If you were out and about in downtown in Chicago this past weekend, you were likely there for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade and the dyeing of the Chicago River. The what now? It’s been a standing ritual in Chicago since 1962 when green dye was used in pollution-control efforts to trace illegal sewage discharges. Forty pounds of the stuff are released by speedboat, turning a length of the river bright emerald green for about four hours. The ingredients of the dye have changed over the years and are now a more environmentally friendly vegetable based colorant. The surreal waterway make-over lends itself to amazing photographs, like those below. Learn more at GreenChicagoRiver.com.

Images from Flickr.com: 1. Green Chicago River, 2. The Greening of the Chicago River - 2008 Edition, 3. Boat in Green Chicago River, 4. Green Chicago River, 5. Dying Chicago River Green for St. Patrick’s Day, 6. Green Chicago River, 7. Chicago River, 8. a bright green river in a slightly overcast Chicago

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