Chad Pregracke

Chad Pregracke grew up on the Mississippi River, and witnessed firsthand the neglect by those who use the river, including the accumulation of abandoned, toxic and otherwise dumped trash in and around the river. In 1997, he founded Living Lands and Waters, the world’s only “industrial strength” not-for-profit river cleanup organization and was named the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year for showing one person can truly make a difference.

Cleaning up the Mississippi is no small task - over 2,000 miles long and a vital route for commerce since prior to the Civil War, it has had the better part of two centuries to accumulate the debris of commercial and private enterprise on and near the river. In this talk, Chad will share successes, challenges, and lessons learned over the last 20 years in this undertaking and what it takes to motivate people to care about the amazing natural resource in their own backyards.

Light breakfast and coffee will be served.