April 2 , 2008

CONTACT: Josh Spradling
1-800-CLEAN-TX

Texans Eager to Beautify State during Great American Cleanup

(Austin, Texas) – Texas wildflowers are in full bloom this spring, and with the help of communities like yours, these colorful additions won’t be the only beauty you’ll be noticing across the state.

Keep America Beautiful’s 24 th Annual Great American Cleanup (GAC), the nation’s largest community improvement program, kicked-off last month, prompting residents statewide to take action for a clean and green Texas.

This national initiative runs through May 31, with participating groups and communities receiving free promotional materials, trash bags, giveaway items, and additional supplies. Volunteers may participate in a variety of activities such as litter cleanups, environmental education events, flower and tree plantings, school and park cleanups, graffiti abatement, electronics recycling, composting demonstrations, clothing collections, and much more.

Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB), a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, oversees the program in Texas. In 2007 alone, approximately 131,000 Texans collected more than 14 million pounds of litter, debris, and bulky waste during GAC’s three months!

Many events are held during the Don’t Mess with Texas Trash-Off, Texas’ signature GAC event which takes place each year in early April. Trash-off is the single largest one-day cleanup event in the state and will be taking place on Saturday, April 5, this year.

“The more Texans involved the better!” Keep Texas Beautiful President Steve Hazlewood says. “We all want to keep our state looking its finest. Getting involved with the Great American Cleanup is a fun and easy way to do that.”

Volunteers are encouraged to sign up for existing events in their community, but if none are scheduled, they may still organize their own event (supplies limited). There are still two months left for this year’s Great American Cleanup so let’s all do our part this spring to keep Texas beautiful!

To see if a cleanup or beautification event is taking place near you, or to schedule one, visit www.ktb.org or call 1-800-CLEAN-TX.

Keep Texas Beautiful,a statewide environmental and community improvement nonprofit, strives to educate and engage Texans to take responsibility for improving their community environment. KTB and its more than 350 affiliates work 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 on programs and events, call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.ktb.org.

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Visit the Great American Cleanup page

Visit the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off page