Drinkable Rivers: our Compass

Li An will take you on how and why her journey unfolds to a world with drinkable rivers as our guiding principle. What implications does this have when collaborating as being part of a watershed? What implications does it have for our economic system, our health system, educational system? What does it mean for (urban) planning and building? As architecture and engineering students in construction, we will discover how asking the question will help us: ‘does this design, these materials work towards a world with drinkable rivers or not?’. Please read more www.DrinkableRivers.org

Li An Phoa is a Dutch environmental philosopher and social entrepreneur. She studied Business Administration at Rotterdam School of Management, Holistic Science at Schumacher College in the UK, and Philosophy at the University of London. Over the years, she has worked internationally as a teacher, consultant, and guide, weaving together ecology, community, and education.

She is the founder of the Drinkable Rivers movement, which takes rivers as indicators of healthy ecosystems and societies. After witnessing the rapid pollution of the Rupert River in Canada, she committed herself to raising awareness that rivers can and should be drinkable again. Through long river walks, public engagement, and her book “Drinkable Rivers – How the River Became My Teacher”, she inspires people and organisations worldwide to see drinkable rivers as a compass for sustainable living and governance.