A delegation from Munich has arrived in Los Angeles to help advise on the plan to restore the L.A. River from a concrete open sewer to an actual, gosh-darn-it river.
Apparently, way back when, Munich’s Isar River was also a dammed and sealed drainage channel, but over the years has been revitalized into an urban greenspace, complete with parks, swimming areas, and even a permanent surfing wave. And although the river does still have some high germ levels (due to some sewage treatment plants upstream, currently being upgraded), it’s still a great example of what L.A. can do with its much-neglected waterway.
Read more about the plans, events, and photo ops on Tom LaBonge’s site and at the Friends of the L.A. River site. If anyone knows how to plan something, it’s a German Delegation.
Here’s hoping for a fully green L.A. River that some of us may actually get to enjoy during our lifetime!
I’ve long-been a believer in economics being the best motivator for mass environmentalism. I bought CFL bulbs for my apartment a long time ago to reduce my energy consumption, but most people I know bought them because they tear up big electric bills.
I’ve only been biking here in L.A. for a few months, but over that short period, I have definitely noticed a very large increase in the amount of bikes I see on the road. The LAist recently posted a picture of the jam-packed bike rack outside my office (where, incidentally, it was stolen) — and there were definitely less than half those bikes when I first started locking up there.
Of course, all of these changes pale in comparison to George Calvarescu, who ditched his auto-based commute from the Valley to Long Beach for a river-based route. He says he does get pretty dirty by the end of his commute, but his company has a shower — and he’s lost 100 pounds since he started paddling to the office.
Can’t argue with that. And it’s nice to see someone using the L.A. River for something other than a garbage bin or action scene backdrop.
Not sure about the early parts of his route, though. I know I’d need a lot of head bandages after going under that first bridge:
A delegation from Munich has arrived in Los Angeles to help advise on the plan to restore the L.A. River from a concrete open sewer to an actual, gosh-darn-it river.
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