Lily Kwong Has an “Evangelical” Devotion to Sustainability and Conservation

The Women Who Travel Power List: Lily Kwong

Welcome to our community View this email in your browser | Manage Newsletter Preferences  The Ecologist: Lily Kwong In celebration of Women's History Month, we're spotlighting leaders in food, aviation, landscape design, politics, television, and fashion who are pushing the travel space forwards. For all 15 women featured on this year's list, visit womenwhotravel.com. As a child in northern California, Lily Kwong felt an unwavering connection to nature. "I grew up 10 minutes from the main entrance of Muir Woods National Monument. The tallest trees in the world were my neighbors." It's no wonder, then, that Kwong's career keeps her rooted in the natural world. The landscape artist has spent the past five years transforming public spaces like Vanderbilt Hall in New York City's Grand Central Terminal and the busiest night market in Taipei into tranquil pieces of botanical art, using materials like live moss and blood red flowers in full bloom. And while her stunning creations look at home on Instagram feeds, Kwong is set apart by what she calls an "evangelical" devotion to sustainability and conservation. She prioritizes working with endemic plants—most recently in gardens she created for JW Marriott at its properties in Desert Springs, California; Orlando; and New York City. "We're told we need a certain type of beauty 365 days a year, but that's just not natural," she says. "Nature has rhythms and cycles. We really have to learn how to respect and integrate ourselves into that, instead of forcing ourselves on the landscape as we've been doing." Kwong sees the widespread practice of planting exotic non-native vegetation within a landscape as an act that detrimentally "changes environments and communities" and "decimates ecosystems." She hopes other brands will follow the example of JW Marriott, for whom she has several global projects planned, including a culinary garden in Singapore. "Ecological consciousness means a concern for the more-than-human world, where plants, animals, insects, and beyond are considered and respected," she says. "It takes more time and planning, but the rewards are enormous." - Lale Arikoglu READ MORE Women Who Travel Podcast Episodes Sophia Roe on Mushrooms, Growing Your Own Food, and Filming 'Counter Space' Around the Globe A Brazilian Journalist on Life in the Amazon Walking Istanbul and London with Authors Elif Batuman and Rebecca Mead SEE ALL Don't want to receive the Powerlist Mini Series? Temporarily suspend emails from Women Who Travel until the regular monthly sends return. Snooze This e-mail was sent to you by Condé Nast Traveler. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, condenasttraveler@newsletter.cntraveler.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe | Manage Newsletter Preferences   Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.