Toss Me a Life Jacket!
Hello! We are Living Lands & Waters and we’re living life in the trash lane. Our
number one job is to leave America’s rivers cleaner than we found them while
educating students about the environmental impacts of waste.
Trash Collectors
Toss Me a Life Jacket!
number one job is to leave America’s rivers cleaner than we found them while
educating students about the environmental impacts of waste.
Chad Pregracke’s first love was the Mississippi River (see also: his back yard).
But our love has spread far and wide over the 20 years since we became a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization!
Sponsors and volunteers make living the dream possible. There’s no denying that
they are our heroes and we are forever grateful for every single one of them.
We also have a lot of love for our fleet of five barges, two towboats, five workboats,
two skid steers, an excavator, five work trucks and a crane.
The floating portion of our fleet, “the barge,” makes a statement wherever it travels.
It’s essentially a floating recycling center that houses our equipment and crew.
Built out of repurposed barns and a flooded Quad Cities strip club, the house barge
serves as both the crew’s teaching and living quarters. If one of us isn’t cooking
up a gourmet meal to share, we default to making some mean frozen pizzas in the
galley!
But our love has spread far and wide over the 20 years since we became a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization!
they are our heroes and we are forever grateful for every single one of them.
We also have a lot of love for our fleet of five barges, two towboats, five workboats,
two skid steers, an excavator, five work trucks and a crane.
The floating portion of our fleet, “the barge,” makes a statement wherever it travels.
It’s essentially a floating recycling center that houses our equipment and crew.
Built out of repurposed barns and a flooded Quad Cities strip club, the house barge
serves as both the crew’s teaching and living quarters. If one of us isn’t cooking
up a gourmet meal to share, we default to making some mean frozen pizzas in the
galley!
The Really Classy, Trashy Types
The types of trash we collect consists of 55-gallon barrels, tires, appliances, bears, beets, battle star galactica
and more odd objects than you can imagine. Plastic is, by far, the number one
thing we find in America’s rivers.
Loooooots of plastic.
Some of the trash is thrown there
intentionally and some of it lands there with the wind. Maybe some of it grows
legs and walks itself there, we’re not
really sure but we don’t
discriminate - our job is to collect as much of it as possible. And sometimes we wear our trashy tiaras while sitting on garbage thrones while
doing said job, too. #classyandtrashy
How Much Trash?
and more odd objects than you can imagine. Plastic is, by far, the number one
thing we find in America’s rivers.
Loooooots of plastic.
Some of the trash is thrown there
intentionally and some of it lands there with the wind. Maybe some of it grows
legs and walks itself there, we’re not
really sure but we don’t
discriminate - our job is to collect as much of it as possible. And sometimes we wear our trashy tiaras while sitting on garbage thrones while
How Much Trash?
We’re about to collect our 10 millionth pound of trash in our 20th year! With more than 100,000 volunteers working side-by-side with us, we’ve lifted most of it by hand. But, with our excavator in full commission, we expect to start blowing those numbers out of the water (because sometimes you have to take the easy pun) starting in our 2019 season. Stay tuned!
Where Does the Trash Go?
Once the barge is full, the majority of garbage we collect is recycled at one of
our Recycle Like a Rockstar events.
But the stuff we don’t get...
You’ve seen The Great Pacific Garbage Patch?
And the sea turtle with a plastic straw embedded in its nose? :(
It’s estimated that 90% of all ocean trash comes from rivers. The good news?
Something can be (and is being) done about it!
our Recycle Like a Rockstar events.
And the sea turtle with a plastic straw embedded in its nose? :(
It’s estimated that 90% of all ocean trash comes from rivers. The good news?
Something can be (and is being) done about it!
The Cost of River & Ocean Trash
The effects of aquatic pollution on 1) river and ocean life and 2) humans are
devastating, not to mention the huge economic costs. Fisheries are at risk.
There are risks of entanglement and threats to animal behavior, health and existence.
They often confuse plastic for food, then become prey and eventually make their
way up the food chain to your dinner plate.
You know what this means, right?
This is exciting news because it means that you don’t have to be a full-fledged tree
hugger to pitch in and care about the environment!
Even if you’re doing it for yourself and the sake of your kiddos, every effort helps.
What does that mean, though?
We’re talking about education and awareness, especially while consumer-ing!
Can we avoid buying and using single-use plastics? Are we aware that there are
microplastics in many home beauty products and clothing items? Can we use
reusable bags while shopping (groceries or otherwise)? These are just a few ideas and we’ll get into more in future blogs!
Consider this. Before you buy something - disposable or resulable - ask yourself,
“Do I need it?” Even buying an excessive amount of reusable bottles, bags and
straws, albeit well-intentioned, is still an excess. If we take care of and use the
things we already own, it’s easier to reduce!
And, if you want to pitch in outside of
your household, one way is to
check out our volunteer opportunities.
The rivers are vast and we can use all
the help we can get! You might get
dirty (and by “might” we mean you
absolutely will be filthy) but you’re
gauranteed to have an absolute blast
with this crazy crew!
That’s our very abbreviated story! We have much more to share so check back often
for more trashy content that you can’t live without! #lifeinthetrashlane
devastating, not to mention the huge economic costs. Fisheries are at risk.
There are risks of entanglement and threats to animal behavior, health and existence.
They often confuse plastic for food, then become prey and eventually make their
way up the food chain to your dinner plate.
hugger to pitch in and care about the environment!
Even if you’re doing it for yourself and the sake of your kiddos, every effort helps.
Can we avoid buying and using single-use plastics? Are we aware that there are
microplastics in many home beauty products and clothing items? Can we use
reusable bags while shopping (groceries or otherwise)? These are just a few ideas and we’ll get into more in future blogs!
“Do I need it?” Even buying an excessive amount of reusable bottles, bags and
straws, albeit well-intentioned, is still an excess. If we take care of and use the
things we already own, it’s easier to reduce!
And, if you want to pitch in outside ofyour household, one way is to
check out our volunteer opportunities.
The rivers are vast and we can use all
the help we can get! You might get
dirty (and by “might” we mean you
absolutely will be filthy) but you’re
gauranteed to have an absolute blast
with this crazy crew!
for more trashy content that you can’t live without! #lifeinthetrashlane
