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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 28, 2003
Contact: Jennifer Harlow or Cecile Carson at 1-800-CLEAN-TX

KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL ANNOUNCES
ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE WINNERS
Nine Texas Cities Receive Governor’s Community Achievement Awards

(Austin, Texas) – Nine Texas communities sharing a common goal will be rewarded for their outstanding grassroots environmental efforts. Clint, Van Alstyne, Childress, Athens, Dickinson, Lake Jackson, Denton, Grand Prairie and Houston will receive the Governor’s Community Achievement Award (GCAA) from Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB). Each of the nine winners will receive a share of a one million dollar landscaping grant provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Ranging in population from 980 in Clint to almost two million in Houston, the nine winning communities were chosen for their achievements in community leadership, litter prevention, public awareness, education, solid waste management, recycling, illegal dumping enforcement, and beautification. Winners also demonstrated strong community partnerships and volunteer efforts in their programs throughout the last year.
“These nine winning communities reflect the true Texas Spirit,” said Donna Albus, Keep Texas Beautiful President. “They are an inspiration to us all. We are so appreciative of the pride in their community that they exemplify through their efforts in a multitude of events.”
The Governor's Community Achievement Awards have recognized outstanding communities for 34 consecutive years, with 18 years of funding from the Texas Department of Transportation. Communities with the best grassroots environmental programs in the state apply to compete in nine population categories for a share of landscaping prize money. Every city in Texas may apply for the GCAA regardless of size. The smallest award is $60,000 for population under 1,000; the largest is $265,000 for populations greater than a quarter of a million.
“Knowing that there is absolutely nothing as economically beneficial to a community as to be clean and pretty, they will receive their just rewards many times over,” said Albus. “There is no way to put a dollar figure on that return. The ripple effect that crosses the state through their good works is remarkable. We salute this great achievement of being the best of the best.”
The Governor's Community Achievement Awards will be formally presented to the winners during the 36th Annual Keep Texas Beautiful Conference in Dallas July 8–11 at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.
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 the GCAA and other KTB programs and events, call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit the website at www.ktb.org.

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