Alexandra Horowitz

Alexandra Horowitz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know; Being a Dog: Following the Dog into a World of Smell; and Our Dogs, Ourselves. She is a dog-cognition researcher and teaches at Barnard College, where she runs the Dog Cognition Lab. She has written about topics as varied as attention, imitation, fairness, guilt, captivity, patents, play, and footnotes; from animal representation in children’s books to things people say to their dogs; from anthropomorphisms of animals to dogs in movies. She has been described as “a New World reverse of the Oulipo eminence Georges Perec,” a “skilled investigative reporter,” and a “reasonably sane adult human.” She lives with her family and two large, highly sniffy dogs, one cat, and one puppy in New York City.

3 words to describe Nature?

Integral. Formidable. Omnipresent

3 things Nature taught you?

Respect the unknown

There is wisdom in tree growth and bird activity and mosses. 

Nature is everywhere.

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Among giant redwoods 

On a walking path in the Japanese Alps 

In our local forest surrounded by my family

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Awed. I'm humbled by the ocean, which does not care about me. I treat it carefully. 

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Delighted that there is such a community without people. 

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

I've never seen a volcano 

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Pleased to have color vision.

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Moved to go indoors. 

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Like smelling into the breeze. 

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Forest 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10 

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Remembering camping with my dog among quaking Aspen in the high country of Utah, my senses are all awakened: between the perfect clarity of the air, the smell of drying grasses and sage, and the sound of Aspen leaves gently tinkling against each other.


Azuma Makoto

Azuma Makoto has been in the flower business since 2002, and is an owner of the haute-couture floral shop, “JARDINS des FLEURS” in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo. In addition to the flower shop business, Azuma began to explore the expressive potential of flowers and plants in 2005. He invented the genre of the ”Botanical sculpture,” which is one of his formative expressions. Following a solo exhibition in New York, his audacious works have been repeatedly shown in Europe and the U.S. While launching the experimental botanical lab AMKK in 2009, he went on to exhibit his works at art museums, galleries, and public spaces all over the world. In recent years, Azuma has been focusing on projects that explore the connections between human beings and flowers. He continues to pursue the beauty of plants from his distinctive point of view. Check his Instagram

3 words to describe Nature?

God. Origin of Life. Womb

3 things Nature taught you?

Awe*

Coexistence

Cycle (Cycle of life) 

*Awe refers to a feeling a person has when he/she is in fear of something which is much bigger than himself/herself and he/she can’t compete with, such as God, nature and the universe.

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Amazon (Belém in Amazon)

Yakushima Island

Xishuangbanna

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

A swell

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

A breath

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

A beat

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Hope and despair

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Fear and excitement

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Peace of mind and presence

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?

When I was little, I used to play at the mountain called “Miyajidake Mountain” which was located behind my home until sunset. The lessons I learned from this experience have become such precious time for me. I am so happy that I could spend my childhood with this experience where I was able to perceive not only sensibility and instinct as a human being but also my view of life and death* and my view of life as something transient and empty** through nature.

There is no doubt that this childhood experience has a great influence on how I make my living now by interacting with flowers and plants.

*one’s view of life and death means a point of view which a person bases off of when he/she makes a decision and takes action about the acts of living and dying. It is a way of thinking regarding life and death.

**a view of life as something transient and empty means a mindset that everything is impermanence.


Kirstine Stewart

Kirstine Stewart is the Head of Shaping the Future of Media and a Member of the Executive Committee at the World Economic Forum where she leads a team working with the CEOs, Chairs and other CSuite execs from more than 40 major global media companies including Google, Facebook, Tencent, NBCU, Bytedance and more. The team works with these media leaders to keep the industry on the leading edge in a disrupted marketplace. 

Kirstine first worked at the intersection of tech and media when she led the Media and Content Teams as VP North America for Twitter, transitioning after she built the fastest-growing Twitter ad sales office in the world, located in Canada. As VP Media in New York, Kirstine led teams driving content creation and business partnerships in News and Government, Entertainment, Music, and Sports. 

Before moving to Twitter, Kirstine was the Head of Canada’s national broadcaster the CBC. She is credited with reviving the public broadcaster by introducing such hit shows as Dragons’ Den, Murdoch Mysteries, Heartland, and more, expanding CBC’s reach across TV and Radio and taking the Corp through a major digital transformation marked by the 2014 Olympics. 

Over her career, Kirstine held series of executive positions in Canada, and the US focused on the global expansion of US brands including leading Canada’s HGTV and Food network and management and programming 37 international channels for Hallmark with offices in Denver, Hong Kong, New York, and LA. 

Prior to her work at the Forum, Kirstine held C-suite positions at two successful tech startups, the most recent being digital transformation company TribalScale working with John Hancock and Emirates among other international Fortune 1000 companies. She has served on a number of public, private, and nonprofit boards and advisories including TheScore, WOW (Creators of Castlevania) PSP Investments, and Ryerson University’s DMZ. 

Kirstine is also the author of the bestselling leadership book published by Random House “Our Turn”.

3 words to describe Nature?

Overwhelming. Beautiful. Respect

3 things Nature taught you?

That there are literally things bigger than yourself. 

That humans are not in control. 

But that humans can do damage on a horrendous scale.

3 most treasured Nature spots?

The pitons of St Lucia

The Niagara escarpment

The Colorado Rockies

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Calm

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Inquisitive

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

Trembling

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Alive

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Guttural

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Displaced

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Lake & river

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Falling in the 16mile creek catching crawfish at school


Marc Seguin

Marc Séguin is a French Canadian painter and novelist whose work is held in several important collections. He splits his time between his home in Montréal, Québec, and his Brooklyn, New York studio. Touching on themes of the politically backward, the environmentally compromised and the socially divided, his work reveals deeper truths about the nature of humanity through images that are not only thought-provoking but beautifully elegiac.

Since 2000, the Musée d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec have all acquired major works by Marc Séguin. His prints and paintings can be found in numerous Canadian corporate collections and those of major private Canadian and American collectors. To date, Marc Séguin has held more than 20 solo shows and participated in many more group exhibitions and art fairs around the world, including Madrid, Barcelona, Venice, Berlin, Cologne, New York, Miami, Chicago, Brussels, and Namur.

Marc Séguin has also published 4 critically acclaimed fiction novels – La foi du braconnier, Hollywood, Nord Alice, and Jenny Sauro. He also directed and produced a feature film, Stealing Alice, and directed a documentary entitled The State of the Farm.

3 words to describe Nature? 

A Resilient & Beautiful Thing

3 things Nature taught you?

Patience

Violence

Creativity

3 most treasured Nature spots?

The ocean

The island I live on

Anywhere in the wind

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Introspective

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Human, impaired and perfect

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

Like being on a spaceship made of rock

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Like time has passed again

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Unfit to live in nature. It also means I gotta get out of the river and stop fishing for a while.

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Powerful forces can be invisible. And it draws a smile. Every time.

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Anywhere, as long as it remains wild and not impacted by us.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Playing and shaping my child’s world with mud.

 


Yazemeenah Rossi

Yazemeenah Rossi is a professional photographer, social entrepreneur, and pioneering age-defying international fashion model (one of the first ones to assume her white hair). She started her modeling career at age 30, normally the age of retirement for the industry, then became a model for The Ford Modeling Agency in New York City. She has appeared in hundreds of campaigns and magazines all over the world. She is also the founder of YAZEMEENAH, a social enterprise that produces her unique design of Yak or Cashmere shawls that are made by hand, from families in Kathmandu, Nepal. Part of the proceeds supports children at the Destitute and Orphans Children Safeguarding Foundation. At the age of 65 and with a combined 350,000 followers on social media (Instagram/Facebook), Rossi continues to promote her vision of health and natural beauty. Originally from Corsica, she now lives in Malibu, California. 

3 words to describe Nature?

 Primordial. Beauty. Powerful. 

3 things Nature taught you?

Freedom

Wisdom

Inner Power

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Water

Deserts

Skies

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?

Timeless, whole, Infinite

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?

 Mesmerized, Green hypnotizes me

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?

Powerful, Ancient, connected to the Origins

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?

Part of the Universe, dissolving

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?

Alive, vibrant, warrior

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?

Wild, Free… The wind speaks to me secrets

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Desert by the Ocean :)

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Corsica, no running water, no electricity until I was 10 on the beach where I lived raised by my grandparents totally immersed in Nature. Washing our bodies and laundry at the river, collecting drinking water coming from a rock under the giant wild fig tree…Vision of my grandmother carrying our precious water in a clay pot on her head … running with my little legs on the desert beach without tourists at that time, all for me ... playing with crabs in the rocs; turtles, lizards, and snakes were my pets … Fishing, gardening, hunting with my grandfather, cooking with my grandmother, knitting by the fireplace with story telling…Nature provided everything we needed, it has been my best teacher… Nature is raw, beauty, and wisdom. It fed me and imprinted my soul for a lifetime, molded me into who I am today.

 


Susan Rockefeller

Susan Rockefeller is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, artist, and conservationist. Her latest endeavor, Musings is a digital magazine that curates ideas and innovations that pave the way for a more sustainable future. As the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Musings, Susan offers a portal to vetted products and brands that are pioneers in health, environmental, and social consciousness.

Susan is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and is additionally an advisor to Food Systems 6, MADE SAFE, Oceanic Global, and Ohana & Co. In her film work, Rockefeller is a Principal of Louverture films and a member of the Film Committee for the Museum of Modern Art. Her own original films include: Food For Thought, Food for Life, Striking a Chord, Making the Crooked Straight, and Mission of Mermaids, have aired on HBO, PBS, and the Discovery Channel.

A longstanding philanthropist, Susan sits on the boards of Oceana, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, We are Family Foundation, Southampton Arts Center, and Land and Garden Preserve.

3 words to describe Nature? 

Powerful. Beautiful. Mysterious 

3 things Nature taught you? 

How to observe

How to listen

How to imagine my place in the cycle of living and dying 

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

Sagaponack Beach, Long Island, NY 

Little Long Pond, Seal Harbor, MAINE 

Kobuk River, Alaska 

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

Mesmerized, in rhythm with life’s current and my own. 

When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?

Like I want to lie down, feel the warmth of the sun, look at the sky, and smell the forest scents around me.

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?

Like I want to climb to the top of Stromboli again and glissade down the ash!

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

A sunrise gives rise to the promise of a new day and I yearn to feel that promise - a sunset is a reminder of the passing of another precious day and I feel reflective of whether I made the day count before retreating into a night slumber.

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

Alert with anticipation of oncoming rain and the possibility of lighting. 

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Like God’s voice is present 

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

Love them all. But more an Ocean person for the mermaid in me, a forest person for plants as medicine and the healer in me, a mountain person for vistas and wildflowers, and a desert person for the dry heat of the day in which to hike, and the deep dark blackness of a desert night sky. 

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

Scales don’t measure it - it is not linear and way beyond a scale; more like a kaleidoscope of delight, color, mystery, and vital to my well being and to all life. 

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

Being on a sandy beach with my brother and sister, digging into the warm sand and mesmerized by the variety of colors in the sand itself, diving into the ocean waves and belonging and feeling at one with the waves, salt water, sun, and sand - delighting in the joy of it all. Pure imaginative, physical joy, and happy memories of being a child at play and in wonder with my family.


Yancey Strickler

Yancey Strickler is a writer and entrepreneur. He is the cofounder and former CEO of Kickstarter, author of This Could Be Our Future: A Manifesto for a More Generous World, and the creator of Bentoism. Yancey has been recognized as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People. He cofounded the artist resource The Creative Independent and the record label eMusic Selects. Yancey grew up in Clover Hollow, Virginia, and began his career as a music critic in New York City. The London Spectator called him "one of the least obnoxious tech evangelists ever."

3 words to describe Nature?

Shhhwwwwwwww (wind through the trees)

tckltckltckltckltckl (leaves on the ground)

grglgrglgrglgrgl (water falling from a rocky cave)

3 things Nature taught you?

How to hide

What it means to be healthy

The upside of death

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Canopied forests with pine needles on the ground

Any beach

The farm where I grew up 

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Infinite

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Taller

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

Side-eyed

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Like a George Harrison song

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Five years old

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Small

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

E) All of the above

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Age twelve waiting for the bus when a deer, wounded by a hunter's bullet, came staggering out of the woods and collapsed across the street from me. I stayed with it and spoke with it until its eyes went blank.

 


Stefan Simcowitz

Stefan Simchowitz is a controversial Los Angeles based art collector, art curator, art advisor and founder of Simco's Club, an art-collecting, selling, and promoting website dedicated to successful, young, and emerging artists around the world. In November 2015, he was ranked #95 in Art Review Magazine's POWER 100, a list of the "most influential people in the contemporary artworld." He was famously dubbed “The Art World’s Patron Satan” by the New York Times back in 2014. Journalist Andrew Goldstein of New York Magazine, Artnet, and Artspace, argues that Simcho is destabilizing outdated art-world archetypes that perpetuate dangerous myths about how art is distributed, displayed, and discussed.

After college, Stefan started a film production company responsible for a number of feature films and shorts, such as Darren Aronofsky's critically acclaimed drama, Requiem for a Dream. He co-founded the celebrity photo and video service, WireImage, which eventually sold to Getty Images in 2007 for $200 million.

Stefan is a vocal proponent of social media as a legitimate way of discovering, distributing, and popularizing the fine arts, primarily using Facebook and Instagram as platforms for self-promotion, discovering new artists, and endorsing those he already manages. 

3 words to describe Nature?

Electron. Neutron. Proton 

3 things Nature taught you?

We are all one and the same

Nature defines the rules of the game

Understand the end is not different to the beginning and you will be fine 

3 most treasured Nature spots?

The hills of Tuscany

The sea of Liguria

The Blue Mountains 

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Like going for a swim 

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Going for a walk 

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

Like wishing I was getting a cold brew coffee and pastry 

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Like an ancient human

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Getting inside

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Getting under the duvet 

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Somewhere between the forest and the mountain  

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

10 

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

The game reserve, safari.

 


Bonnie Hillman

Originally from NY, Bonnie moved to Toronto, Canada in 1989 because she met and fell in love with a Canadian, and was ready to leave NYC. Having worked in communications and sponsorship, both in the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Bonnie bought A&C from its founder in 2004. A pioneering cultural sponsorship agency at the time, Bonnie bet that its results-driven ethos could translate to the entire communications offering. (She won that bet and then some.) Bonnie is sought out by clients for counsel both professional and personal, and speaks at sponsorship and communications conferences in North America. She's a leading authority on sponsorship strategy and negotiation, with three decades in communications, strategic planning and corporate partnerships in New York and Toronto. Her current focus is city-building, and finding ways unprecedented public-private partnerships can work to help fund innovative spaces in cities. 

Having offices in Toronto and Seattle, and a small but mighty team who punches well above their weight, A&C is Bonnie’s full time job, vocation and passion. Bonnie’s volunteer life has included stints on the Board of Directors of the Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada, the Stratford Chefs School, Evergreen Foundation, and the Loran Scholars Foundation. ​ Bonnie has a great family – two exceptional adult sons, a wonderful husband, and an extremely cute French Bulldog. She is lucky enough to have the best of both the city and nature, so when she’s not walking to work in downtown Toronto, she’s on the dock at Lake of Bays in Muskoka, Ontario. Or traveling. Or doing yoga. Or traveling to a yoga retreat. Or any number of other things that make her happy, usually involving beautiful places and interesting people. And great food and wine.

3 words to describe Nature?

Real. Gorgeous. Dramatic

3 things Nature taught you?

How to be resourceful

How insignificant I and my worries are

How to listen

3 most treasured Nature spots?

The lake my house is on

A specific campsite in Algonquin Park, Canada

A small cove in Greece

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Invigorated and young

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Curious

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

I’ve only ever seen on in the distance, so it hasn’t felt real

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Lucky

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Happy

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

Safe

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?

Ocean and Mountain

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?

15

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

A very early memory is being on a beach with my family, hearing the ocean and feeling the sticky, hot feeling of the sand, cooling off in the ocean, jumping the waves, and getting sticky and sandy again. And how when I closed my eyes at night, I’d only see waves.

 


Michelle Welsch

Michelle Welsch has advised Fortune 500 brands, produced large-scale events, and has raised over $700,000USD for various social causes. Her experiences in government, private, academic, and public sectors have provided her unique insight to help businesses and entrepreneurs refine communications and strategy.

After founding Project Exponential, an invite-only dinner series, she helped bring solar to a monastery in Nepal. Her experiences teaching English to Buddhist monks led to the establishment of Khata: Life, a nonprofit encouraging education and leadership. Her attention is now focused on the Learning House, a community center she built from the ground up to foster creativity and learning.

Michelle earned her masters from Columbia University in New York City and graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado. She considers Seth Godin one of her greatest teachers.

3 words to describe Nature? 

Wild. Inspiring. Free

3 things Nature taught you? 

To pause

To be grateful

To listen

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Wonderland Lake in Boulder, Colorado -- so many memories here.

Phewa Tal (Fewa Lake) in Pokhara, Nepal -- a place I visit to ground myself and find perspective.

Central Park in New York City -- the perfect spot to unwind and remember what is important in life.

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

Insignificant, in awe, and thoughtful

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...? 

Curious and filled with wonder

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...? 

Energized yet apprehensive

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

Thankful and at peace

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

A bit of grumbling can be relaxing; louder booms unsettling!

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Depends where I am, but howling wind tends to make me anxious.

Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person? 

Mountain-Forest combo

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being? 

10

Share with us a childhood nature memory?

Growing up in Colorado, nature was always important to me. We didn't have a lot of money, but my mom made sure we took advantage of our "backyard playground." From fishing to hiking, picnics in fields, or drives up into Estes Park, I was fortunate to learn early on that nature isn't something to fear but something to respect and embrace. I could spend hours in the grass watching clouds pass. No matter where I have lived --- New York City, Nepal --- nature has been my grounding point, the place I return when I need clarity or inspiration.

 


Shari Sant Plummer

Environmental philanthropist and ocean activist Shari Sant Plummer is President and co-founder of Code Blue Charitable Foundation, Secretary/Trustee of the Summit Charitable Foundation, founding board member of the Sylvia Earle Alliance, board member of the National Aquarium in Baltimore, and former Vice President of Seacology. Shari is also a member of the Ocean Unite Advisory Board, WWF National Council, and Nature’s Best Photography Advisory Council. A proponent of impact photography and filmmaking, she served as board chair of the International League of Conservation Photographers for five years and is currently an affiliate. 

In addition to her philanthropic work, Shari also produces documentary films including the Emmy award-winning Netflix documentaries “Mission Blue” (Executive Producer), and “Chasing Coral” (Associate Producer). She is also Executive Producer on the award-winning films “Anote’s Ark,” “Sharkwater Extinction,” and “Ghost Fleet.”

A graduate of NYU, Shari worked as Senior Stylist and Design Director for Ralph Lauren in New York for nine years, then as Visual Director at Esprit. She later founded the environmental lifestyle store, Worldware, in San Francisco in 1994. She sold the business in 2001 and now devotes herself full-time to conservation work, with a focus on producing impact media to inspire change.

An avid diver, photographer and ocean activist, Shari travels extensively throughout the world promoting ocean conservation and environmental awareness and lives in New York and California with her husband Dan and their dog Brody.

3 words to describe Nature?

Miraculous. Humbling. Fragile

3 things Nature taught you?

Respect

Love

Resilience

3 most treasured Nature spots?

Cocos Island, Costa Rica

Millennium Atoll, Kiribati

Our farm in the Catskill Mountains, New York

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?

Curious, energized, alive!

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?

Comforted it’s still there!

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?

Afraid and exhilarated

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?

Reverent awe

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?

Apprehensive.

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?

..like diving under the covers!

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?

Is this a trick question? More than 10!

Share with us a childhood nature memory.

Body surfing is a tradition in my family, so at an early age, I regularly braved the icy waves in Santa Cruz, where we had a beach house.

I would run intrepidly into the frigid sea, dodging the crushing turbulence of the waves by diving deep beneath them. I loved the feeling of the oceans power passing over me, almost as much as the thrill of catching a ride!

One day after diving through several waves, I surfaced to realize there were no more waves coming. I had inadvertently moved into deep ocean and was now caught in a riptide which was rapidly pulling me out to sea! I was alternating treading water and trying to swim back to shore when a vigilant stranger noticed and swam out to rescue me.

Though It was a frightening experience, it didn’t deter me from continuing to spend long summer days salty and sunburned in the waves, nor did it diminish my love for all thing’s ocean. But, it was a valuable lesson in humility, and in respect for the ultimate power of nature.

 


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.

 


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), VogueCondé Nast TravelerHarper’s BazaarW MagazineRevista La NaciónPaper 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!


Michelle Young

MICHELLE YOUNG is the founder of Untapped Cities, a web magazine and tour company about urban discovery. She is a graduate of Harvard College in the History of Art and Architecture and holds a master’s degree in urban planning from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, where she is an Adjunct Professor of Architecture. She is also a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music, Pre-College Division. She is the author of Secret Brooklyn: An Unusual Guide, New York: Hidden Bars & Restaurants, and Broadway. Michelle appears regularly as a guest speaker in documentaries, on television, and at conferences on urban issues. Originally from New York, she has traveled to over forty countries and is always looking for the next adventure.

3 words to describe Nature? 

Calm. Colorful. Casualty

3 things Nature taught you? 

No matter how wide your imagination, nature is often the most creative and stunning. As a result, once it's gone, it is easy to forget what was once there. At the same time, nature has an incredible way of adapting around human behavior, taking over in the cracks and crevices when we're still around, and completely taking over when we're not.

3 most treasured Nature spots? 

L'île Marquer (in Brittany, France);

Shelter Island;

Prospect Park (Brooklyn)

When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...? 

At peace

When you see a forest, it makes you feel...? 

Surrounded

When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...? 

In awe

When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...? 

In the city. New York City has some of the most amazing sunrises and sunsets!

When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...? 

Cozy

When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...? 

Wintry

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? 

9, although as a city person I only realized in the last few years the importance of it for my own sanity!

Share with us a childhood nature memory? 

Walking up through a river in Vermont with camp friends, none of us having a map but perfectly content at having no particular destination. At the end, it turned out to be a gorgeous waterfall and big swimming hole.