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

KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL ANNOUNCES HEB ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE GRANTS
HEB funds environmental project in Southlake!

Austin, Texas - Who Keeps Texas Beautiful? HEB and Southlake do. As the largest independently owned grocery chain in the United States, HEB joined with Keep Texas Beautiful to award funding to 16 Texas communities for outstanding grassroots environmental programs. The grants are being announced in conjunction with Make a Difference Day, which is Saturday, October 27, 2001.

Keep Southlake Beautiful (KSB) is one of the winning HEB communities. The $500 grant will fund the Xtreme Clean Sports Team Program, designed to educate youth sports association participants in the importance of individual responsibility for litter-free playing fields. The need for this program stems from the inordinate number of hours that City Park Maintenance workers were spending picking up trash after games. Xtreme Clean educates both youth and parents on litter prevention, and provides positive incentives. At the end of each season, teams who leave their fields litter free receive water bottles with the City of Southlake and KSB logos on them. Teams who participated in at least half the season's games can receive "I Keep Texas Beautiful" patches to display on their uniforms or sports bag. Through this program, Keep Southlake Beautiful aims to educate 4,680 baseball, softball, hockey and soccer players and their parents.

"Keep Texas Beautiful is very fortunate to have a partner as environmentally proactive as HEB is," said Bill Rogers, President of Keep Texas Beautiful. "HEB has a longstanding reputation of adopting many voluntary measures to save energy and water, prevent pollution, and reduce waste within its facilities. Now they've reached out to make an environmental commitment to the grassroots efforts of communities in Texas."

Reagan Wagner, Environmental Affairs Project Leader with HEB, commented on the importance of working with environmental grassroots efforts. "If we're going to make a positive difference in our environment, everyone needs to do their part, " he said. "Through this grant program with Keep Texas Beautiful, we're able to provide much needed funds to communities so they can create or expand their local environmental programs."

Keep Texas Beautiful, the nonprofit state affiliate of Keep America Beautiful, strives to empower Texans through education to take responsibility for enhancing their community 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.