Aaron Olivera
Aaron Olivera is the Founder and CEO of Earth 300, a global environmental multidisciplinary initiative incorporating a 300 meter super science vessel for research, exploration, and innovation at sea. Equipped with 22 states of the art labs and frontier technologies such as AI, Robotics, and quantum capabilities, a team of 160 scientists from different fields, will work together on climate science, ecosystem restoration, and planetary stewardship. Marrying science, technology, adventure, exploration, and education, Earth 300’s mission is to ring the climate alarm on a global scale and inspire the greatest and largest climate action effort in history.
Aaron was instrumental in the launching of the world’s first Porsche Design megayacht Catamaran – the famed 41 meter RFF-135, helping secure the financing needed to develop it and launch it with a hospitality package that forms part of a timesharing program aimed at reducing the ecological footprint of the UHNW community.
Aaron lives in Singapore but spends half of his time traveling. He is a member of the invite-only Monaco Private Label presided by Prince Albert II of Monaco, and of The Explorers Club (NYC).
3 words to describe Nature?
Astonishing. Miraculous. Alien.
3 things Nature taught you?
Humility
Fragility
Abundance
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Beach
Ocean
Ancient Forest
When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel...?
Wondrous
When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel...?
Foolish
When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel...?
Ashamed
When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel...?
Loved
When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel...?
Redeemed
When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel...?
Scared
Are you an OCEAN, MOUNTAIN, FOREST, or DESERT person?
Depends on the season
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Going to the beach early with my father and diving into large waves. Feeling fragile and strong at the same time, that sense of lack of control and yet able to bounce back.
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
Megan Harrison
MEGAN HARRISON is an artist who works in a variety of media and exhibits her work nationally. Most recently she was included in the exhibition Geomagic at NMSU, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. Her artwork depends on images and insights from geology, architecture, astronomy and Nature. She explores the complexity of the world around her wherever she is. Watch the video, the Complexity of Scale, made by Walley Films.
3 words to describe Nature?
Compounding complexity
Transformative
Penetrating
3 things Nature taught you?
You don’t have to be lucky enough to travel to exotic places to interact with Nature. Nature is a constant and creative force that pushes itself into every aspect of our world, from the remote and distant wilderness to cracks in the sidewalk.
No matter how big, the drama and story of our individual life pales in comparison to the scale, history and complexity of the world that we belong to.
We are shaped, physically and psychology, by natural forces. Our neurological landscape mirrors that of our physical one, complete with domesticated centers, rural outposts and untouched wilderness.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where I grew up.
The North-East coast of the United Stated and into Canada. Instead of sandy beaches you will find huge slabs of ancient granite facing off against a dynamic and pristine ocean.
The wilderness of northern Minnesota (minus the mosquitos). Through all of the water channels and tiny islands you can go and go and go until it feels like you are a million miles away.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Salt water, sun kissed, wind-blown - when I look at the ocean I can sense for a brief moment the scale of the planet we live on.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
I feel like I could spend all day there, listening to the sound of my steps, watching the light through the trees, finding a spot have a snack. I am so at home there.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
When I see a volcano, it feels like all of my Earth Science textbooks have come to life. I can imagine the Earth’s crust, the lithosphere, the mantle and all of the tectonic plates bobbing around.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Seeing the sunset is an experience that usually comes to you. You are moving through your day and look up, and there it is.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
After a flash of lightning, the feeling of anticipation, waiting for that thunder to follow, is so satisfying.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cozy and happy to have a good roof over my head.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Today I feel like a Forest person.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
A 10. In fact, just thinking about nature has positive effects; the idea of wilderness shapes such a large part of the human psyche.
Share with us a childhood nature memory
My dad took me on a short camping trip when I was 7 or 8. It was the first time I experienced hiking into a natural space with a pack as opposed to camping next to a car. It felt like we walked for a very long time, though it was probably less than a mile. It was just far enough to feel really surrounded by the landscape. I remember green everywhere, cold mornings, and the smell of the tent. I was amazed watching my dad; he knew all sorts of tricks - how to set up a tent, start a fire, hook a fishing line, cook outside, brush your teeth and clean dishes without running water. I would love to go find that spot again. I am curious to see how my memory has interpreted that space.