ATLANTA, April 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Every April, Georgia Power employees celebrate Earth Day all month long by participating in stewardship projects that protect and enhance the communities in which they live and work. This year, employees are once again joining in through virtual or in-person projects – while taking pandemic precautions like social distancing and hygiene precautions – to support a variety of environmental initiatives.

A few of the efforts around the state taking place virtually or in-person this month with Georgia Power volunteers or support include:

• Metro Atlanta Urban Farm – for outside, socially distanced harvesting, planting, weeding and general farm care.
• Dunwoody Nature Center – to beautify and improve nature trails and remove invasive plants.
• Lincoln County Walking Trail and Pollinator Garden – grooming mulch in classroom and entry, assembling picnic tables and assembling pollinator gardens.
• Everett Park in Atlanta – for a riverbed cleanup.
• River Walk Atlanta – to clean up and beautify the park.
• K.B. Sutton Elementary School in Forsyth – where Plant Scherer employees will help place four bird feeders and provide bird seeds with containers to store the seeds. The volunteers also will provide tomato plants for students to use in the greenhouse and wildflower butterfly mix.
• Tybee Clean Beach Volunteer Organization – picked up trash around the north end of the beach.
• Stash the Trash event in Albany – annual community awareness cleanup event, with sponsorship by Georgia Power.
• Gentian Blvd. operating headquarters revitalization in Columbus – to clean up flower beds and plant shrubs and flowers.
• Clean-up events in neighborhoods across the state – several Georgia Power employee resource groups have teamed up to promote individual, socially-distanced Earth Day celebration clean-ups during morning, afternoon or evening walks. Employees are encouraged to take a different route each day to clean up areas around their neighborhoods or nearby parks.
• Georgia Power's GreenKeepers – team will host a virtual Earth Day event for employees on Thursday, April 22. The virtual event will include a special session with "Dr. Ann," a best-selling author, physician and motivational speaker and a panel on Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability featuring company experts from its Natural Resources, Forestry, Education and Environmental organizations.

Georgia Power Presents Earth Day at Atlanta Botanical Garden
Georgia Power this year is the presenting sponsor of the Atlanta Botanical Garden's Earth Day Celebration. Visitors can celebrate nature with their children in the Atlanta Botanical Garden on this Thursday, April 22. Make a garden-inspired creation out of natural materials, watch special performances on the Great Lawn at 10:30 or 11:15 a.m., and hunt for beautiful art made from recycled materials by talented volunteers. Activities are set up for comfort and safety during the pandemic.

Water Grant Projects
In addition to environmental service projects that enhance and beautify communities across the state, the Georgia Power Foundation recently highlighted $1 million in environmental grants awarded to eight organizations in Georgia, funding projects focused on preserving and restoring Georgia's waterways, lakes and rivers. These organizations share the company's focus on preserving Georgia's waterways and is just one way Georgia Power helps ensure future generations enjoy the benefits these projects bring for years to come. Projects in both urban and rural settings address areas from riverbank stabilization and reduction of agricultural runoff, to installing rain gardens and permeable pavement, and improving fish and other aquatic species' habitats.

Supporting Partnerships and Celebrating Successes
This Earth Day, the company is also celebrating long partnerships, such as with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and highlighting work done to help save endangered or threatened species in Georgia and across the Southeast, like the red-cockaded woodpecker. The company is proud to continue work with many partners to protect this vital species by restoring their longleaf pine habitats and monitoring their populations. This bird is being called the "comeback kid" for its recent resurgence.

To learn more about Georgia Power's environmental commitment, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com/Environment.

About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America's premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.6 million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).

SOURCE Georgia Power