Dianne Dain
Dianne Dain is the Chief Innovation Officer for the World Humanitarian Forum and a member of the WHO Innovation team. Recognized globally as a thought leader on women's influence and empowerment, sustainable tech, and social innovations, Dain is the co-founder of COPXX and an Honorary Professor at the Wise Center for Economic Justice at Glasgow Caledonia University. Additionally, she is the President of The Singer Foundation. Prior to these roles, Dianne was with the United Nations Secretariat where she lead the UN Reboot Accelerator for youth crowdsourcing and participated in the creation of the global network of UN Technology Innovation Labs (UNTIL). In 2010 she was named National Mother of America
3 words to describe Nature?
Majestic. Creator. Home
3 things Nature taught you?
Perspective
Humility
Gratitude
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Scottish Highlands
Palos Verdes Peninsula beaches
Waipio Valley, Hawaii
When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel...?
Eternally grateful for the rhythm and heartbeat of the universe
When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel...?
Grounded and connected to ancient wisdom
When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel...?
Humbled by the power and fire living within the earth Is walk upon
When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel...?
Thankful I am alive and get to see another day begin or end
When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel...?
Liberated from humans, worshipful of the power of the universe
When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel...?
Exhilarated and energized that the air
Are you an OCEAN, MOUNTAIN, FOREST, or DESERT person?
Forest and Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
My earliest memories are of being born looking for a connection to my environment. I was conceived during a surf lesson and abandoned as a baby at the Salvation Army. As a child, I would sit on the hillside overlooking the ocean and wonder how I came to be here and why. I spent hours alone on the hills because I intuitively felt most at home with the earth. She was my mother and nurtured me through a lack of strong human connections and identity as a child.
Dorothy Grant
Dorothy Grant is an internationally renowned fashion designer and traditional Haida artist. In 1988, Grant became the first to merge Haida art and fashion utilizing her formal training at the Helen Lefeaux School of Fashion Design. She believes that her clothing embodies the Haida philosophy Yaangudang, meaning “self respect", stating that the driving force behind her designs is “empowerment, pride and feeling good about oneself.”
She is the recipient of the National Aboriginal Achievement Business Award, the Asper Business Institute – “Business Woman of the Year” award, the Royal Canadian Academy Prestigious Award for the Arts, the BC Achievement Award for Individual Lifetime Achievement Award in Business and in May 2015, Dorothy received the “Order of Canada” for her contributions to Canada’s fashion industry and for mentoring youth through her example as a designer and entrepreneur. She was voted as one of 100 Most Influential Women in British Columbia by Vancouver Sun Newspaper and was honored at Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C.
Dorothy's work can be found in 15 museums world-wide, including the the Denver Fine Art museum, the Liverpool World Museum in the United Kingdom, the Natural History Museum in New York city, the Burke Museum in Seattle, the Seattle Art Museum, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the UBC Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, the Deyonge Museum in San Francisco, the Vancouver Museum and the Museum of Civilization in Hull.
He work has been commissioned for the Seattle Mayor's Office and former Canada Prime Minister Kim Campbell.
In February 2016 her “EAGLE RAVEN TUXEDO” was worn by actor, Duane E. Howard at the Oscars Red Carpet and in 2018, P. Diddy wore her RAVEN TEASING FROG KIMONO on his birthday.
3 words to describe Nature?
Balance. Power. Health
3 things Nature taught you?
Stillness
Awareness
Calm
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Hlk'yah G̱awG̱a (Windy Bay) - Gwaii Haanas National Park, Haida Gwaii
Lake Point, Point Roberts
Hiellen Haida Gwaii, Rose Spit
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
I live by the ocean and every day I see the tide come and go. The rhythm from the tide makes me appreciate and feel respectful about life’s rhythm. I also feel extremely aware that we need the ocean just like we need the air, or the land. We are all one.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Really calm and taken care of. I feel like trees have this tremendous power - every time I come back from Haida Gwaii, I feel revived and healed by them. I feel like I am one of their subjects, under their wisdom.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe, from a long distance. To be honest though, I can’t really relate since I haven’t experience it.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Reflective on the timing of all things, the cycle of life
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
I reminds me of the Thunderbird, the Native American legendary creature, as it flaps it winds, ready for take off. It makes me feel like anything can happen.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like nature is in control, a reminder that we have no control.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean and Forest
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory.
As child, we lived in Ketchikan, Alaska and our house was next to a creek. That creek was our favorite playground. I knew every little nook and cranny, the places we could play like this swimming hole at the mountain’s edge, or others we had to stay away, like those giant rapids high up. I spent so much time, countless hours exploring that creek.
