Celebrating Earth Day 2004

CELEBRATING EARTH DAY 2004

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today marks the 34th anniversary of the designation of April 22 as Earth Day. It is fitting to contemplate the words of former Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who, in 1970, was instrumental in launching this now annual event. Thanks to his determination, what began as a nationwide "teach-in" on college campuses and in American communities to catalyze growing public awareness of ensuring a livable world, has become a traditional day devoted to raising public consciousness about our environmental stewardship responsibilities.

Senator Nelson observed that "(t)he real loser in man's greedy drive is the youth of this country and the world. Because of the stupidity of their elders, the children of today face an ugly world in the near future, with dangerous and deadly polluted air and water; overcrowded development; festering mounds of debris; and an insufficient amount of open space to get away from it all. Since youth is again the great loser, perhaps the only hope of saving the environment and putting quality back into life may well depend on our being able to tap the energy, idealism, and drive of the oncoming generation."

Senator Nelson's reflections and the fact that today is Earth Day provide an opportunity to offer a special salute to the initiatives of a remarkable young native son of Illinois. Less than 3 miles away in the District of Columbia, within the shadow of this Capitol, hundreds of local volunteers led by a dynamic crew of young Illinoisans have spent the last 3 weeks tackling the tons of trash along the shores of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers-soda cans and bottles, snack bags, styrofoam, and just about anything else you can imagine.

This Capital River Relief Project is spearheaded by Chad Pregracke, an industrious and impressive young man from East Moline, IL, who founded Living Lands and Waters, a non-profit organization to support his Mississippi River Beautification and Restoration Project to collect and recycle debris. Over the past seven years, Chad's work has expanded from the Mississippi River to include clean-up projects on the Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, and currently the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. What began as a "one man and his dog with one boat" clean-up effort has grown to an eight-state, 56-community project with thousands of volunteers and an estimated 900 tons of trash removed from the waters and banks of several major American rivers.

Doug Siglin, Director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's Anacostia River Initiative, has partnered with Chad in the local effort. Numerous corporate backers, led by Koch Industries, have provided financial support for the project.

Many organizations host annual river clean-up projects along both the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. However, this year's clean-up effort is different. For the first time, a 140-foot barge is being moved up and down both the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, cleaning 30 miles of riverbanks. The barge serves as a temporary repository for all the garbage and materials collected from the rivers.

As of April 19, Chad, his crew, and volunteers have loaded the barge with 2,800 bags filled with trash, along with 746 tires, 25 55-gallon barrels, 12 shopping carts, 7 refrigerators, 6 messages in bottles, 3 water heaters, and 1 mannequin hand gathered from the banks and water. When the project concludes this weekend, all recyclable items will be taken to recycling facilities. Anything remaining will be taken to conventional landfills.

Chad has received numerous awards for his efforts, including an honorary doctorate degree from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, the Jefferson Award for Public Service, and the Manhattan Institute of Public Policy's Social Entrepreneurship Award. He also has been featured in an array of publications including People, Time, Reader's Digest, Outside, Smithsonian, and Biography magazine, which included Chad in its "Top Ten Future Classics in America" issue. Several networks have highlighted Chad's work including CNN, the National Geographic Channel, MTV, and PBS.

In tandem with the clean-up drives, Chad's organization last year hosted 15 free, Big River Education Workshops from St. Louis, Missouri, to Davenport, Iowa, aboard a floating barge classroom. The workshops drew 295 teachers and river advocates, who then shared the knowledge and experience with the thousands of students whose lives they touch.

Although Chad and his crew will be returning to the Midwest soon, they will leave behind not only cleaner local river shorelines, but a bevy of fans inspired by the realization that one person's vision, combined with muscle and resolve, can make a real difference. I applaud Chad Pregracke and his team of Lisa Hoffman, Erick Louck, Tammy Becker, Chris Fenderson, and Kim Erndt.

Not only on Earth Day, but every day, I hope what they have set in motion for restoration of the historic waterways in our Nation's capital will be contagious.

We owe it to our children and our children's children to restore and preserve all of the priceless waterways throughout our country, which sustain the lives of many fish, birds, and other species, provide abundant recreational opportunities, and help support not only our economy but our precious earth, 70 percent of which is covered in water, the building block of life.