Keep Texas Beautiful:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Diane C. Birdwell @512-478-8813
Friday, May 25, 2001

KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL ANNOUNCES ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARD WINNERS
Sanger Wins Top Award!

(Austin, Texas) - Who Keeps Texas Beautiful? The citizens of Sanger do, that's who. Sanger is one of nine communities presented the Governor's Community Achievement Award by Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc. (KTB) and will share $1,000,000 in landscaping prizes from the Texas Department of Transportation for excellence in community environmental programming. The City of Sanger and Keep Sanger Beautiful will be recognized at the 34th Annual Keep Texas Beautiful Convention in Fort Worth, June 26 - June 29, 2001 for their efforts.

Keep Sanger Beautiful (KSB), an affiliate of Keep Texas Beautiful, had an incredible year with much of the success coming from the outstanding volunteer spirit of the citizens of Sanger. Scout troops, students, and civic groups donated more than 5,200 hours to keeping Sanger beautiful. The results have been incredible as Keep Sanger Beautiful coordinates projects such as Community in Bloom, community awards competitions, and the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off. The Trash-Off alone resulted in collection of 300 trash bags, 30-yard roll-off trash bins, 15 tons of scrap metal, and 24 tons of chipped limbs.

Keep Sanger Beautiful's primary beautification effort is a program entitled "Community in Bloom." The program's long-term goal is to plant 1,000 crepe myrtle trees within a three-year period in yards, schools, parks, and public areas. This will make Sanger known as a community of crepe myrtles, leaving a legacy for generations to enjoy.

In Sanger, everyone gets involved. Kindergarten students studied Waste In Place education and were given Texas wildflower seeds to plant. Fourth grade students performed a play, "Every Day is Earth Day", and high school science and horticulture classes planted trees and volunteered for Sanger's Trash-Off. Businesses and homeowners participate in ongoing programs like Business-of-the-Month and Yard-of-the-month. The Rotary Club, Lions Club, Wednesday Study Club, Wal-Mart Distribution Center and Eastern Star volunteer time to aid in KSB's cleanup and beautification projects.

This marks the 32nd Annual Governor's Community Achievement Awards, which are presented to communities in nine population categories that have the best grassroots volunteer environmental programs in the state. The communities exhibited excellence in community leadership, litter prevention, public awareness, education, solid waste management and recycling, illegal dumping enforcement and beautification. These prizes are designated for landscaping along state-maintained highways in their communities.

According to Debbie Moody, KTB board president, the quality of the entries from the communities was exceptional. "It's obvious the citizens of Sanger are committed to environmental stewardship and to making their city the most outstanding community in Texas. This year's awards have proven that one can make a difference," she said. "One scout troop, one civic organization, or one local business can make a recognizable difference in their community."

Keep Texas Beautiful, the nonprofit state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, strives to empower Texans through education to take responsibility for enhancing their community's environment. KTB works with volunteers, elected officials, businesses and state and federal agencies 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 the website at www.ktb.org.