Friends’ Planning Director Joins Global Climate Policy Experts at Conference

Friends of the Chicago River’s Planning Director, Adam Flickinger, was among the worldwide attendees at the recent Aspen Ideas conference, held in Chicago, where climate and environmental leaders and influencers from around the globe – including, artists, writers, scientists, civic leaders, researchers, and corporate and government officials – met to discuss urgent climate mitigation and adaptation issues.

The July convening included deep conversation about how to advance policies to address the pressure that communities, economies, and the environment are facing from the climate crisis. Overall, despite immense challenges, creative thinkers are bringing new ideas for how to sustain us into the future.

In a boat tour presentation by the City of Chicago’s chief sustainability officer, Department of Environment Commissioner Angela Tovar, and Great Lakes ReNEW CEO Alaina Harkness, Friends of the Chicago River’s initiatives were highlighted multiple times — including our collaboration with the Department of Planning and Development to advise Chicago’s river projects, plans, and policies by facilitating the River Ecology and Governance Task Force. At another discussion facilitated by World Business Chicago, our work to install thousands of in-stream plantings along the river to enhance resiliency and increase aquatic habitat was highlighted. Since 2017, Friends has installed over 15,000 native aquatic plants in the river system to help provide much needed habitat and stabilization with plans to install hundreds of thousands more. Learn more about this work, and our River Shallows aquatic plant and resiliency project, here.   

“The conference was illuminating, it reinforced how strengthening local policies and grassroots activities are essential in the face of a global climate crisis,” said Flickinger. “Hearing how Friends’ work fits into broader international efforts affirmed that what we’re doing here matters in building climate resilience.”

The City of Chicago — and especially the Chicago River — left a lasting impression on the important and influential conference attendees.