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 White Deer!

Austin, Texas - Who Keeps Texas Beautiful? HEB and White Deer 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 White Deer Beautiful (KWDB) is one of the winning HEB communities. The $250 grant will fund a litter barrel project to teach students and citizens about the problem of litter in the community. KWDB plans to offer a design contest to high school students, and the best decorated litter barrel wins. Junior high math and science students will keep track of the amounts of litter in the barrels and report findings each week to the newspaper. Prizes will be offered to both the best decorated barrel and the barrel which collects the most litter. KWDB hopes that this project will make an impression on all citizens as to how much litter there is in the community, and impress upon them the need to take pride and ownership of its appearance.

"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.