H-E-B and Keep Texas Beautiful Award Fourth Annual Green Bag Grants

$50,000 going to fund local recycling projects in Texas

On Monday, November 14, 2011, at Mary Burks Marek Elementary located at 1947 Kirby Dr. in Pearland, Texas, HEB and Keep Texas Beautiful awarded a local grant to Keep Pearland Beautiful as part of the fourth annual Green Bag Grants program. Through this program, communities from six regions across Texas received a share of $50,000 to support local, voluntary recycling activities. Keep Pearland Beautiful was awarded a $1,200 grant with the help of our local HEB partner Anna Bryant.

Keep Pearland Beautiful will use the funds to purchase recycling bins for all the rooms on the Mary Burks Marek Elementary campus.

“Our teachers have been using cardboard boxes for recycling paper in their classrooms”, says Holly Rains, Mary Marek’s school nurse and recycling coordinator. Rains thinks that the sturdy containers will help to create awareness for campus recycling and help to make every day Earth day at Marek.

The Green Bag Grants Program was established on Earth Day 2008 after H-E-B was among the first major retailers to introduce reusable shopping bags. The idea behind the program was to reward Texans for buying and using the bags. Since then, H-E-B has given back $.05 from the purchase of each H-E-B green reusable H-E-B green bag, for a total of $200,000, to support the statewide grant program.

“Each year, we are honored to be able to assist recipients of the program as they strive to make a direct and lasting impact on the environment in the communities they serve throughout Texas,” said Susan Ghertner, H-E-B Director of Environmental Affairs. “With reusable bag sales fueling the Green Bag Grants program, it is rewarding for our customers to witness their efforts come full circle.”

About Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful, the statewide grassroots environmental and community improvement organization and affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, strives to educate and engage Texans to take responsibility for improving their community environment. KTB works with government, Businesses, civic groups, and volunteers to ensure that every Texan has the opportunity to take individual responsibility for making Texas the cleanest, most beautiful state in the nation. For more information about KTB, call 1800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.ktb.org

H-E-B and the Environment
HEB is committed to business strategies and sustainable practices that continually improve the company’s use of natural resources, minimize waste, conserve energy and water, and protect air quality. Since 2005, HEB has reduced more than 39 million pounds of harmful air pollutants by recycling materials including aluminum, steel, plastic, oil, cardboard, computers and truck tires, diverting more than 717,000 tons of waste from landfills – more than the annual waste produced by 229,000 households. Cardboard and plastic recycling efforts have saved the equivalent of 11.1 million trees, 1 million barrels of oil, 6.4 million cubic yards of landfill space and 356 million kilowatt hours of energy per year. The energy savings alone are enough to power more than 31,000 homes for a year.

HEB celebrated its 106 anniversary in 2011.

Keep Pearland Beautiful is a certified affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful and is proud to be part of the HEB Green Bag Grant program for 2011. Comments may be sent to cowles@mykpb.org or call the office at 281-652-1659.

16th Annual School Environmental Fair

Keep Pearland Beautiful in cooperation with four middle school environmental clubs, the Pearland Independent School District and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is planning the sixteenth Annual School Environmental Fair for Tuesday, April 10, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Alexander Middle School, 3001 Old Alvin in Pearland. There is no admission charge and all of the activities at this event are free to the attendees.

More than 120 students will be involved in putting on this Fair and over 425 people, including a number of local dignitaries, have attended each of the last fifteen fairs. The events will include environmental exhibits, games, contests, clowns, petting zoo and refreshments. Local businesses, agencies and organizations that have an environmental message are invited to have a booth at the Fair, which targets elementary-age children and their families.

For more details call the offices of KPB at 281-652-1659.

Fantastic Footlockers

Keep Pearland Beautiful has on permanent loan from the Houston-Galveston Area Council four "Fantastic Footlockers" that contain everything a teacher needs to do a lesson or series of lessons on one of the following topics:

• Paper Recycling
• Metals Recycling
• Plastic Recycling
• Composting

These footlockers are for elementary grades, but can be adapted for use with any grade. They can be checked out by any teach our office at 281-652-1659.

To Teachers:
Keep Pearland Beautiful can help you with environmental  programs and activities by supplying speakers, judges and prizes for contests, activity books and other information and material. Auntie Waste and Auntie Trash, along with our mascot, Peary the Partridge are also available for school programs and special events by appointment. Just give us a call at 281-652-1659

Visit the Keep America Beautiful kids web page for some fun ideas. www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=tools_teachers