Renew our Rivers Campaign

Today, Mississippi Power put the power of Earth Day in their hands for the seventh annual Deer Island Clean Up. News 25’s Laurene Callander has the details on the company’s Renew our Rivers Campaign.
It is as simple as 1, 2, 3: see trash, pick it up, and throw it in the bag. Over 100 volunteers from Gulf Coast casinos did just that for the seventh annual Deer Island Clean Up. Beth Moss and Tara Owens both work for Harrah’s Gulf Coast. “I think it’s just great to be out here with the whole community so we’ve got other casinos, other businesses, and we’re all coming together to really make Deer Island something special for our community,” said Owens.
Mary Cracchiolo Spain with Beau Rivage said, “Earth Day is very important and it’s more visible because it’s a day-long event and everybody can be involved. We start the morning off together, we head out in boats to the island, and we come back together and have lunch so it’s a great opportunity.”
Mississippi Power’s Renew our Rivers Campaign has been going strong for 11 years. Over a decade’s work has scooped up over 315 tons of trash off our Gulf Coast shores and islands. Director of Coastal Preserves Program Ali Leggett said, “Wildlife can become entangled, sea turtles, birds, fish species can ingest the material and keeping it out just keeps the habitat natural. It’s also a popular place for public access and so it keeps it aesthetically pleasing and in general keeps the island in more of its natural state.”
Volunteers collect trash on Deer Island which is then brought back to shore. Mississippi Power expects to fill two dumpsters worth of debris from today’s efforts. Director of Environmental Affairs for Mississippi Power Mark Loughman said, “When you see that dumpster at the end of today, it’s really a huge amount of trash. Everybody picking up just a little bit out here today, we’re going to see a pretty big impact from our efforts today.”
Their simple efforts go a long way for the environment because trash and debris can harm wildlife here on the Coast.

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