HATTIESBURG  - The University of Southern Mississippi recently received one of

several 2009 Environmental Hero awards handed out by the Mississippi Recycling

Coalition (MRC).

Each year the MRC collects nominations of businesses, organizations, agencies,

schools and local governments from around the State of Mississippi that have excelled in recycling and environmental program efforts. The nominees are evaluated

based upon the following criteria:

*         Promotion of recycling as a way to create a better community

*         Duration of environmental project(s)

*         Practicing and improving awareness of environmental stewardship

*         Improving community waste handling and environmental practices

"Obviously, we are thrilled to be named a Mississippi Environmental Hero," said

Larry Lee, director of the Office of Sustainability at Southern Miss. "This award is

the result of two years of hard work based on a dynamic vision of the future for recycling in Mississippi.

"The most credit should be given to the staff of Southern Miss recycling and the custodial staff of the Physical Plant and Residence Life without whom the system simply would not be possible."

Southern Miss received the 2009 Educational Institution Recycler of the Year Award

from the MRC for being the first university in the state to offer a comprehensive single-stream campus-side recycling program. The Southern Miss initiative utilizes

more than 4,000 recycling bins which are placed in classrooms, offices and dorms spread throughout the entire campus.

For more information about the Southern Miss recycling efforts visit www.usm.edu/green. For more information about the MRC and the Environmental Hero awards visit www.msrecycles.org.