Chad Pregracke is the internationally named 2013 CNN Hero of the Year, founder, and president of Living Lands & Waters; a nonprofit river cleanup organization, author and professional public speaker. He is proof one person can make a difference.  Best known for starting out as a young man in East Moline, Illinois wanting a cleaner waterway, Chad has become the champion for the Mississippi River. Growing up on its banks, he worked as a commercial shell diver during his early years, experiencing the river from the bottom up.

Spending 10 hours a day in the depths and current of the pitch-black waters, he crawled nearly 150 miles of the river bottom over six years. Chad saw its beauty and was frustrated by the neglect. At the age of 17, he decided to clean it up. Twenty-six years later, Chad and his Living Lands & Waters crew have organized and led over 1400 community cleanups on 25 rivers in 23 states and removed over 13.5 million pounds of garbage. 

​

Chad had an idea that evolved into a movement that has helped to restore one of America’s greatest icons, the Mississippi River. Most of what is removed from the Mississippi River and other water bodies are plastics, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent trying to dispose of those plastics. Once learned that 43% of all slow-growing hardwood trees were cut down for single use wood pallets, they knew there had to be a better solution. So, Chad and his wife Tammy, created Green Current Solutions (GCS). GCS makes 100% recycled plastic pallets utilizing a portion of the plastics removed from the rivers and other sources in addition to trying to incorporate other company’s plastic waste streams into their product. GCS is a culmination of Chad and Tammy’s passion for the natural environment and their drive to make change. Companies switching from wood to 100% recycled plastic pallets are not only saving millions of pounds of plastics from our oceans, rivers, landfills, and incinerators, but they are also saving millions of trees from being cut down.

​

Chad has been recognized by former President, George W. Bush as a national “Point of Light.”  He received a standing ovation at the Kennedy Center from all four living former U.S. Presidents for his inspirational message on dreaming big, taking action, persevering, leading and collaborating. Chad’s enthusiasm, sense of humor and passion amplifies his story and entertains audiences. Ultimately, his message inspires people to believe they can make a difference.