5 photos to get you excited for the Jr Greenheart Global Leaders Conference

The application for the Jr Greenheart Global Leaders Conference in Chicago is live! Are you excited to apply? Well, here are five reasons why you should be!

Millennium Park
Do gardens bring you joy? If your answer is yes, then boy does a wonderful surprise await you in Chicago. Millennium Park is basically the world’s largest rooftop garden. Below the feet of park goers lies 4 feet of topsoil, several feet of Styrofoam to help reduce the weight of the rooftop, a railroad yard and parking garages that fit up to 4,000 parking spaces. Oh, right, Chicago’s Harris Theater is also tucked underneath which seats about 1,500 people. Secret gardens for the win.

Buckingham Fountain
The vision for Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain is that it would be a representation of Lake Michigan. When you’re here, be sure to spot the four sea horses that represent the four states that touch Lake Michigan. Bonus points if you know what those four states are. (See answer at bottom of blog)* The 820 lights that make up the fountain’s lighting display are completely controlled by an underground computer.

Navy Pier
How do you feel about heights? The Navy Pier Ferris Wheel is one of the six tallest Ferris Wheels in the world. Forty-two gondolas reach a height of 196 feet. This same site is also home to a 2013 Guinness World Record. A pier park operations manager broke the record for the longest marathon of a fairground or theme park after riding the Ferris Wheel for 48 hours, 8 minutes, and 25 seconds with NO sleep. Be sure to make yourself comfortable during your Chicago gondola ride.

Magnificent Mile
Get your walking shoes ready because the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago showcases a 13-block stretch of more than 460 shops. Quite a bit of magic can be found along this stretch. The Old Water Tower resembles a medieval European castle – a stark contrast to the high rises towering above – and is the oldest building along the Mile. It was built in 1869 and is one of the only survivors of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. A strong symbol of Chicago’s resilience, the castle faced demolition a number of times only to be rescued by fierce preservationists. I guess you can call them the knights of the castle.

Willis Tower (A.K.A. the Sears Tower)
Chicago’s Willis Tower (which will always remain the Sears Tower in the heart of every true Chicagoan) is the second tallest building in the North America and the Western Hemisphere, standing 1,450 feet and 110 stories tall. Ever wondered what it would feel like to be suspended in the air? Step out onto The Ledge. This is a glass box that extends out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck on the 103rd floor. Please take no shame in having to sit down and scoot yourself onto the ledge, inch by inch. You are not alone.

*These four states touch Lake Michigan: Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan