Renew our Rivers is beginning its 14th year by celebrating the removal of more than 10 million pounds of debris from Alabama’s waterways through 2012.

Since 2000, the grassroots effort has drawn more than 50,000 participants who have collected as much as 1 million pounds of trash and debris each year. This year, volunteers have scheduled 32 cleanups, beginning Feb.12 at Swift Creek on the Alabama River near Prattville.

“The enormous amount of trash and debris removed by Renew Our Rivers volunteers has significantly improved our lakes and rivers,” said Matt Bowden, vice president of Environmental Affairs at Alabama Power. “But it is the educational program that has made long-term impacts through volunteer growth and changing individual habits.”

In 2012, more than 5,000 participants removed in excess of 550,000 pounds of debris during 28 cleanups. The largest cleanup took place at Weiss Dam, with over 1,500 volunteers collecting more than 12 tons of debris.

As Renew Our Rivers volunteers continue their efforts in 2013, Alabama Power has partnered with schools and civic groups to create and distribute more than 50,000 “Message in the Bottle” coloring books for schools across the state to educate students about environmental stewardship. The Alabama Power Foundation has also supported the effort by providing grants to teachers for aquatic environmental education projects.

For a complete listing of the 2013 Renew Our Rivers schedule, please visit www.renewourrivers.com  or http://www.alabamapower.com/community/lakes/2013-schedule.asp.

Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides electricity to more than 1.4 million customers across the state.

Note to Reporters and Editors:  Photos from last year’s cleanups are available for download at http://alpwr.co/ror33 .