This is the Anthropocene I'm in favor of! Ollie Potter Urban Rivers
From dead industrial canal to the world's first floating eco-park 🌿 (and they just raised $1.4M to scale it)... Once used to transport lumber, coal, and grain... Chicago's old shipping channels sat filled with waste and pollution. No wildlife. No plants. No purpose. Just polluted waters from another era. That's when a small group decided to experiment. Instead of accepting dead waterways... Urban Rivers built the 'Wild Mile' Here's their innovative approach: a) Modular floating platforms attach directly to old steel walls b) Native plants grow without soil, their roots hanging directly in the water c) These plants filter pollutants and create habitats for fish and birds d) Interconnected walkways let people explore without disturbing wildlife The ecosystem exploded: ↳ 105 species of birds appeared. Beavers and turtles moving in. ↳ Thousands of mussels cleaning water. ↳ Local waterways pollution significantly reduced There has also been huge community buy-in: ↳ 32,000 visitors a year ↳ Hundreds of volunteers engaged ↳ Project being scaled across other sections of US rivers From a volunteer experiment... ...To the world's first floating wildlife park. Sometimes the best solutions come from a group brave enough to question 'What If ?' 📥 Follow for daily updates on NatureTech and Finance