Kelly Alvarez Doran
Kelly Alvarez Doran is an architect and climate activist. A native of Winnipeg - Kelly has learned and worked across the world over the past two decades and currently calls London, UK home. Professionally Kelly has worked with MASS Design Group (Kigali), SvN (Toronto), and WilliamsonWilliamson (Toronto), and Severson Monteyne (Winnipeg). His focus on climate-positive design architecture and the disproportionate impact the built environment has on climate change has shaped his design approach. He has led the design of award-winning projects - notably Munini District Hospital and Rwanda Ministry of Health’s Typical Hospital Plans; the headquarters for both One Acre Fund and Andela in Kenya; and the Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture. Kelly is a graduate of the University of Manitoba, the University of Toronto, a recipient of the Canada Council’s Prix de Rome for Emerging Practitioners. He is a Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto and has previously held teaching positions at The Bartlett, Harvard University, and the University of Waterloo.
3 words to describe Nature?
Replenishing. Complex. Intrinsic
3 things Nature taught you?
We are all intrinsically connected - socially, biologically, and ecologically.
Nature's nature is to constantly adapt - it will outlast humanity.
We are a part of nature and thrive when working within the natural systems we emerged within.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Manitoba's Prairie grassland
An Algonquin Park campsite
An Essex estuary
When you look at the OCEAN, it makes you feel...?
Connected to the power of nature.
When you see a FOREST, it makes you feel...?
Closer to the endless cycles of growth and decay.
When you see a VOLCANO, it makes you feel...?
Like an inconsequential collection of biological material.
When you see a SUNRISE or SUNSET, it makes you feel...?
Connected to the cosmos.
When you hear THUNDER, it makes you feel...?
Nostalgic for a prairie thunderstorm
When you hear the WIND HOWLING, it makes you feel...?
Nostalgic for a prairie winter's night
Are you an OCEAN, MOUNTAIN, FOREST, or DESERT person?
Prairie
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
8
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Endless hours spent traveling across the prairie to the small farming community where my grandparent's lived - looking out the car window at the long, flat, prairie horizon and the ocean of different colors across the fields, meadows, ditches, and forests along the way has created a deep appreciation for how much we've transformed the landscape to our own ends, and how we must now break out of the mindset of dominion and return to one deeply connected to the natural rhythms and cycles of the landscapes we inhabit.
Charles Michel
Charles Michael connects art, gastronomy, experimental psychology, crossmodalism, human-centered design, theory of change and ritual to catalyse communities and foster human development. He has recently starred as a master chef in Netflix’ latest food show The Final Table, but my work has taken many shapes.
Charles has published over 12 papers in peer-reviewed journals on multisensory science, co-created a multisensory VR experience to take the viewer to the Amazon forest, and a spoon that enhances flavour perception and nudges towards healthier, more mindful eating.
At the intersection of community and social change, he’s helped design a sustainable village project in Ecuador (Tanusas), founded an artistic movement (Crossmodalism) inspired by total art and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Charles also has designed transformational gatherings (Domus) and directed events for hundreds of young leaders (Sandbox) in Kenya, Europe and South America.
He’s given over 30 talks on the future of food and eating, on stages such as The Royal Society with Prof. Brian Cox, at The Royal Institution’s famous “Faraday Theatre”, Tech conferences, Burning Man, TEDxHackney and TEDxMogadishu. He currently teaches through Patreon, and have designed courses on Culinary Leadership, Sensorial Exploration and Luxury Gastronomy for the Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon.
3 words to describe Nature?
LIFE. UNIVERSAL. SACRED.
3 things Nature taught you?
That humans are the nervous system of the planet, in the way we exchange information and resources.
That it is the greatest source of wisdom and innovation, if we know how to look, and if we pay enough attention to what is really going on, putting time into perspective.
That contemplation is a natural state of humans, and that doing it more often is healthy, just like meditation.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The “Heart of the World” - Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta in Colombia, home to the largest indigenous tribe still operating in pre-Columbian ways.
The forest where we build a treehouse with my father, near Bordeaux.
Iceland in the winter… I felt like traveling on a different planet.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Small… I have a deep sense of reverence to the Ocean, it is a mystery that we are not able to understand fully.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Connected to everything. Abundant.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
The immense power of the flying rock we are standing on and we call home. A mix of fear and full presence.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Pure Awe…
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
A blend of excitement and humility. And extreme comfort, if I find myself in a warm, dry place.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Energised. I feel it carries a message.
In ancient pre-columbian wisdom, the wind is a woman who carries a song, a message that we must listen to carefully.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I think I’m a forest person. The trees reaching their arms up to the sky, roots deep into the black earth, the mycelium web intimately and discreetly interconnecting everything. The vegetation capturing and storing sunlight, water and carbon to sustain life and ignite the cycles. Breathing organism, pulsating to the energy of solstices, dancing with light and dark.
I relate to Forests more than any other living ecosystem.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10. We should listen to nature more often…
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I was 7 or 8, in the eastern Orinoco plains of Colombia. My family owns land and are farmers and ranchers. I remember the day I went on a full day of work with my cousins, all barefoot riding horses, to go check on the cattle in remote parcels of land. Crossing rivers, passing by caimans and seeing flocks of birds flying. The journey lasted for about 8 hours, I remember well the feeling when we got back to the ranch at sunset… the smell of the tired sweaty horse, the mud on my feet, the companionship of family and the comfortable shelter where the mothers had prepared warm sancocho soup and cold “agua de panela” - water with raw cane syrup and lemon… I was proud to have made it!
Nicole Davis-Bisnow
Nicole Davis-Bisnow is the founder of RedFlag.org, a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and supporting grassroots activism. Her passion for global activism started early in her career when she worked as an international vanguard journalist covering conflict and human interest stories for Current TV. Davis-Bisnow earned a Bachelor’s Degree in philosophy and a Master’s in Art History from New York University. She is also certified as a facilitator in Equine Therapy from Eponaquest in Southern Arizona. She is currently creating a “healing ranch” in Liberty, Utah as a meeting place for people of all ages, backgrounds and economic access to reconnect with nature and experience the healing power of horses.
3 words to describe Nature?
My. Best. Friend
3 things Nature taught you?
Unconditional Love
Self-Confidence
My Truth
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The American National Parks (a special mention for my hometown parks: The Florida Everglades and Biscayne Bay National Park)
“The Enchanted Forest” a secret spot on Powder Mountain, my current home in the Wasatch Mountains of Northern Utah.
Sarara Camp in Namunyak Sumburu Country, Northern Kenya—a place I consider my home away from home.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
The presence of a great compassionate mother
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Connected to ancient wisdom and magic
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
The beating pulse of our Earth’s molten heart
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
In awe that no matter how many times I’ve seen a sunrise or sunset I still fill with the same delight and gratitude as the first one
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
Nostalgic for my childhood in Florida
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
A stir in my heart to play outside
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
An Old Growth Forest and A High Alpine Meadow Person
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10 - My well being and the well being of nature are inextricable.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I grew up in a city without a night sky. When I was about five my parents sent me away to the mountains of West Virginia for summer camp. One night our counselors rustled us awake with hushed voices—beckoning us to follow them out into the forest surrounding our cabin. We walked bewildered in the cold night air through excited whispers, until we came to an open meadow. They laid a blanket on the ground for us and had us lay back and look up. My heart ceased. There was not a patch of that moonless sky that didn’t have a glittering star. Just remembering how stunned and enamored I was with that sky, that moment, that ageless understanding of truth, brings tears back to my eyes. Then came my first shooting star, and there was no turning back.