Discover the immense economic potential of rivers and their impact on various industries worldwide.

Rivers play a crucial role in agriculture, serving as a reliable water source for irrigation. The fertile soils found along riverbanks are ideal for cultivating crops, and the abundance of water allows for increased agricultural productivity. Farmers have been harnessing the power of rivers for centuries, using their water to grow a wide range of crops and sustain livestock. From rice paddies in Asia to vineyards along the Rhine River in Europe, rivers have become essential in feeding growing populations around the world.

River ecosystems are of immense importance due to their contribution to the overall health of our planet. Rivers play a vital role in maintaining the water cycle, acting as natural channels for the transportation of water from the land to the oceans. They serve as a lifeline for countless species, providing them with essential resources for survival.

Not only do rivers provide water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes, but they also support a diverse range of habitats and ecosystems. These ecosystems are home to a wide variety of plants, animals, and microorganisms, creating a rich tapestry of life.

When Chad Pregracke, founder and president of Living Lands and Waters, picked Memphis for the Alternative Spring Break program, he didn’t just throw a dart at a map. McKellar Lake is filled with small plastics brought in from creeks that flow through the state’s cities. There’s so much to pick up that to effectively combat it, they need as many hands as they can get. 

When the team first got to the lake 13 years ago, the situation was dire. “It was like nothing I had ever seen,” Chad said. The washed up litter was several feet deep and comparable to the levels of pollution found in major cities such as New York City and D.C. Over the course of the program, the crew and its teams of students have helped reduce the amount of waste. Each year, the spring break program picks up over 100,000 pounds of trash.

Art has long been a means of expressing creativity and emotion, but it’s also a powerful platform for addressing environmental concerns. In today’s world, where the need for sustainability is paramount, artists increasingly turn to eco-friendly materials in their creative pursuits. This shift towards environmentally conscious art forms is not only a response to the global climate crisis but also a reflection of the growing awareness of our impact on the planet.

When wildlife photographer Piotr Chara first swapped his fishing pole for a camera, he sought the beautiful sceneries of the Oder River from his childhood. 

“Being in touch with the mystery of the river made a great impact on me,” Chara says. “I remember its ripple, I remember its scent.”

He spent the days fishing on the bank of the Oder with his father, taking in the beautiful migratory birds flying overhead and taking to the water’s surface for food. But the Oder River has undergone many changes since Chara’s youth. 

When Rivers are Life was formed one year ago, we understood the urgent need to bring attention to the true force of our river systems and inspire our audiences to collectively act. Since then, Rivers are Life has uplifted 15 river heroes, supported part of our 1,000 Impact Projects, and premiered 10 films – all of which has covered an estimated 596,000 miles of rivers worldwide.

On July 12th, Nathalie Lasselin, CEO of Aquanath, and Kate Richter Green, Head of Digital Current Programming at BeAlive Studios, joined Pattrn to share about the Rivers are Life film, “Nathalie Lasselin’s Deep Dive”.

The film tells the story of conservation from underneath the water’s surface. When Lasselin noticed the waste issue in the St. Lawrence River, she decided to take action and start cleaning up trash in the river while scuba-diving.

On July 5th, Clint Willson, Interim Dean of LSU College of Coast & Environment, and Zach Green, President at BeAlive Studios, joined Pattrn to share about the Rivers are Life film, “From Mumbai with Love”.

The film follows Afroz Shah, lawyer and founder of the Afroz Shah foundation, and his mission to clean up Mumbai’s largest river, the Mithi.

On June 27th, Ross Gibby, COO of CRDC Global, and Zach Green, President at BeAlive Studios, joined Pattrn to share about the Rivers are Life film, “Keepers of the North”.

In “Keepers of the North”, viewers of the film learn how a myriad of collaborators come together to address the issue of waste building up along Alaska’s shoreline. Litter collected by Gulf of Alaska Keepers (GoAK) is shipped to a CRDC facility in Pennsylvania where a better, more durable product is created from hard-to-break-down ocean plastics. This collaboration was made possible through the help of Pyrexa Global, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, FedEx, Dow, and Rivers are Life.

On June 20th, Patuxent Riverkeeper Fred Tutman and Kate Richter Green, Head of Digital Current Programming at BeAlive Studios, joined Pattrn to share about the Rivers are Life film, “Voices from the Water”.

The “Voices from the Water” film highlights several different conservation leaders working to protect the Patuxent, St. Lawrence, and Mississippi Rivers.

In the river-side village of Teluk Meranti, Indonesia, an immense wave roars through every full moon, flooding homes and waking locals. Down the Kampar River, Bono rushes from converging waterways to form one of the world’s longest and widest tidal bores. 

On June 13th, Dennis Mabasa, COO of Friends of the LA River, and Kate Richter Green, Head of Digital Current Programming at BeAlive Studios, joined Pattrn to share about the Rivers are Life film, “River of Angels”.

Cash “The Conservation Kid” Daniels of Chattanooga, Tennessee, has always had a strong love of animals–especially sea life. He was seven years old when he learned that 80% of the trash in the ocean comes from rivers. Instead of leaving him demoralized, the fact inspired him to take action in his local waterway, the Tennessee River. 

The Tennessee River

The Tennessee River begins in Knoxville, Tennessee and flows into the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky. It’s over 650 miles long and one of the most biodiverse river systems in North America. Its upper basin hosts over 200 native freshwater fish, mussels, and birds. But it’s also home to 18,000 microplastics per cubic meter of water (as of 2018) that threaten the health of the river and its inhabitants. 

The Rivers are Life team presented its film “River of Angels” at the FoLAR 2022 RiverFest. The film features the heroes of the Los Angeles (LA) River and their work to increase awareness of the urban waterway and restore it back to its place as a thriving part of the city.

“We were honored to have ‘River of Angels’ selected as one of the featured films in the inaugural FoLAR Film Festival,” says Kate Ritcher Green, Head of Digital Content Programming at BeAlive, who spearheads Rivers are Life. “We support FoLAR’s mission and appreciate the work they are doing with communities surrounding the LA River.” 

On February 18 and 19, 2023, the Rivers are Life team joined the South Yuba River Citizens league (SRYCL) for their 21st annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival.

SYRCL is a league of California conservationists founded by grassroots activists in 1983. It protects and rehabilitates the Yuba watershed through targeted river, meadow, and forest projects. It is the key advocate for California’s endangered aquatic populations, including wild salmon, and works to strengthen native fisheries in the Yuba watershed to help them thrive. 

Friends of the Fox River, a nonprofit organization made up of citizens and organizations protecting and maintaining the Fox River and its tributaries from the surface, is on a mission to preserve and restore the Fox River Watershed’s resources. And they’re not alone in their efforts. 

Well below the surface of the water, nestled into the sand and gravel beds of the river bottom, live freshwater mussels work tirelessly toward a similar mission – to filter pollutants from the water and make a clearer, cleaner river. 

Rivers are about so much more than a healthy ecosystem and access to fresh water. They are the cornerstone of settlements and communities, as cultural traditions, family roots, and ancestral memories all develop alongside their abundant resources. 

Despite this, many river-centric communities are threatened by encroaching harmful industrial practices, forcing them to fight  for their right to health and safety. The Indigenous Canihuante community surrounding the Río Cochiguaz has fought for over a decade to protect the Valle de Elqui in Chile. Because of their ongoing efforts, the Río Cochiguaz and the surrounding mountains are now officially a natural sanctuary. 

The Chinook salmon, more commonly known as “King salmon,” was named the official state fish of Alaska in 1963. They are the largest species of salmon, weighing at least 30 pounds on average. While this specimen has been a staple of Alaska since the 60s, it hasn’t always thrived in abundance. King salmon’s size, weight, and cultural significance make it attractive to both commercial fishers and hobbyists. This, combined with the limited run of King salmon in the summer months, make the population extremely susceptible to overfishing. 

Conversations around climate change and the state of our planet are often filled with dread. While there is much to be concerned about, there is also plenty to be hopeful for. Thanks to the efforts of scientists, activists, and local communities, we’re witnessing positive change around the world–even in one of our planet’s historically most polluted rivers. 

The Thames River runs through central London and Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is an essential asset to those who live along its shore. It not only provides drinking water and vegetation but also protects homes from coastal flooding. However, constant pollution has historically interrupted the helpful and healthy natural properties the river hosts. 

Cuando piensas en Los Ángeles, ¿qué te imaginas? Ahora intenta pensar como un pescador con mosca.

“When you’re standing on the LA River, it’s like fishing in any river,” says Lino Jubilado, an LA River fly fisherman. “You’ve got duck swimming around you; you’ve got geese guarding their nests. You can easily mask out all the sound from all the traffic of the freeways and the overpasses.”

Jubilado has been fishing the LA River for over 40 years. Early in the morning, he makes himself a cup of coffee, sits down, and ties flies. Then, he goes to the river.