Renew Our Rivers celebrates 10 years of cleanups
Another successful year of Renew Our Rivers cleanups was celebrated with a luncheon for partners and participants at the Gulfport Yacht Club on Tuesday.
Employees from across Mississippi Power’s service territory gathered with volunteers, both public and private, to remember the eight cleanups in 2015.
“It was another great year out on the waters of south Mississippi,” Land and Water Manager Rick Berry said. “Our rivers, bayous and beachfronts are safer this year because of our Renew Our Rivers volunteers.”
More than 500 volunteers took part in this year’s cleanups, which removed more than 21 tons of debris.
This also marked the 10th year of Mississippi Power’s Renew Our Rivers program. More than 315 tons of trash have been collected in the program’s first decade.
“The people that participate in these cleanups genuinely care about our environment,” Mark Loughman, Environmental Affairs director, said. “At the end of the day, you can look in that dumpster and see the impact you had on our environment.”
Courtney VanderSchaaf took the reigns as Renew Our Rivers coordinator at the beginning of the year. She thanked the volunteers for their dedication and adhering to the program’s mantra.
“Our goal is to engage our communities, clean our environment, educate future environmental stewards and make an impact,” VanderSchaaf said. “This was a great year for Renew Our Rivers and the next 10 years will only be better.”
In his remarks, Berry also touted the fact that there have been no accidents or injuries in the history of Renew Our Rivers.
“That doesn’t just happen,” Berry said. “Safety is a focus at every Renew Our Rivers event.”