ATLANTA, March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Company's Renew Our Rivers
program received the highest award in the hydropower industry at the
National Hydropower Association's (NHA) annual conference last week in
Washington, D.C. The company was one of four named as a 2007 Outstanding
Steward of America's Waters (OSAW).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO )
The project originated in 2000 at Southern Company subsidiary Alabama
Power's Plant Gadsden on the Coosa River and has since spread across
Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi. It is now the largest river
systems cleanup effort in the southeastern United States and winner of
numerous awards.
In recognizing the Renew Our Rivers program, the NHA noted the
innovation, collaborative partnerships, accomplishments and environmental
stewardship efforts that are an essential part of the program. Southern
Company received the 2007 OSAW award in the Recreational & Environmental
Enhancement category based on the expansion of its cleanup efforts to
remove more than 30 tons of debris in river areas affected by Hurricane
Katrina. Employees across four states joined local civic and governmental
agencies from south Mississippi to spend three days removing litter and
debris left behind by the storm.
Highlights and notable accomplishments of Renew Our Rivers will be
listed on The Outstanding Stewards of America's Waters Web report at
http://www.outstandingwaters.org/ which illustrates exemplary projects and
programs that demonstrate the best practices in producing climate-friendly,
affordable and renewable electricity. Company representatives were
recognized at a special luncheon at the conference.
"Renew our Rivers has been a wonderful opportunity for our employees to
partner with the local community in addressing the need to remove trash
from our waterways. Expanding our river clean up efforts beyond our state
boundaries to the hurricane ravished areas in Mississippi exemplifies the
partnership value of the program in cleaning up our water resources across
the southeast." said Chuck Huling, environmental affairs vice president for
Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company.
Renew Our Rivers is entering its eighth year with spring cleanups
throughout the southeast. The program is spearheaded by community
volunteers and company employees. Since its inception in 2000, 6,000
volunteers have removed more than 7.5 million pounds of trash. This year's
goal is reflected in its slogan "Moving Toward 11 in 2007." The 2006
cleanups removed 196,820,000 pounds of litter from waterways in Alabama,
Georgia, Florida and Mississippi, to achieve a total of 7,508,500 pounds.
More than 1100 volunteers removed 161,510 pounds of debris in Georgia
last year. Cleanups are held annually on the Chattahoochee, Flint,
Ocmulgee, Oconee, Chattooga and Tallulah Rivers.
Renew Our Rivers was recognized by Keep America Beautiful with its
national Litter Prevention Award in 2006. Georgia Power received the
Business Leadership Award from Georgia's Rivers Alive organization in 2005
for its work in the Renew Our Rivers program.
For more information about Renew Our Rivers and details about Georgia
Power's environmental initiatives, please visit http://www.georgiapower.com.
Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the
nation's largest generators of electricity. The company is an
investor-owned, tax-paying utility, serving customers in 57,000 of the
state's 59,000 square miles. Georgia Power's rates are below the national
average and its 2.3 million customers are in all but four of Georgia's 159
counties.
SOURCE Georgia Power
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.georgiapower.com
http://www.outstandingwaters.org
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050216/CLW066LOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Carol Boatright of Georgia Power,
+1-404-506-7676, or +1-800-282-1696, or corpcomm@georgiapower.com
|
