Photograph Courtesy Living Land & Waters
Photograph Courtesy Living Land & Waters
Growing up just 67 feet from the Mississippi River, Chad Pregracke grew outraged as countless abandoned items floated by and lodged in the riverbed behind his house. One weekend he decided to do something about it, hauling out junk by hand until his backyard was filled. A passing fisherman contacted the local news station, saying they needed to get out there quickly to see what one motivated teenager was doing with his spare time. Eleven years later, Pregracke’s team and volunteers across the country have removed more than a thousand tons of garbage from the biggest rivers in the U.S.
Pregracke has delivered more than 300 presentations to corporate, public, and student audiences worldwide, emerging as a strong, articulate, and passionate voice for making a difference, one person at a time.
Presentation Topics
From the Bottom Up: One Man’s Crusade to Clean America’s Rivers
In this inspirational story from his recently published book of the same title, Pregracke takes us on his personal journey to restore pride to one of our nation’s great legacies, haul by haul.
Results, Not Rhetoric: How to Mobilize Your Team
Pregracke has learned to navigate political as well as physical landscapes, responding to challenges and opportunities with grace and precision. Recounting his personal journey from wide-eyed teenager to entrepreneur, he shares the pitfalls and serendipity he encountered as he created a mobilizing nonprofit organization.
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