Leadership Update

OCTOBER 2007

Enclosures:
Arbor Day Poster Contest Packet

CALENDAR
Year-Round Texas Waterway Cleanup Program
Oct 15 GAC/Trash-Off Early Registration Deadline
Oct 16-18  Texas Downtown Association Conference, Fort Worth (KTB exhibiting)
Oct 26  Texas Environmental Excellence Award Nominations Due – New Deadline!
Oct 27  Make a Difference Day
Nov 6-9   Texas Municipal League Annual Conference, Dallas (KTB exhibiting)
Nov 15   Texas Recycles Day
Nov 18  Use Less Stuff Day
Dec 5-8  KAB National Conference, Washington D.C.

FREE ENVIRO-CAMP RESOURCE CD FOR AFFILIATES
Looking to educate area youth about environmental issues in a fun and interactive setting? Host an Enviro-Camp!  From a one-day event to an entire week of activities, the Enviro-Camp CD can help you get there. The CD was designed to get you started by providing a basic 10-step guideline and several resources to help you organize, schedule, and create your own Enviro-Camp. This resource was put together using examples and suggestions from other successful affiliate camps. Each KTB affiliate is eligible to receive one FREE Enviro-Camp CD. To order your CD, email laura@ktb.org or call 1-800-CLEAN-TX by November 1.

TEXAS RECYCLES DAY – NOV. 15
“It all comes back to you”
KTB encourages affiliates, businesses, schools, and individuals to participate in TRD. The Recycling Alliance of Texas has volunteered to manage the program, and KTB is pleased to partner with The Alliance to promote this statewide event. For more information, to register an event, and to learn how you can receive free publications, visit www.texasrecyclesday.org.

IMPORTANT UPDATE! 2008 AWARDS DEADLINE CHANGE
In an effort to better meet the needs of KTB affiliates, we are pleased to announce that applications for next year’s Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (GCAA) and KTB Awards will be due in February. Look for applications and more information later this fall.

Feb. 12, 2008* – GCAA applications due

 Feb.19, 2008* – KTB Awards applications due (OP Schnabel, Civic, Media, Individual, Government, Ebby Halliday, and Ed Davis)

May 13, 2008* – KTB Youth Awards applications due (Ruthe Jackson and Sadie Ray Graff)

*All due in KTB office by 5:00 pm

LITTER FORCE TO HELP LEAD GENERATION OF NON-LITTERES
Superheroes are swinging into Texas as part of a statewide pilot program aimed at teaching children not to litter! The Don’t Mess with Texas program has unveiled its Litter Force campaign, complete with a new team of litter-fighting superheroes. The campaign, developed by TxDOT, is designed especially with elementary school kids in mind and consists of animated TV ads and a new website. In partnership with Keep Texas Beautiful, the litter prevention program launched in five pilot markets this month. To read the press release and see the pilot markets, go to www.ktb.org/press/litterforce.htm.

Even if you aren’t located in one of the pilot markets, you can introduce youth in your community to the Litter Force NOW by visiting www.dontmesswithtexas.org/litterforce . View videos, download a FREE activity book, play games, meet the heroes, and more! Please note: Litter Force characters are not available for rental or visits at this time.

2008 GREAT AMERICAN CLEANUP & TRASH-OFF REGISTRATION
Thanks to everyone who turned in an early registration form for GAC/Trash-Off. If you have not sent in a form to KTB, please do so ASAP so that Keep America Beautiful can gauge how many supplies will be needed in Texas next spring. Forms and more information can be found at www.ktb.org/programs/gac.

Don’t miss this great opportunity for your affiliate to serve as a local sponsor! Sponsors help by distributing lesson plans to teachers, coordinating a community-wide judging event, and/or providing prizes. Local sponsors can receive free lesson plan booklets for every fifth-grade teacher in the community (sample enclosed). This is a great way to get involved with the youth in your community!

Affiliates interested in being a sponsor should contact Angie Soldinger at the Texas Forest Service at (979) 458-6649 or asoldinger@tfs.tamu.edu. Correlations and all contest information can be found at: http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/.

TAKE CARE OF TEXAS WEBSITE
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) recently unveiled the addition of several new features to its environmental education website www.TakeCareofTexas.org, including an interactive children's page and radio public service announcements. The newly added Take Care of Texas kid’s page allows children to learn about the environment with interactive games and the help of two dogs, River and Sky. Visitors to the site can also receive a free Take Care of Texas bumper sticker by pledging to make lifestyle changes to help improve air and water quality. Debuted in April, the Take Care of Texas program offers Texans household tips in each area of their home to save money, reduce their impact on the environment, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste.

TEEA DEADLIN EXTENDED
The deadline for the TEEA has been extended to October 26. Whether you’d like to reward a business, organization, school, or individual, there is a category for everyone! Don’t pass up this chance to recognize environmental heroes in your community. KTB award nominations make great applicants for the TEEA. For more information and to apply, visit http://teea.org/.

SPECIAL FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITY FOR AFFILIATES!
The Fourth Edition Wildflower Ornaments are selling at a record pace. Now you can join in the excitement and take advantage of a special opportunity to sell ornaments locally in your community as a fundraising item!

An affiliate-only “Ornament Fundraising Kit” is now available,along with the popular KTB Special Edition Ornaments at a new discounted price of $13.50/ea. for 25 or more. The Fundraising Kit includes promotional materials such as a display sign, customizable brochure and press release, marketing ideas, and more. As part of the Fundraising Kit you may also purchase a single “display set” of all four ornaments for a special price of $40 ($10 per ornament)

You may set the local price, but KTB recommends re-selling the ornaments for $20, giving you a profit of $6.50 each! Th e recommended $20 price is less than an individual would pay when purchasing ornaments on the KTB website by the time they pay shipping and handling.

To participate in this fundraising opportunity, we ask that you order at least 25 ornaments (may be a combination of all four editions) at $13.50 each, plus shipping and handling ($7 for 25 ornaments). When you do so, you may also order one set of ornaments for $40 to display at points of purchase, as well as the promotional resources CD (limit one per affiliate).  This discounted price is only being offered to our community affiliates and is intended to pass along greater profits Offer valid October 15 – December 1, 2007.

For information or to place your order for the Fundraising Kit and ornaments, contact Michelle at michelle@ktb.org or call 1-800-CLEAN-TX.