Chicago native Harrison Ford honored by Field Museum for conservation efforts: 'Science is our hope'

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Harrison Ford came back to his hometown of Chicago this week for an honor at Half-Earth Day.

The legendary actor is also a conservation activist, telling ABC7 his love of nature started in the Midwest long before his Hollywood career.

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"I grew up in Chicago, that explains it all doesn't it?" Ford said.

E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation presented Ford an award for his conservation efforts Wednesday night. He's been a lifelong champion for the environment.

The Field Museum and their dinosaurs seemed like a good fit for the Indiana Jones star.

"Well, it's where I first learned about nature at the Field Museum, and the Museum of Science & Industry here," Ford said. "They were very influential in my young life, so was the zoo, the Lincoln Park Zoo."

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Ford says he was an outdoor kid growing up.

"Well I was a Chicago kid, so I was a street kid," Ford said. "My mother's family were Jewish, My father was a Roman Catholic. What I discovered is that everything attributed to God, to God on high was actually a product of nature."

The actor reminisced on "The Fugitive" during his return to Chicago.

"Yeah, well, those were the great days, that was the height of the movie business," Ford said. "It helped bring us together, these shared stories, and now we sit in our homes and watch streaming and we don't have the community experience as much as we used to."

Talking with Anthropologist Wade Davis at the Field Museum Wednesday night, Ford spoke of a life-changing encounter as a boy.

"I looked and there he was ten feet away, a red fox, totally quiet not moving staring right at me," Ford said. "The fox left and I walked away. I discovered a connection to nature. I knew I was part of nature."

When asked if he's hopeful, Ford replied, "I maintain hope because it keeps me from despair. Science is our hope. It's critical to the continuation of life on Earth and the free services that natures provides to humanity, fresh water, clean air pollinators for our crops. We can't destroy what we don't know yet could be what saves us."

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