Biz Buzz

It’s that time of the year again, and let’s hope things go much differently than last year (previous coverage).

According to today’s U.S. Drought Monitor, two counties in NeMiss are abnormally dry (D0 drought), and the rest are 100 percent drought-free. The map has the eastern edges of Itawamba and Monroe counties as being in a DO drought, a classification given to areas that show dryness but are not yet in drought OR for areas recovering from drought. Click here for the map.

This time last year, the entire state was in some stage of a drought, with 38 percent of the state in a D3 extreme drought. The highest classification is a D4 exceptional drought.

Alabama, Georgia and the Carolinas are still hurting, though. See the map.

And people think Toyota is the only car company trying to be green. Pshaw. From the Suburu/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainer Program blog (full text):

Heading 9 hours down south from West Virginia, we landed in Tishomingo, Mississippi for a program at Crow’s Neck Environmental Education Center. The center uses hands-on, outdoor education activities to create in-depth learning experiences which foster responsible stewardship of Northeast Mississippi’s natural and cultural resources.

About the program:

Currently in its 9th year, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers, 3 teams of professional outdoor educators, have reached over 9 million people in 48 states with the Leave No Trace message.

Toyota Motor Co. is giving more than $1 million, plus five vehicles to Everglades National Park to support environmental education programs.

Here’s some of the press release:

The donation will benefit more than 10,000 students annually via a number of initiatives including day program field trips and camping trips for grade school students; the K-12 Miccosukee Indian School program; in-park teacher workshops for day and camping programs; in-park special programs for other school groups and student organizations; and in-school teacher workshops.
This donation is part of a recently announced $5 million contribution from Toyota in support of five National Parks and the National Park Foundation to enhance environmental leadership and educational programs at parks around the country. The company is also donating 23 vehicles to the National Parks.

Toyota’s contributions are among the first corporate contributions to be matched by the Department of the Interior’s Centennial Initiative. The Centennial Initiative calls for $1 billion over 10 years to strengthen basic park operations via a public-private funding vehicle for new projects and programs. Qualified corporate-funded programs at national parks across the country are eligible for some level of government matching.

Renasant Bank is launching its RENEWAL campaign today, which is Arbor Day.

Here’s the deal: Customers who switch to the bank’s eStatement program will get a tree planted in their honor by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Instead of getting your account information via mail – and thus killing a few more trees in the process – you can get everything electronically.

Renasant hopes customers take advantage of the FREE program, which will last until next Arbor Day. And it hopes to plant 10,000 trees over the next year.

For more information, drop by any Renasant Bank. They’ll be the folks wearing green, I hear.