Li An Phoa - Drinkable rivers
TALK // Li An Phoa is an ecologist, philosopher and long-distance walker who made a promise to a river and never looked back. For the past 20 years, she has been walking thousands of kilometres along rivers across the world, listening, learning, and inviting others to do the same. Her work grew into Drinkable Rivers, a movement that combines science, storytelling, citizen action and systemic change.
What starts with a simple question “Can we make our rivers drinkable again? ” becomes a deeper exploration of how we live, relate and take responsibility. Li An’s walks give shape to a different way of being: slow, connected, radically hopeful. She has walked over 21,000 kilometres for drinkable rivers and recently completed a 1,000 km walk along the Meuse, followed by a five-week journey along the Scheldt.
She founded Spring College, a nomadic school for learning in nature, and works with citizens, scientists, and policymakers to restore our watersheds one step at a time. Her book Drinkable Rivers: How the River Became My Teacher was published in Dutch in 2021 and in English in 2023.
For more information: www.drinkablerivers.org
Photcredits: Hans Ganzeboom