Our goal is to encourage residents of the Mississippi Gulf Coast to have a sense of personal pride in our coastal and marine environments. One way in which this is accomplished is through periodic beach cleanup events in which IMMS staff and volunteers invite local residents and businesses to team-up with them to remove trash and debris from local beaches. Be sure to check the Event Schedule for our next community beach cleanup! 
The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup is held annually each fall as part of the International Coastal Cleanup, and is sponsored by the Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force. IMMS, as well as many other organizations and volunteers, participate in the effort to remove marine debris from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and barrier islands. The purpose of this event is not only to clean up our beaches but also to educate the public about the impact that marine debris has on wildlife.
IMMS participates in annual community events that promote marine conservation awareness. An example of one of these events is “Celebrate the Gulf,” a marine education festival sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. This festival attracts residents of all ages throughout the Mississippi Gulf Coast, who come to learn about different organizations and programs in the local area that support marine conservation and education of the general public about marine environmental issues.
Turn the tide is an innovative program that Americans are using to make a difference for our environment. Turn the Tide offers nine simple actions almost anyone can take and then instantly shows the positive impact of each reported action. None of Turn the Tide’s nine actions involve drastic changes in your life, yet each packs an environmental punch. In fact, for every thousand participants, each year we save 48 million gallons of water, 170 trees, 12,250 pounds of sea life, and prevent the emission of 4 million pounds of climate-warming carbon dioxide.
The Center for a New American Dream asked leading scientists and experts in the field of conservation what first steps they would ask Americans to take to create a better earth. From their list of suggestions, we chose actions that matter most and can be measured accurately, in order to demonstrate our impact with integrity, and actions that are realistically achievable for most people, in order to have broad, meaningful appeal. When these nine basic actions are taken together by thousands of us, it has a significant impact on our environment. When these actions are reported and the cumulative impact is publicized, increasing numbers of Americans will be inspired to drop in and make waves!
Participation is free. When you sign up, you’ll receive a personal workspace to use to track your actions and impact. When you return to the site to report your completed actions, Turn the Tide's environmental calculators will immediately compute and display the impact of your efforts. You will also see the combined impact of everyone participating in the Turn the Tide program.
This demonstrates that together we can have an even greater positive impact on the earth. Through the web interface we see that we are not alone. Together, we build a tally that both motivates others to take action in their lives and adds up to quite a difference for the Earth. Turn the Tide offers a way for each of us to personally engage and affect change in the world around us. It offers a way for us to be environmental role models in our families and our communities. And, through concrete example, it challenges business leaders and elected officials to make the right decisions as well.
(Information courtesy of Turn the Tide : )
