FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Diane C. Birdwell @512-478-881
October 25, 2001 3

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

Austin, Texas - Who Keeps Texas Beautiful? HEB and Woodway 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.

Woodway Beautiful Commission (WBC) is one of the winning HEB communities. The $250 grant will fund beautification and improvement of the 'HEB island', a median located at the intersection of Hewitt Drive and Highway 84. Originally installed by the City of Woodway and the Texas Department of Transportation, the HEB island has been damaged by several vehicles that have run over the median. WBC has constructed a plan to protect the new xeriscaped area with several boulders and rocks to be placed at strategic points along the island. All of the new plantings will require very little water and thrive in the Central Texas heat. The improvements in the median will bring a sense of natural beauty, impacting each of the 28,000 motorists who cross the Hewitt/84 intersection each day.

"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.