JOHN D. LIU

Short Biography: John D. Liu

In the 1980s and 1990s John D. Liu worked as a television producer and cameraman with CBS News, RAI and ZDF covering geo-political events including the rise of China from poverty and isolation and the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the mid-1990s the World Bank asked John to document the rehabilitation of the Loess Plateau.

Since learning that it is possible to rehabilitate large-scale damaged ecosystems John has devoted his life to understanding and communicating about the potential and responsibility to restore degraded landscapes on a planetary scale. Since 2009 John has worked with Willem Ferwerda the Founder and CEO of the Commonland Foundation, which is catalyzing privately invested large-scale restoration in many parts of the world. John is also the founder of the Ecosystem Restoration Camps movement that began in 2016 and has grown to over 40 camps in 6 continents and continues to grow.

Studying ecology led John to receive a number of academic appointments. In 2003 John was given a visiting Fellowship with the Faculty of Applied Sciences and the Faculty of the Built Environment at the University of the West of England (UWE), in 2006 John was named the Rothamsted International Fellow for the Communication of Science at the Rothamsted Research Institute of the UK, from 2008 to 2012 Mr. Liu pursued graduate studies in Soil science and ecology at Reading University, in 2009 Mr. Liu was appointed Assistant Research Professor at George Mason University, from 2010 – 2013 he was a Senior Research Fellow with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and in 2013-2014, Mr. Liu was asked to collaborate with the Critical Zone Hydrology Group, Vrije University Amsterdam. In 2014 Mr. Liu was named a research fellow at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (NIOO/KNAW) and continues to study.

John D Liu is currently Ecosystem Ambassador for the COMMONLAND FOUNDATION.

John has produced, filmed, written, directed and presented numerous films on Environment and Ecology for the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery, PBS and other networks.

NADINE CASANOVA (KALIBRI)

Nadine Casanova (Kalibri) is a creative visionary, experiential designer, musician, content creator, producer, global thinker, sound healer and accomplished entrepreneur. She has been creating waves in the entertainment industry, integrating art and activism through music and film. She has also been on a mission for over a decade to create a replicable model for regenerative community centers, a long-term plan to empower communities around the world with safe sanctuary spaces for art, education, music, advancement, culture, technology, experience and community initiatives. She has built her company Awa Oasia in the Los Angeles Arts District for the past 3.5 years and decided in January 2022 to release the space to focus on global expansion, art for impact and AWA Experiences – which is the mobile version of what she built at the LA hub.

AWA was one of LA’s most prominent art and community spaces. While in operation, AWA hosted 200+ events and experiences with clients such as Nike, Interscope, Reddit, and Google. Nadine’s passion lies in community service and locally focused global solutions. While the space is no longer in operation, she is bridging with spaces and communities worldwide and considering expansion.

Nadine has a strong background in leadership and bridging. She has grown a large and diverse network of healers, educators, artists, innovators and forward-thinking companies. Her empathy for humanity’s problems drives her commitment to individual and collective transformation, which she believes is best addressed through art and experience. Collaboration, inclusivity, joy, intention and expansion are at the core of Nadine’s essence. If there is an aligned project, she is open to exploring possibilities with other creatives, visionaries and/or entrepreneurs. She works passionately from the heart and brings magic to every endeavor.

Currently Nadine is focused on multi-media art for impact. She is developing a media project with WeCare Impact to support initiatives to protect the Amazon. She is also in motion on a series about community regenerative living, introducing a New Earth way of living and utilizing ancient-future technologies, including blockchain, to optimize healthy living and honor the earth. She is also developing an NFT series combining film and music for causes dear to her heart.

Nadine is spirit guided. She invites collaboration and projects to uplift humanity!