Can one person make a difference in our workld?

Growing up just a few yards from the Mississippi River and working as a commercial shell diver, Chad Pregracke grew outraged as he encountered countless abandoned barrels, cars, appliances, and other discarded items along the river. When he was just 17 he decided to do something about it and began cleaning up the river—at first, single-handedly, and a short while later with a growing crew and fleet of barges and equipment. Fifteen years and 550 community river cleanups later, Pregracke, his crew, and more than 70,000 volunteers across the country have removed over eight million pounds of garbage from the Mississippi and 16 other major rivers in the United States.
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.