Mike Velings
Mike Velings is one of the managing partners and founders of Aqua-Spark, a global investment fund for sustainable aquaculture, combining a healthy financial profit with environmental and social impact. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mike has spent decades jumpstarting a range of successful businesses. Among other ventures, he co-founded Connexie, which has helped catalyze a professional employment industry across the Netherlands. Mike naturally combines his business background with environmental and social engagement. He understands the potential for business to create durable solutions to complex world problems. With this in mind, Mike founded A-Spark: an investment company that assists entrepreneurs across the globe in realizing their visions of a start-up with a world-changing element. Through A-Spark he has invested in a broad range of ventures over the years– both in the developed and developing world. Mike serves on several boards and is an active supporter of a range of non profits.
3 words to describe Nature?
Beautiful. Forceful. Unforgiving.
3 things Nature taught you?
Nature has an unparalleled capacity for efficient design
Resilience
The smaller parts are as important as the bigger parts
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Okavango Delta, Botswana
Southern Line Islands, Kiribati
Bazaruto Archipelago, Mozambique
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Fresh
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Calm
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Invigorated
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Alive
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?
8
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
With my best friend lying in the park, in the bushes, studying the behaviour of ducks in the pond
Jan Van Ijken
Jan van IJken is an internationally known documentary photographer and filmmaker from the Netherlands. Self-taught and working mainly autonomously on long-term projects and microscopy, he is interested in human/animal relationships and nature.
His most recent video BECOMING (2018) has been screened at more than 25 International Film Festivals and received the Award for Best Short Documentary at the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 2018 and the Vision Science Award at Imagine Science Abu Dhabi 2019. The film went ‘viral’ on the internet, being awarded the Vimeo Staff Pick and watched by a few million people on National Geographic, Aeon, Colossal, Live Science, IFLScience and numerous others.
His ART OF FLYING (2015) movie was Awarded Best Art Film at Pärnu Film Festival, Estonia. It was screened more than 50 times at international film Festivals, Galleries, Biennales, etc.
FACING ANIMALS (2012) won the Grand Prix Short Films at Split Film Festival, Croatia
Jan has published 3 books: Precious Animals (2005), New Neighbours (2004) and A touch of Divinity (2001)
3 words to describe Nature?
The connection with all other life
Pristine beauty
A fragile ecosystem, not to be destroyed by humans
3 things Nature taught you?
To be silent
That all life is one
To care for other creatures
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The North Sea and Waddenzee (NL)
Kagerplassen (NL)
Waterland (NL)
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Free
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Open
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Humble
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Joyful
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alive
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like running
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Definitely Ocean
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Ice skating in our neighborhood on local waters