Featured Change Agent: Chad Pregracke is Cleaning Up America’s Rivers

Each week, EarthFirst.com will be featuring a new ‘Change Agent’ from Changents.com, a social media site that connects people who are doing good in the world with a support system of advocates, donors, publicity generators and fans.

This week we’re putting the spotlight on Chad Pregacke, a change agent who set out to free the rivers he loves so much from the trash that was polluting their shorelines.  Chad, who grew up and spent much time along the Mississippi and Illinois rivers, decided at 22 that he wanted to do something about the problem.  So, he started calling around seeking corporate sponsorships, and after many rejections, finally got his first one from Alcoa, Inc.  That helped him get started, and 10 years later, he’s traveling the rivers of America in his barge, cleaning them of trash.

Chad’s organization, Living Lands and Waters, has pulled over 4 million pounds of trash from the nation’s river since he first set out in 1997. LL&W now has 10 employees, a fleet of workboats and barges and many corporate sponsors. They’ve engaged thousands of people in river cleanups all over the U.S., and continue to work toward their mission of river cleanup, riverbottom restoration, educational workshops, Adopt-A-River-Mile and the Million Trees project.

Living Lands and Waters goes one step further in their efforts by giving away a million fruit and nut bearing hardwood trees to help restore watershed ecosystems.  The trees are offered in the hopes that communities will be able to get rid of invasive species and instead provide food and shelter for wildlife, and preserve the riverbottom ecosystems.

Check out this video clip from Big Ideas for a Small Planet, where Chad talks about Living Lands and Waters’ efforts.

Chad and Living Lands and Waters are actively seeking volunteers to help them in their current crusade, which is helping to restore the Midwest areas that were affected by this year’s flood.  See the Chad Pregracke Changents Action Opportunities page for more information.

Living Lands and Waters also hosts community cleanups, educational workshops and tree-plantings throughout the Midwest, and occasionally in other locations.  Join Changents as a backer or contact Living Lands and Waters by emailing madeline@livinglandsandwaters.org for more information.

As a Changents backer, you can offer your assistance in any way you can: as a volunteer right out there on the rivers, sponsors, advocates and publicity generators.  Even if you only have a few minutes of your day to spare, you can help get Living Lands & Waters’ message out so they can continue cleaning up our rivers.

Young British Adventurer to Sail the Mississippi on Juice Carton Boat

Is it just me, or are there a lot of people deemed ‘British adventurers’ in the press? I rarely hear the term ‘American adventurer’, ‘Italian adventurer’ or, you know, ‘Kazakhstani adventurer’. Rhys Jones, a 22-year-old ‘British adventurer’ is set to sail the Mississippi River on a boat made of juice cartons. Jones is already known as being the youngest person ever to climb the world’s highest seven summits.

From Gizmodo:

Actually, the idea was conceived by his father after he received a book about origami. Naturally, his first thought was to build a 12-foot raft with a wooden cabin and a paper hull lined with juice cartons and sail 3,700 miles down one of the most treacherous rivers in the world.

As mentioned, the father and son team plan to set sail this weekend on what will undoubtedly be a 3-4 month trip down the river. In the end, Rhys and his father hope to recycle the boat and raise awareness about conserving the Earth’s natural resources. So remember kids, not recycling is bad, but risking your life for no apparent reason is still a-ok.

I want to go on an adventure with a British adventurer. Preferably, this one. So, David, if you need a crewmate, you know how to reach me.

Link [Gizmodo]
Photo credit: Metro.co.uk

Clean Rivers in Maine Lead to Black Fly Swarms

Maine struggled with polluted rivers for years, and it took a lot of effort to get them cleaned up. After the Clean Water Act was passed in 1972, the clean-up tasks in rivers such as the Penobscot and Kennebec began, and now Maine residents are enjoying dozens of species that weren’t seen while the rivers were polluted. Unfortunately, they’re also dealing with an infestation of black flies, which are very sensitive to pollution and thrive in pristine flowing waters.

From Boston.com:

It’s an unintended barometer of good ecological health, but Maine officials are adamant they will not mess with nature in any way to provide relief.

“They can be so thick you breathe them in and they get stuck in your throat. They even get under your eyelids,” said Julia Brilliott, an Eastport resident who showed off four lumpy red welts on the back of her neck after climbing Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park last week.

For the uninitiated, black flies are blood-sucking insects with a menacing reputation worthy of a late-night science fiction movie. Not all bite humans - some feed on other mammals and birds - but those that do are relentless daytime feeders. Even the nonbiting flies are often despised because they emerge by the millions in warm months and, lured by the carbon dioxide we exhale, swarm around people.

Situations like this require a tricky balance. Obviously, it’s better for the rivers to be clean so that more species can thrive – and animals like birds and trout feed on the flies. Though other states like Pennsylvania use chemicals to kill the fly larvae, which they claim are safe for the ecosystem, Maine officials refuse to use them, having the foresight to realize that a substance that’s toxic to one organism will likely be toxic to others as well.

Hopefully Maine officials will find a solution before residents decide that they’ve had enough of the black flies and get back to pollutin’.

Link [Boston.com]
Photo credit: Flickr user Benimoto