Aqueduct
Come tend.
There’s a grounding quality that emerges when our choices involve genuine care for other species - the steadiness that comes from tending, the coherence of attention given to living systems, the way the body settles when what we do honors life.Aqueduct is an online marketplace where this caring thrives — where honoring animal sovereignty is revealed as essential for ecological flourishing — and for human flourishing too.Honoring animal sovereignty means protecting and creating conditions where animals can truly thrive. This shapes everything — how we move through the world, what we build, the daily choices we make — all in service of the species we live among.
We see a world where creatures are busy
being happy.
Not someday, somewhere else — but here, now, through the choices we make and the systems we build.People are already realigning their lives and livelihoods around animal flourishing. They’re reworking their disciplines, forging new pathways into the world we see emerging.Here at Aqueduct you can find the businesses, makers, researchers, and stewards already living this — and the resources, partnerships, and possibilities that open when they find each other.
Aqueduct opens
stewardship everywhere.
Among the possibilities:A hotelier discovers that serving plant-based & cultivated cuisine eliminates harm to animals while planting native habitat landscaping provides refuge for local wildlife, using mineral clay paints avoids toxic runoff into nearby streams, and waterway-safe cleaning products protect aquatic life — these choices don’t compromise excellence, they enhance it — creating guest experiences where caring elevates beauty.A city planner maps wildlife corridors through urban areas, shaping infrastructure that supports habitat connectivity — making space for both human communities and the migration patterns essential to ecological health.A land manager finds a bat house maker 50 miles away through Aqueduct's regional filters — someone she'd never have discovered otherwise. His backyard craft gains visibility across the state and internationally, becoming a viable livelihood.Athletic wear companies partner through Aqueduct to coordinate coastal restoration — funding dive teams to recover ocean waste, mobilizing community beach cleanups, processing materials for new products, and creating events that celebrate the restoration.An elephant researcher develops
collaborative networks with scientists, funders, and educators, transforming decades of ecosystem documentation into resources and recognition that shape communities and policies.
Aqueduct flows
resources to purpose.
Together, we’re building an economy of appreciation — where honoring the beauty, vitality, and essence of other species becomes how we all thrive.There are five ways to participate: provide, patronize, invest, redirect, and collaborate — each a different expression of the same commitment.The tending is already
happening across:Material networks
Redesigning materials and production — such as leather (from mycelium, pineapple and other plants), biodegradable, marine-digestible alternatives to plastic packaging — and the systems that bring them to market.Habitat protection systems
Preserving migration routes and ecological integrity.Sanctuary networks
Providing refuge and
coordinated care.Plant-based supply chain infrastructure
Connecting farms, processors, distributors, and markets.Conservation technology
Tracking environmental and ocean health, identifying gaps, and mobilizing partnerships
and resources.
The founder.
I’m Kari Dougherty. I’m building Aqueduct because I believe the economy, the internet, AI, and the people who care are among the most powerful forces we have for honoring the world we live in — and they haven’t found each other that way. Yet.My background in marketing at Microsoft and a Master’s in Ethics & Peace from American University in DC gave me the tools. Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach to Justice gave me the framework. And a life spent in the company of animals gave me the reason to begin.If this is your world, or the world you’re moving toward — we’d love to know you.
Thank you, Martha Nussbaum, for helping us recognize that our flourishing and theirs are
one movement ∞
Images
Bird watching me, Oregon coast
Beaver foraging, Seattle, WA
Mineral painted walls, Marrakech
The Aqueduct, Portland Art Museum
Me, A Palo Alto garden
Bee & Rose, The City of Roses
© 2026 Aqueduct