Friends Calls for an End to Garbage in the River
“The Chicago River system may be cleaner than it has been in generations with greater numbers of fish and recreational use booming,” said Margaret Frisbie, Friends’ executive director. “But there is still an inordinate amount of garbage in the river which is dangerous to wildlife and repellent to the people who live in and visit Chicago. We wanted to jumpstart the conversation by bringing together the people who are on the forefront of aquatic garbage pollution removal. We can all learn from experts around the world on how to address trash in our waterways. How do we get rid of this unwanted junk which harms wildlife and diminishes the river’s reputation?”
Sponsored by MillerCoors, Ending the Waste Stream brought this conversation to the over 100 people which included those representing the City of Chicago, surrounding suburbs, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD). Speakers included Mary Crowley, founder and executive director, Ocean Voyages Institute; Emily Franc, Anacostia Riverkeeper; Tim Hoellein, associate professor, aquatic ecology, Loyola University Chicago; Adam Lindquist, director, Healthy Harbor Initiative, Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore; and David St. Pierre, executive director, MWRD.
