How leaders in the field are approaching awareness and action to take care of the planet<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Li An Phoa, a teacher, ecologist and entrepreneur, says, \u201cThe sign of a healthy economy should be a drinkable river. If we have a world with drinkable rivers again, it means all our relations are healthy and in balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Phoa founded Drinkable Rivers<\/u><\/a>, an organization that conducts River Walks<\/u><\/a>. These are expeditions that can be anywhere from one day to a few months long where anyone who signs up comes together to learn about and take care of part of a river. As part of the expedition, you walk alongside the river and take care of it. This can look like collecting samples to test or by talking to people you run into and discussing the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are more than 150,000 rivers<\/u><\/a> in the world, which is why Phoa aims for citizen science for her methods to take care of the river, where anyone around the world can do it without needing too many resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the many rivers in the world is the Los Angeles River. More than 80 years ago, it was occupied and taken care of by<\/u><\/a> the Gabrielino-Tongva Mission Indians. At that time, the river was surrounded by lush and thick trees with a rich habitat for species such as mountain lions, deer and now-endangered steelhead trout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The river was known for being dry during the summer and flooding over the winter. The Tongva people adapted to these shifts. However, in the early 19th century, Spanish colonists made their settlements too close to the river banks. There was an enormous rainfall that led to a great flood. It took out 96 people and 1,500 homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n