Shows
The Mississippi Valley Traveler PodcastTrash Talk: Inside America's Largest River Cleanup Organization, Living Lands & WatersSend us a textWhat started out as one guy with a jon boat picking up trash along the Mississippi in his hometown has since evolved into one of the largest, best known, most inspirational organizations in the country. In this episode, Educational Facilitator Mike Coyne-Logan describes how Living Lands & Waters (LLW) grew from the hands and mind of Chad Pregracke to the purpose-driven organization it is today. We talk about LLW’s core mission and how it has evolved over time from clean ups to also include summer camps, planting trees, and teaching about conservation and st...2025-01-151h 03
Great Loop Radio PodcastGreat Loop Radio: Cleaning up the Inland RiversDo you know Chad Pregracke? If not, you should! For 25 years he's been helping remove trash from America's inland rivers. Chad founded Living Lands and Waters in 1998 at the age of 25 when he realized nothing was being done to clean up the waterways. He is the winner of many awards and accolades, most notably, Chad was the recipient of the Jefferson Award for Public Service. Chad accepted this award in 2002 at the United States Supreme Court with other award recipients Rudolph Giuliani, Bill and Melinda Gates and Lilly Tartikoff. In 2013, he was named CNN's Hero of the Year. Chad is...2024-06-1421 min
Current ConversationsEducating for the EnvironmentTune in to our latest episode, "Educating for the Environment," where we shine a spotlight on the vital role of education in environmental advocacy. Our guests, Chad Pregracke and Gary Swick, are leading the charge in inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards through their creative approaches to education and community engagement. From river cleanups to watershed restoration, this episode explores the transformative power of education in building a more sustainable future for our planet. This podcast is powered by BeAlive2024-06-0936 min
The New Warehouse PodcastEP 446: Transforming River Waste into a Sustainable Pallet with Green Current SolutionsYou don't want to miss this feel-good episode featuring Chad Pregracke, CEO of Green Current Solutions. With a unique background in river cleanup, Pregracke brings a fresh perspective to sustainable practices in logistics, focusing on creating eco-friendly pallet solutions that balance environmental responsibility with supply chain efficiency.Learn more about Picker Pal here. Get better visibility with Surgere. Follow us on LinkedIn and YouTube.Support the show2023-12-1834 min
The Sustainiacs by OPT USA, Inc. - Meet the Innovators and Disruptors of SustainabilityTake me home to Green....Current SolutionsChad Pregracke is president of Green Current Solutions. Home of Palletgonia!!! A shipping pallet made from reclaimed plastic waste. 18 years on a barge and a life time of cleaning up the rivers he grew up on, Chad now supplies the logistics industry with a green alternative to wood pallets. Cleaning rivers, planting 1.9 million oak trees, living on a barge for 18 years, and now manufacturing plastic pallets from reclaimed river waste plastic. Can't we all just do a little? 2023-09-0350 min
The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe337: Chad Pregracke—America's Hardest Working Garbage ManThe founder of Living Lands and Waters talks about how his do-goodery removed over 13 million pounds of garbage from America’s waterways, how he’s turning discarded plastics into durable pallets, and why his volunteers refer to his flagship as the "Love Barge."2023-08-081h 08
Growing BolderGrowing Bolder: The Lobster Lady Virginia Oliver; Eco-Warrior and Living Lands and Waters Founder Chad Pregracke; Trailblazer Donna Orender101 year old, Virginia Oliver has lived most of her life on the water. She’s the oldest lobster fisherman alive. She also drives to the local grocery store every day to buy supplies for her favorite activity, cooking for her family. Hear Virginia’s secrets to a long and happy life.Living Lands and Waters founder Chad Pregracke is on a mission to clean the garbage out of our rivers. He was 17 years old when he became appalled by the pollution in the Mississippi River and vowed to clean it up. To date, his organization has rem...2022-12-0450 min
In the QCSitting down with Chad Pregracke of Living Lands & Waters: Ep. 9In this episode of "In the QC" our host LO sits down with Chad Pregracke, President and Founder of Living Lands and Waters. Listen now: https://bit.ly/3VIRbuOSusainability blog: https://bit.ly/3UpfQEvLearn more about Living, Lands & Waters: https://www.livinglandsandwaters.org2022-11-2924 min
Uncommon ConvosChad Pregracke | Season 2 | Episode 024In this episode of Uncommon Convos, Dennis talks with one of the hardest working men in America, Chad Pregracke. Chad is founder of Living Lands and Waters. Dennis talks to Chad about how he started on this mission of cleaning the rivers and how things have changed over the years. They also talk about several other projects Chad has going on like, The Bison Bridge Project, Million Trees Project and Adopt A River Mile to name a few. As a kid he started to notice all the garbage above and below the water. This led him to do something about...2022-10-1849 min
Real Success with Nate KaedingEpisode 40: Chad Pregracke of Living Lands and WatersOn Today's Episode: Nate talks real success with Chad Pregracke, the founder of Living Lands & Waters, an environmental non-profit that was established in 1998 and has grown to be the only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization like it in the world. The two talk about what motivated Chad to form Living Lands & Waters, the lessons he learned forming a 501(c)3 non-profit, and the obstacles (and sunken boats) he has overcome. Chad also shares his thoughts on how he manages his team's time and resources, his work on other initiatives such as the Bison Bridge Foundation, and how initiatives at t...2022-07-0539 min
Patrick Miner's WebENVIRONMENT: action cleans rivers, maybe a Yellow Submarinehttps://www.livinglandsandwaters.org/Our MissionTo aid in the protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment of the nations’ major rivers and their watershedsABOUT US:Headquartered in East Moline, Illinois, Living Lands & Waters is a 501 (c)(3) environmental organization that was established by Chad Pregracke in 1998. Since the organization was founded, Living Lands & Waters has grown to be the only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization like it in the world.Spending up to nine months a year l...2022-06-2320 min
QC, THAT'S WHERE!'QC, That's Where' we're tackling the 'wild idea' of a Bison Bridge over the Mississippi RiverSend us a textChad Pregracke, founder of Living Lands & Waters, and more recently, the Bison Bridge Foundation explains the idea to repurpose the I-80 Bridge over the Mississippi River and to bring a herd of bison on isn't an idea that came overnight. It's a concept that's earned the support of about 38,000 people as of spring 2022 and will keep forging ahead to the Iowa and Illinois DOTs as well as lawmakers both locally and in D.C. Chad says he'd like to see this piece of infrastructure repurposed, as a way to conserve, save mo...2022-05-1138 minGrowing BolderGrowing Bolder: Eco-Warrior and Living Lands and Waters Founder Chad Pregracke; The Lobster Lady Virginia Oliver; Trailblazer Donna OrenderLiving Lands and Waters founder Chad Pregracke is on a mission to clean the garbage out of our rivers. He was 17 years old when he became appalled by the pollution in the Mississippi River and vowed to clean it up. To date, his organization has removed 10 million pounds of trash and is still going strong. 101 year old, Virginia Oliver has lived most of her life on the water. She’s the oldest lobster fisherman alive. She also drives to the local grocery store every day to buy supplies for her favorite activity, cooking for h...2021-12-1200 min
Consequence of HabitCoH Episode 52: Chad Pregracke, Founder of Living Lands & Waters.Send us a textThis week I’m joined by Chad Pregracke, the Founder of Living Lands & Waters and author of the book "From the Bottom Up." Chad is a lot of things…he’s the 2013 CNN Hero of the Year, an author, an environmentalist, and an entrepreneur. But the word I think best describes Chad is “Rebel”. Chad has rebelled against the notion of what we can, and cannot achieve. At 19 Chad decided he was fed-up with the amount of trash in the Mississippi River, so in true “Rebel” form he created an "industrial strength" not-fo...2021-07-2836 min
The Fallon ForumJun 28: The promise of ranked choice votingOn this week's Fallon Forum, Ed Fallon discusses:
(02:15) The promise of ranked choice voting;
(14:42) Finding wilderness amidst the corn fields, with Maureen McCue;
(27:50) Bison bridge across the Mississippi, with Chad Pregracke;
(41:03) Line 3 resistance builds;
(52:49) Why food prices are going up, with Kathy Byrnes.2021-06-281h 01
RFK Jr PodcastCleaning the Mississippi River with Chad PregrackeChad Pregracke founded Living Lands & Waters is a nonprofit environmental organization with a mission to clean up the Mississippi River and some of the tributaries. With the help of over 108,000 volunteers and countless supporters, they've removed over 10 million pounds of garbage from America’s rivers.
At age 17, Pregracke began calling government agencies to tell them about the problem. None of the calls resulted in action and the amount of trash on the river was growing.2021-05-1727 min
QC Uncut - QuadCities.comQC Uncut: Chad Pregracke (Episode #103)Living Lands and Waters’ Chad Pregracke talks to us about the new Bison Bridge project and how it’s going to impact the Quad-Cities, how he got the idea, and where they go from here.
2021-03-2429 min
Better Place Project with Steve NorrisCNN Hero of the Year - Chad PregrackeSeason 1 Finale: Chad Pregracke grew up near the Mississipi River in East Moline, Illinois. From his childhood experience and first job as a clam digger, he decided he wanted to do something about all of the trash collected in the river. At the age of 17, Chad started making calls to government agencies to notify them of the problem, assuming someone would take care of it. But overtime, the problem only got worse. In 1997, Chad decided that if no one else was going to clean up the river, he would. In 1998 at the age of 23, Chad founded Living L...2021-02-0235 min
This Sustainable Life343: Chad Pregracke: One River, One Piece of Garbage at a TimeMany people suggest people as guests who are doing "environmental things". They don't know my strategy with this podcast, which I describe in my solo episode Clarifying my strategy. The crux is that I focus on leadership and bringing leaders to the environment before focusing on the environment. I consider our behavior the problem to change. Environmental degradation results from behavior. Most people are trying to make some process more efficient, like making cars electric or use less plastic in some process. That's management. It accepts the values of a system that pollutes, and generally a...2020-06-0347 min
My Corner Of The UniverseMike Coyne-Logan - Living Lands and WatersHeadquartered in East Moline, Illinois, Living Lands & Waters is a 501 (c)(3) environmental organization that was established by Chad Pregracke in 1998. Since the organization was founded, Living Lands & Waters has grown to be the only “industrial strength” river cleanup organization like it in the world. Spending up to nine months a year living and traveling on the barge, the Living Lands & Waters crew hosts river cleanups, watershed conservation initiatives, workshops, tree plantings and other key conservation efforts. OUR MISSION: We like wins. Big or small. But, what’s a win to us? Our mission is three...2020-04-1648 min
Sustainably GeekyEp 22 - Getting Trashed in MemphisThere's more than one way to get trashed on Spring Break! In this bonus episode, Jennifer joins the Living Lands and Waters (LLW) crew in Memphis, TN at their Alternative Spring Break (ASB). This annual event brings college students from around the nation together to pick up trash along the Mississippi River. Jennifer works alongside volunteers to help clean up McKellar Lake and learns firsthand about how the LLW industrial strength river cleanup works. You'll hear from the group's founder Chad Pregracke, LLW staff and ASB volunteers as they discuss their experience with this great program and its impact...2020-04-0600 minSustainably GeekyEp18 - Rollin On the RiverIt's time to clean up our act! We hear a lot about the amount of pollution in our oceans, but a large amount of that trash originates from freshwater rivers. In 1997, Chad Pregracke decided to do something about the trash he saw accumulating in the Mississippi River near his hometown. He started to clean the river up little by little, and more than 20 years later this venture turned into Living Lands & Waters, a nonprofit whose mission is to aid in the protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment of the nations’ major rivers and their watersheds. Chad joins us...2019-12-1200 min
EarthwormsMighty Mississippi with David LobbigHere in St. Louis, few of us deal with is, most of us rarely see it, and hardly any of us have ever been ON it. But the Mississippi River is a force here. And on Earth, as our planet's fourth largest watershed. Missouri Historical Society tell's this river's story in a new exhibit, Mighty Mississippi - that lives up to its name! Hear the story behind this 5-year exhibit project from David Lobbig, Curator of Environmental Life at MHS. David has lived it, from the tough choice among artifacts to the messages this landmark work ai...2019-12-0442 minEarthwormsBin There, Do THIS! Recycling Update: What, Why, How & How NOTWhen a material (like paper) or a container (like a bottle or a can) has served its original purpose and still has useful life remaining, that material will remain in use as ingredients in recycled-content products - if you put it in your recycling bin. But not everything should go in that bin. Bob Henkel manages Recycling On The Go for St. Louis Earth Day. He has BIN there & done that Green thang at hundreds of events, with thousand of humans. He know his recycling stuff. So does Earthworms host Jean Ponzi. This conversation sorts through...2018-06-0650 minEarthwormsMissouri River: Two Birds, a Fish, Legal Stuff, Some Good News & Much MOOnce one of the wildest rivers of North America, some now call it the Missouri Canal. It has been dammed, dredged, cursed as it flooded, pinched between levees, straightened - and yet humans from many walks of life are dedicated to helping this river survive, and even maybe re-wild it a little bit. Thomas Ball talks with Earthworms host Jean Ponzi as an individual engaged in the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (he says "Mister RIC"). He's also active in the Sierra Club's Missouri River work Sierra Club originally filed to get the Pallid Sturgeon, a prehisto...2018-05-0254 minEarthwormsBarge-Based Trash Basher: Chad PregrackeThe operation's name affirms its goal: Living Lands and Waters, and it's founder is a powerhouse of encouraging experience for humans along many shores. As Chad Pregracke proudly reports, LLW has worked on 23 Rivers in 20 States, mobilizing 98,000 Volunteers to pull more than 9.2 million pounds of Trash OUT of U.S. waterways. Right livelihood, on a barge. Since this guy was 17. Chad is a Green Giant - and his LLW crew and circles of helpers and supporters are doing some of the most amazing, effective and necessary work around. Including connecting people of all political persuasions to our lan...2017-05-1936 min
Pink Elephant - The IT and ITIL Service Management ExpertsBonus: Pink Elephant Conference 2008 – Chad PregrackeChad Pregracke, President of Living Lands and Waters, talking about how to raise money when all you’ve got is passion!2008-04-1800 min