Chad Pregracke
| Chad Pregracke | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Chad Pregracke in 2011 | |
| Born | Chad Mitchell Pregracke December 4, 1974 Silvis, Illinois[1] |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Chad Pregracke (born December 4, 1974), is an American environmental conservationist, mariner, writer and educator. He is the founder of Living Lands & Waters, an organization dedicated to the cleanup of U.S. waterways and educating about environmental preservation.[2]
Early life[edit]
Chad Pregracke was born in Silvis, Illinois in 1974 to parents Gary and KeeKee Pregracke. Chad's upbringing in the Quad Cities and his river enthusiast parents allowed the river to influence him at a very early age.
As for his first job, Chad worked as a clam digger. During this work, he discovered for himself the extent of pollution that was occurring in U.S. waterways.[3]
Living Lands and Waters and Other Environmental Work[edit]
Unsatisfied with the responsiveness of governmental agencies, Chad chose to start his own cleanup effort.[4] In 1998, Chad established the not-for-profit organization Living Lands & Waters. The organization employed a team of sailors and a fleet of vessels to clean the Mississippi River and its tributaries of garbage and to educate others while doing it.[5]
In 2018, the organization announced it had removed 10 million pounds of garbage from 24 rivers since its formation in 1998.[6]
On March 18, 2021, Chad Pregracke announced the formation of the Bison Bridge Foundation and its proposal to repurpose the Fred Schwengel Memorial Bridge into a national park.[7]
Awards and Recognitions[edit]
- 2013 CNN Hero of the Year[8]
- Mitchum's Hardest Working Person in America[9]
- The Jefferson Award for Public Service[10]
- A tribute at the Kennedy Center Points of Light ceremony.[11]
- In 2016, towing company Marquette launched a towboat named in honor of Chad.[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Pregracke, Chad 1974-". Encyclopedia.com.
- ↑ "Mission and History". Living Lands & Waters.
- ↑ "Chad Pregracke: The River Rescuer". WQPT PBS.
- ↑ "Chad Pregracke". GDA Speakers.
- ↑ "Changing the tides". National Geographic. 31 March 2020.
- ↑ "River cleanup group reaches new milestone". Marine Log. 24 July 2019.
- ↑ Kluver, Shelby. "The Quad Cities could get a national park and bison bridge... on I-80". WQAD8.
- ↑ "Top 10 CNN Hero: Chad Pregracke". CNN.
- ↑ "America Votes Chad Pregracke, A River Crusader From East Moline, Illinois, The Grand Prize Winner Of Mitchum's Hardest Working Person In America Contest". PR Newswire.
- ↑ Geyer, Thomas. "Pregracke lands prestigious Jefferson Award for service". Quad-City Times.
- ↑ "Points of Light Institute Tribute - Chad Pregracke". YouTube, Points of Light.
- ↑ "Gulf Island Shipyards Delivers Towboat to Marquette". Marine Log. 18 October 2016.
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