Joel Primus
An entrepreneur among other things, Joel Primus is the founder and creative visionary behind Naked Underwear. He helped raise over $17 million, establishing retail distribution at Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, Hudson’s Bay, and Bloomingdales. Naked completed a merger with Australian-based industry powerhouse, Bendon Lingerie, exiting in 2018. Recently, Joel co-founded Kosan, a travel clothing company that launched one of the most successful Kickstarter apparel products of all time—reaching nearly $1 million in sales in 30 days. He was one of the inaugural BC Business top 30 under 30 Entrepreneurs and is also an author and award-winning documentary filmmaker.
His new book Getting Naked: The Bare Necessities of Entrepreneurship & Start-ups is due out February 1st. Order here.
Once an elite long-distance runner, he now enjoys daily training, meditation, and time with his family on their farm outside Vancouver.
3 words to describe Nature?
Harsh. Gentle. Rhythmic
3 things Nature taught you?
Awareness
My place in the cosmos
To be still
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Omineca Mountain Range
The desert
Foothills of the Rockies
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Infinite
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Connected
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Fragile
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Alive in my human experience
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Energized
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cozy
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
All
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Running through the forest trails in my own backyard. With my feet almost gliding over the earth I'd feel like a wild animal...in between worlds.
Bruce Langereis
Bruce is the President of Delta Land Development, which seeks to redefine and transform the building and construction industry by putting wellness and environmental stewardship at the center of all its projects. Striving to find new ways of building net-positive developments, Bruce and his team move forward following a strict set of goals that include: promoting biodiversity, reducing the need for cars, reducing waste, storing carbon, capturing rain, producing energy, and contributing positively to the livability, health, and welfare of the inhabitants. Their recent project, SoLo, a zero-emissions, mass timber, net carbon negative, entirely off the grid and self-sustainable house in the Soo Valley near Whistler, designed by Perkins and Will, models the future of environmental building and sets the stage for Delta’s Bellevue and 22nd project in West Vancouver and Canada’s Earth Tower development in Vancouver. SoLo was recently featured in many architectural magazines, including Azure, Dwell, and many others.
Bruce grew up in East Vancouver. He started as a heavy-duty mechanic then shifted to being a commercial realtor. Almost 35 years ago he joined Macauley Nicolls Maitland (now Colliers International) which led him to successfully selling the historic Georgia Hotel in 1988 for a record 38M. Delta Land Development recently completed the 450M redevelopment of the Rosewood Georgia Hotel.
Bruce is a floatplane and commercial helicopter pilot, martial artist, avid rock climber, golfer, fisherman, and bow hunter. He once spent a full month in total wilderness isolation and heads out to nature every chance he can.
3 words to describe Nature?
Rhythmic. Engaging. Soulful
3 things Nature taught you?
Fear
Respect
Rhythm
3 most treasured Nature spots?
The next 3 places I visit!!!! I love it all
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Makes me feel Like exploring it
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Peaceful, tranquil, small
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Respectful of the power of Nature
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Reflective of life
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Glad I’m not flying my floatplane
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Like Facing into it and feeling refreshed
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
I love them all
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
To my well being and that of Humanity – Priceless and Essential
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Where do I begin - Exploring creeks and ditches catching frogs and other aquatic creatures.
Nigel Bennett
Nigel Bennett is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, founder of Aqua-Guard Spill Response, and co-host of the podcast "Impact". His company, a global leader in oil spill control, protects water, the world’s most precious resource.
Both Nigel and Aqua-Guard have received multiple awards for their innovation, business excellence, and entrepreneurialism.
Nigel received the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s 2018 Distinguished Alumni of the year Award.
Nigel has devoted his life to environmental and social responsibility and boldly advocates for “risking it all for what really matters” among the entrepreneurial tribes to which he belongs. Nigel speaks and consults with entrepreneurs and young people worldwide about bringing their talents to solving some of our planet’s most pressing challenges.
In 2012, Nigel set up his business to run without him, See what he did with his newfound freedom and see how he (with the help of his coach) has been able to create a life that most people dream of.
An active philanthropist, Nigel donates all profit from his book sales (Take that Leap – Risking it all for what really matters) and speaking engagements to organizations that support poverty alleviation, human rights, social services, and the environment.
3 words to describe Nature?
Calm. Great reverence. Beauty
3 things Nature taught you?
To have great respect for all things.
Made me very humble
Taught me how to heal
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Solo in the wild, on top of mountains, so:
Whistler area,
North Vancouver Seymour River valley,
Mt. Magilvery area (Whitecap backcountry hut)
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Calm and inspired
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Calm and in awe
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Beauty and respect for silence
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
The power of nature
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Cleansing
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Mostly Ocean, Mountain 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?
When I was 16 I used to climb solo up to the top of Black Mountain in the snow up a gully to the summit and sit and meditate looking out at the Lion Mountains and then return.
Sonia Beeksma
Sonia Beeksma is a traffic anchor and segment reporter for CTV Morning Live in Vancouver.
The award-winning broadcaster joined CTV Vancouver in 2016, but her career started in 2009 after completing the Broadcasting and Performing Arts program at Columbia Academy and the journalism program at BCIT.
It was her internship at eTalk Toronto that not only fuelled her interest in the entertainment world but introduced her to the hard work it takes to be in media.
She soon returned to Vancouver and worked as a news reporter and anchor for both TALK-1200 (RJ AM) and news station CKNW 980.
Her radio days were numbered as she was snatched by Global Television to become the weekend weather specialist and feature story reporter. Her performance was not only noticed by her colleagues and competitors but also by the BC Association of Broadcasters whom would soon award Sonia with Broadcaster of Tomorrow award.
She then joined CTV Morning Live as a traffic specialist and entertainment/fashion reporter. Sonia is described as an incredibly versatile broadcaster having hosted entertainment stories, fashion, community and feature stories.
She is very active in the community and emcees a variety of charitable events.
When she’s not in front of the green screen, Sonia’s world is her 8-year-old daughter. And when she does have some spare time, she likes to weight train and get outside for fresh air.
3 words to describe Nature?
Liberating. Calming. Intriguing
3 things Nature taught you?
Constant confirmation that there is a God (Creator)
Us humans are such a small part of the equation on this earth
To slow down and be present
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Crescent beach (local)
Sunshine Coast hikes (around BC)
Road to Hana in Maui
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Overwhelmed with peace
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Comforted and a little indecisive if I want to dive in and see what wildlife awaits.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Powerless
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Invigorated, sunset means I get a good night’s sleep, sunrise means I have the entire day ahead of me to accomplish so much!
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Utter fear, that is some force that would make the hair on my back (if I had any) stand up.. lol
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Very refreshed, makes me feel like the air is cleaning itself out. In my field when there’s an air quality advisory in effect, you need that wind to come and blow out the bad air. So when that happens, we all take a deep breath in and say, fresh air!
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Definitely an Ocean and Mountain person. By the ocean in the summer and on the mountain in winter.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10. Nature teaches us so much, it helps us slow down, it not only cleans our lungs but I think it’s healing to our soul and spirit.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
I grew up in New Delhi where it rarely rained, so when it did 3 or 4 times a year, all the kids would come out and play cricket in the rain. Memories I will cherish forever.
Kid Carson
Originally from Toronto, Kid is one of Canada’s most notable radio personalities. He started as mid day host for KISS 92, then moved to Z95 in Vancouver, hosted the morning show for The Beat 94.5 and finally host at KISS Radio. Kid has been honored with the BC Award of Excellence Association of Broadcasters, has received on multiple occasions the TV Week Readers' Choice Awards and was nominated a few times for Canadian radio personality of the year by CMW (Canadian Music Week). Some of his favorites interviewed guests include Eckhart Tolle, Dr. John Gray, Dr. Joe Dispenza, Gary Chapman and Malcom Gladwell.
For the past couple of years, Kid has been fully dedicated at launching a new digital platform he co-founded that will disrupt the growing podcast industry. The launch is set for early 2019.
3 words to describe Nature?
Connected. Provider. Intelligent
3 things Nature taught you?
I read a book called “the hidden life of trees”. It taught me that trees have personalities and are able to learn. They make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes. A tree that kept its leaves too long during one year will never make this mistake again. It makes you wonder, without brains, where do trees save their experiences? Learning this…taught me that there is an intelligence in nature that we don’t fully grasp.
That WE are nature… and not separate from nature like we are taught.
That, as an energetic human being, the environments I spend time in, have an influence on me.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
I love the old growth around lighthouse park, the smell, the energy.
Standing at the top of a mountain holding my snowboard in Whistler.
Jet-skiiing around the local islands… it’s almost meditative. This summer I had the experience of a lifetime when I rolled up on a pod of whales! We just cut the engines and floated in silence listening to them talk and breach the water a few times. It was surreal how close we were.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
Calm, dialed in
When you see a forest, it makes you feel…?
Curious!
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel…?
Tiny!
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel…?
Excited for the day ahead, and reflective of the day passed.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel…?
I like it… builds some anticipation…
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel…?
Annoyed
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Ocean all the way. It’s really important to me that I live within’ a few minute walk to the water.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
In elementary school, my friend’s family lived on a huge nursery. We spent hours and hours, running thought the forest, greenhouses, secret paths, tree forts, bush tunnels… it was epic and such a great memory
Andy Zaremba
ANDY ZAREMBA is a leader in the human consciousness and optimization communities. Located in Vancouver, B.C. In 2013, Andy and his brother Mike, partnered to create the Float House franchise, Canada’s leading flotation therapy centres, which now have eight locations across Western Canada.
In addition, Andy co-hosts (again with brother, Mike) the Vancouver Real podcast, a digital media leader in the human consciousness space. The podcast has produced over 125 episodes with incredible guests such as Dr. Gabor Mate, Graham Hancock, Rick Doblin, and Wim Hof to name just a few.
Personally, Andy is father to Ella Faith, his seven-year-old daughter, whose miraculous birth and survival have been key to Andy’s personal growth and dramatically changed the trajectory of his life. In fact, it was during her ten months’ post-birth in the NICU and following two years with full time home care when Andy began his practice of mindfulness meditation, yoga, and self-education through podcasts. This eventually led him to launch both Float House and Vancouver Real podcast.
Andy is living his vision helping to facilitate the expansion of human consciousness worldwide. His interests include traveling, fitness, martial arts, yoga, plant medicine, meditation, music, art, hiking, scuba diving, and stimulating conversation.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inseparable. Majestic. Chaotic.
3 things Nature taught you?
To accept the finite disposition of our existence.
To know we have very little control over our destinies.
To live in awe of our reality.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Komodo National Park, accessed through Flores, Indonesia. The incredible marine biodiversity is more rich than I have seen in any other part of the ocean.
Mount Everest and the journey to its base camp. Beautiful mountain ranges, Sherpa villages, Buddhist temples, glacial moraines, and foothills are truly breath taking.
The Amazon basin and surrounding tributaries. The relatively quick life-cycles in and around the Amazon is a stark reminder of the balance between growth and decay, life and death and order and chaos.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel…?
In awe of the infinite array of possibilities.
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
The apprehensiveness of entering into unexplored territory.
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Uncertain about the future of humanity given the volatile Nature of our universe.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
I feel a sense of peace or satisfaction in the transitory state between light and dark, with the hope of renewed beginnings.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Alert to unexpected phenomena.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
An emptiness that haunts my soul.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
It’s a toss up between Ocean and Mountain.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories in nature was a family visit to the Florida Keys and experiencing snorkeling in the shallow, warm, salty waters for the first time. I remember the ocean feeling very alien. I was curious yet cautious. I’d spent many hours snorkeling in the cold, freshwater lakes of Ontario but the salt water of the ocean threw me off at first. The warmth and extra buoyancy were very welcome. I remember swimming in the shallows over patches of sea weed that would open-up into sandy flats. While swimming across one of them I encountered a stingray. It wasn’t all that big but I remember being warned about stingrays and to avoid them for obvious reasons. At that moment I realized that I was completely out of my element and that the ocean was full of things that could sting and I needed to exercise more caution than I normally would in my day-to-day life. Then, we ventured further out into deeper waters. The vast openness of the water is felt freeing but at the same time a sense of vulnerability. You never know what could be lurking in the waters just out of sight.
I think the entire experience made me more awake to life. Being in new environments forces us to pay attention. It’s so easy to get lost in the mundane of the everyday. We get numb. We intentionally and necessarily ignore anything that’s not immediately useful to us. But once we go into unexplored territory, we pay attention in much more detail. To pay attention is to be awake. To make the unconscious conscious. Nature can provide an excellent opportunity for us to remember to do so.
Ross Beaty
ROSS BEATY is a geologist and entrepreneur in the international minerals and renewable energy industries. He currently Chairs Pan American Silver Corp. and Equinox Gold Corp. and has founded and divested many other resource companies. He is also an environmental philanthropist, primarily through The Sitka Foundation. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Nature Trust of BC, is a Director of The Pacific Salmon Foundation and Panthera, and is patron of the Beaty Biodiversity Center at the University of BC. Mr. Beaty was appointed to The Order of Canada in 2017 and the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame in 2018.
3 words to describe Nature?
Spiritual. Wondrous. Sustainable
3 things Nature taught you?
What beauty really is.
What sustainable systems look like.
The ability to enjoy simple things without all the junk in urban systems.
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Patagonia
BC coast
Galapagos
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Small
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Fulfilled
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
If it’s an active volcano it’s always awesome. If it’s an extinct volcano I always think of the power of plate tectonics.
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Beauty
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Appreciative of the power of nature
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Ditto
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?
Hiking and camping with my family.
Charlene Chiang
CHARLENE CHIANG is the Vice President of Engagement at Ocean Wise. She is a strategic communicator with 20 years of progressive experience leveraging marketing, digital communications and public relations to position, enhance and protect organizational brands. She has earned 7 provincial and national awards for excellence in communications and is an avid participant with the International Association of Business Communicators.
From crisis management to enterprise-wide transformations, Charlene specializes in stakeholder engagement with a focus on shifting attitudes and aligning behaviours. Applying best practices in thought leadership and communications technology, Charlene has led the development and execution of strategic communications programs for some of Canada’s leading businesses and not-for-profit organizations, including McDonald’s Canada, Vancouver Coastal Health, City of Victoria, City of New Westminster and Coast Capital Savings. Since joining Ocean Wise in 2010, Charlene has led innovative media and digital campaigns that have elevated the brand as a storyteller by increasing national and international media impressions by 900 per cent and garnering extensive digital connections to drive attention to ocean conservation.
As Vice-President of Engagement, Charlene oversees a dynamic team of marketing, communications and digital content practice leaders, all working towards connecting 100 million people annually to ocean conservation. This aggressive goal aims to heighten awareness on ocean issues, engage people to care about their role, and inspire more action to protect aquatic life.
3 words to describe Nature?
Inspiring. Majestic. Life.
3 things Nature taught you?
Peace
Connectivity
Importance of diversity
3 most treasured Nature spots?
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Joy
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Alive and part of a larger universe
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Amazed
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Comfort
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Engaged
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
Intrigued
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?
10
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
One of my fondest memories as a child was when my parents would bring my brother and I to Harrison Hot Springs every year for a large family beach BBQ. We would spend the full day exploring the hot springs, rolling in the grass, and playing in the water until the sun would set. It was invigorating, exhausting and one of my favourite moments growing up. It taught me the importance of family, nature and the connection we all share.
John Montalbano
JOHN MONTALBANO recently served as Vice Chairman of RBC Wealth Management and Head of RBC Global Asset Management during the period of 2008 to 2016. RBC Global Asset Management ranked among the largest 50 asset managers in the world, with more than $375 billion is assets under management. John is a Trustee of the Killam Trusts, and is a director on many community boards, including the foundations of St. Paul’s Hospital, The Vancouver Police, Take a Hike Youth at Risk, Junior Achievement of BC and also chairs the capital campaign for The Vancouver Public Library. Recently appointed to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Asia Pacific Foundation, John holds a finance degree from the University of British Columbia and an Honorary Doctor of Letters from Emily Carr University of Art & Design.
3 words to describe Nature?
Miraculous
Precious
Vulnerable
3 things Nature taught you?
1. Whenever I am in nature, it always re-educates me that there is so much more to life than my urban reality.
2. Nature has taught me to be respectful of it, to relish in it and to rediscover myself with it.
3. Nature has taught me that it rarely lies. If it looks distressed, then it is likely distressed.
3 most treasured spots?
1. Haida Gwaii
2. A savanna in Botswana
3. The tidal pools off Sonora Island
When I look at the ocean, it makes me feel…?
Whole
When I see a forest it makes me feel…?
The need to get into the trees.
When I see a volcano, it makes me feel…?
Wondrous of what lurks within it.
When I see a sunrise, it makes me feel…?
Renewed; when I see a sunset, it makes me feel… that I have lived to have seen another day in my children’s lives.
When I hear thunder, it makes me feel…?
Unsettled
When I hear the wind howling, it makes me feel…?
Concerned for those who do not have shelter.
Am I an Ocean, Mountain, Forest or Desert person?...?
Vancouver is deep within me, therefore, I am an Ocean, Mountain and Forest person. One is not complete without the others.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
9- being near an ocean, mountain or forest is important for me to feel grounded.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Growing up in a working class family did not afford us an opportunity to see the world very often. The anticipation of my first overseas vacation had me all excited about the destination, only to find that it was the journey that I remember most. Flying through the clouds, for the first time, at a window seat, left me in awe and feeling like I was flying along side the angels…ok, in truth, I thought I was on a magic carpet, flying above earth and into space; but being raised Catholic, I quickly found myself becoming consumed with guilt because of my indulgent thoughts and, therefore, traded the carpet in for wings. Until that trip, I could never have imagined how beautiful clouds were, or how big, how broad and how bumpy. I have flown over 3 million miles and every take off would bring me back to that magic carpet ride.
Scott Sampson
SCOTT SAMPSON was born and raised in Vancouver, BC. He is a dinosaur paleontologist, science communicator, and passionate advocate for reimagining cities as places where people and nature thrive. He serves as the President and CEO of Science World British Columbia.
Scott’s scientific research has focused on the ecology and evolution of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs, and he has conducted fieldwork in many countries, including Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Madagascar, Mexico, the United States, and Canada. He has published numerous scientific and popular articles, and regularly speaks to audiences of all ages on topics ranging from dinosaurs and education to sustainability and connecting kids with nature.
Sampson has appeared in many television documentaries and served as a science advisor for a variety of media projects, most recently the BBC movie, Walking With Dinosaurs. He has authored multiple books, including Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of Life, and How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling in Love with Nature. However, he is perhaps best known as “Dr. Scott,” host and science advisor of the Emmy-nominated PBS KIDS television series Dinosaur Train, produced by the Jim Henson Company.
3 words to describe Nature?
Interwoven, Nested, Evolving
3 things Nature taught you?
Wonder, Deep Connection, Humility
3 most treasured Nature spots?
While I have had the pleasure of traveling to a number of countries around the world, my most treasured nature spots have been those that I have been able to return to again and again. They are the ones I know the best, and that resonate with me most deeply.
Long Beach (Tofino area), Vancouver Island
Marin Headlands, California
Red Rock Country, southern Utah
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Awe (in its vastness)
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Wonder (in its deep, mostly unseen interconnections)
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
Humbled (by the sheer power it represents from within the Earth)
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Tiny, and a little off balance (sitting, as I am, on the side of a giant, rolling sphere)
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
Resonance (it is as if I feel the thunder more from the inside out, than the outside in)
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
A deep appreciation for shelter
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Growing up in Vancouver, BC, I was raised at the intersection of ocean, mountain, and forest, so for me they are interwoven. But if I had to pick one only, it would be 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?
While still a child, camping with my family in the interior of British Columbia, I went off on my own (as usual) in search for interesting rocks and (hopefully) fossils. I spent a joyous hour or two on the side of a steep, boulder-strewn slope, turning over rocks and hunting for whatever wonders might be revealed. (I may have rolled a few rocks down the hillside as well.) Eventually I stopped and sat for a long while on a flat rock with a view of the valley below. When I finally headed back to our campsite, I wanted to show my parents where I had been. Late in the day, we walked back to the spot, to find a rattlesnake lounging on the very same flat rock I had sat on just hours earlier. I presume that it was soaking in the last rays of sun before a night of hunting. Although my first reaction was a twinge of fear, my lasting sense was one of interconnection—with the snake, the rock, and that place.
Praveen Varshney
PRAVEEN VARSHNEY has been a principal of Varshney Capital Corp., a Vancouver based merchant banking, venture capital and corporate advisory services firm, since 1991. He is a director or officer of various publicly traded companies including Mogo (Co-Founder) and BetterU Education Corp. He is a Co-Founder of G-PAK and former CFO of Carmanah Technologies Corp. which became Canada's largest solar company. He was Co-Founder of a predecessor of Mountain Province Diamonds who’s Gahcho Kué in September 2016 became the world’s largest new diamond mine since 2003 & De Beers’ second-largest producer behind its Jwaneng mine in Botswana.
Mr. Varshney is a Toniic member and a long-time member of both EO Entrepreneurs Organization & TiE (Founding Director). He’s on a number of non-profit boards such as The Varshney Family Charitable Foundation, OneProsper.org and a Founding Member of instrumentbeyondborders.org. Mr. Varshney is a SVP Vancouver Partner, a Vancouver Police Foundation Trustee, and on the Advisory boards of Room to Read - Vancouver and The Thomas Edison Innovation Foundation in New Jersey, USA.
Mr. Varshney is a past recipient of Business in Vancouver's 40 Under 40 Awards.
3 words to describe Nature?
Amazing, beautiful, wonderful.
3 things Nature taught you?
To be grateful for the things in life that are free & can provide so much happiness – grass, flowers, trees.
Can also be a force to be reckoned with so to be respectful of that & situations that can arise.
There has to be a God, who else & how else could all this have been created!
3 most treasured Nature spots?
Any beach on the planet, especially in Pt.Roberts, WA, USA where we have a small cabin by the ocean.
Walking through Pacific Spirit Regional Park near our home in Vancouver with our labradoodle dog, Ozzy.
Anywhere in Hawaii like on the Big Island where we have a home.
When you look at the ocean, it makes you feel...?
Wonderful!
When you see a forest, it makes you feel...?
Alive!
When you see a volcano, it makes you feel...?
In awe!
When you see a sunrise or sunset, it makes you feel...?
Thankful to be alive & happy.
When you hear thunder, it makes you feel...?
A bit scared & a bit in awe.
When you hear the wind howling, it makes you feel...?
A bit scared & a bit in awe.
Are you an Ocean, Mountain, Forest, or Desert person?
Wow tough choice, I’m going to go with Ocean.
On a scale of 1 to 10, how important is Nature to your well-being?
10 but 12 if you’ll let me go with it.
Share with us a childhood nature memory?
Growing up during the younger years, because our parents didn’t have much money, we did a lot of picnics so I have vivid amazing memories of all the various parks in the city & neighboring areas we’d visit, my siblings & I would toss a baseball around & even play hockey on the grass with street hockey sticks!