Gulfport, Miss. – For the 7th straight year, Mississippi Power and nearly 40 corporate, community and governmental partners are teaming up for a two-day Renew Our Rivers cleanup event, which will take place between October 10 and 11.

With the theme “Our Efforts Continue to Flow,” the 2012 Renew Our Rivers fall events will focus on Gulfport Lake and Industrial Seaway on Wednesday and the Pascagoula River on Thursday. 

“Thanks to our partners and volunteers, the impact of Renew Our Rivers continues to grow,” said program coordinator Patricia Berry. “We’re excited to return to several locations to continue our efforts in hopes of making a lasting impact on our South Mississippi waterways.”

Since 2005, Renew Our Rivers volunteers have removed more than 250 tons of debris and trash from about 20 different waterways. The 2011 effort saw 58 tons of debris hauled off.

Renew Our Rivers 2012 could not be possible without these additional partners:

A-Team, Alabama Power, Coastal Cargo Company, Inc., The Jackson Kearney Group, Coastal Rivers Coastal Waste Co., Inc., Coca Cola, Control Worx, Cumbest Realty, Cupit Signs, DanHart, Inc, Eco Tours, GE Power Generation Services, Glad Force Flex, Gulf Coast Marine, Harrison County Beautification Commission, Harrison County Board of Supervisors, Hydraservice Industrial Valve, Jackson County Solid Waste, Keep Mississippi Beautiful, Kentwood Springs, Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain, Little River Marina, Mayer Electric, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Merchants & Marine Bank, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, MS Export Railroad, Navigator Credit Union, Roberts Marina, The Dock, Turner Supply, U.S. Navy Seabees and Waste Management.

For its Renew Our Rivers efforts, Mississippi Power has received three Gulf Guardian Awards from The Gulf of Mexico Program and three Keep America Beautiful Awards for litter prevention and education.

Editor’s Note

Mississippi Power welcomes reporters and photographers to ride along throughout the Renew Our Rivers cleanup event. Please contact Jeff Shepard at 228-861-5543 to secure a spot on either of the following day trips.

October 10      Gulfport Lake/Industrial Seaway, Gulfport Lake boat launch, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.

October 11      Pascagoula River, Little River Marina, 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

2011 Renew Our Rivers Event stats

• More than 500 volunteers

• A total of 58 tons of debris, garbage and hand trash was collected

• Garbage found varied from party debris (beer bottles and hand trash) to larger hurricane debris, including demolished homes, boats, household items, propane tanks 

• In the spring and summer of 2012, eight cleanups were held on Indian Point, Deer Island, back bay D’Iberville, Wolf River, Okatoma River and Chunky River. To date, about 21 tons of debris has been removed in 2012.

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves approximately 186,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.         

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