Rivers are Life Participates in Mississippi River Cleanup With Environmental Partners and Austin Dillon Ahead of the Illinois 300

MIDLAND, Mich., June 20, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Rivers are Life, a collective voice for global river ecosystems, teamed up with Ducks Unlimited, Friends of the Fox River, Louisiana State University, Dow, and the Richard Childress Racing (RCR)Team - including Austin Dillon, driver of the No. 3 Dow Chevy, and his pit crew - to clean up a portion of the Mississippi River on June 1, 2024. The cleanup took place ahead of the Enjoy Illinois 300, a NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois. 

“It was rewarding to work with Dow alongside their partners Ducks Unlimited and Rivers are Life to support a local ecosystem,” said Austin Dillon. “It’s important we take an active role to preserve nature for the benefit of communities now and into the future. I hope more individuals and organizations get involved.” 

The local cleanup was led by Living Lands & Waters and included approximately 40 volunteers, resulting in 1,780 U.S. lbs. of trash being removed from an island in the middle of the Mississippi River. This eclectic group of participants and volunteers partnered to raise awareness for the critical needs and value of water and nature ecosystems and to inspire people to get more involved in improving, protecting and preserving the world’s rivers.

“Dow is committed to finding innovative and collaborative ways to protect rivers and other natural ecosystems,” said Carrie Houtman, sustainability director for circularity and climate at Dow. “We want to continue to raise awareness around conservation needs and to encourage and inspire other like-minded organizations to join us in supporting healthy ecosystems and programs such as Rivers are Life.”

“Through films, events and community projects, Rivers are Life is building a global movement to engage river advocates, activists and supporters every day to preserve, protect and explore the world’s waterways and ecosystems,” said Chris Keefer, Founder and CEO of Rivers are Life and BeAlive Inc. “Partnering with prominent figures like Austin Dillon ahead of the Illinois 300 NASCAR race was a unique opportunity to highlight the important role rivers play in front of an entirely new audience.” 

After the cleanup, all participants gathered to discuss the importance of water and land initiatives and to explore more ways to collaborate and raise public awareness around the importance of our planet’s rivers and various ecosystems. Rivers are Life is proud to partner with like-minded businesses, educational institutions, non-governmental organizations and activists willing to contribute invaluable research, expertise, and resources to help move the needle for river sustainability. 

To learn more about Rivers are Life, partnerships, and future events near you, visit: https://riversarelife.com/ 

Source: Rivers are Life