and secluded retreats where those in the know seek unforgettable experiences. Sofía has been named among the 10 most influential women of Argentina, together with the country’s First Lady and the Vice-President. With a keen eye and love for fashion and travel, Sofía has collaborated with several magazines and brands, working on special projects and often served as a brand ambassador. This list includes Chanel, Valentino, Rodarte, Chloe, Mary Katrantzou, Peter Pilotto, Roger Vivier, Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Globe Trotter, Jason Wu, The Luxury Collection (Starwood Hotels), Vogue, Condé Nast Traveler, Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, Revista La Nación, Paper Magazine, among others.
3 words to describe Nature?
Prestine. Pure. Amusing
3 things Nature taught you?
That we should cherish it
That we should learn from her
That she is the wisest one of all
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Patagonia
Antarctica
Mallorca
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
In peace
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Small
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Powerless
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Blessed
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Awake
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Breathless
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?
Long horseback rides in the mountains of Patagonia… best views in the planet!