2014 Renew Our Rivers cleanups kickoff

By Jeff Shepard

Nearly 200 volunteers from Mississippi Power, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and five casino partners turned out for the 5th Annual Deer Island Cleanup on Earth Day.

The cleanup was the first of seven events in the 9th Annual Renew Our Rivers campaign.

Under sunny skies, volunteers removed more than 1.5 tons of debris from the 4.5 mile island.

The Beau Rivage and Hard Rock Biloxi, traditional hosts of the cleanup, were joined by volunteers from The Grand Biloxi, The Golden Nugget and Margaritaville Biloxi.

“With the support of three more hotels and their volunteers, we more than doubled our participation from last year,” Patricia Berry, environmental specialist and Renew Our Rivers coordinator said. “The Deer Island Cleanup is a perfect example of partnerships in action. The casinos have embraced this event and taken it on as their own.”

Renew Our Rivers volunteers have removed more than 280 tons of debris from about 20 different waterways across the Mississippi Power service territory.

For information on how you or your work group can take part in a Renew Our Rivers cleanup, contact Patricia Berry.