Renew Our Rivers returns after two years

The first Renew Our Rivers cleanup after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic kicked off this week as Mississippi Power partnered with volunteers from Beau Rivage, Hard Rock Biloxi, Golden Nugget and Harrah’s Gulf Coast to give Biloxi’s Deer Island a facelift.

Nearly a ton of debris and litter from the island was removed in the cleanup effort.

“Mississippi Power could not be more excited to be hosting Renew Our Rivers once again,” said Renew Our Rivers Coordinator Charles Blount. “We have missed this type of work and have missed this event.”

Since volunteers began cleaning Deer Island in 2009, they have removed more than 20 tons of debris. Nearly 100 volunteers donated their time this year, and the latest haul included a discarded baby stroller, plastic beach chairs, tarps and carpet.

“This program is successful because of the partnerships with local organizations and community volunteers that help clean these waterways,” said Blount. “We’re looking forward to many more river clean-ups in the future, and I’d like to thank each volunteer who showed up to make the Deer Island clean-up a success.”

This is the 15th year of Mississippi Power’s Renew Our Rivers campaign.

Now in its 97th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for nearly 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. Mississippi Power recently was a recipient of the Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce. With nearly 160 megawatts of approved solar energy capacity, Mississippi Power is the largest partner in providing renewable energy in the state of Mississippi. Visit our websites at mississippipower.com and mississippipowernews.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

###