KTB awards 13 local communities with Community Improvement Grant from H-E-B and Central Market

AUSTIN, Texas — Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) has partnered with H-E-B and Central Market for the 10th year to award 13 affiliate communities with a 2017 Green Bag Grant. This year’s Green Bag Grant winners include the affiliate communities of Angelina County, Lewisville, McAllen, Midland, Nolanville, Odessa, Plano, San Marcos, Sugar Land, Waco, North Richland Hills, Wharton and Hutto.

Individual grant winners receive a share of $25,000 to support formal and informal educational projects in the categories of plastic bag recycling and reduction, sustainability, recycling, litter prevention, beautification, water conservation education and programming pertaining to environmental education and/or waste management. Five cents from each customer purchase of reusable, green grocery bags at H-E-B stores is used to fund these grants, which range in size from $150 to $3,000.

Winning projects this year span a broad scope of community development and environmentalism. Some proposals include highlights such as increasing rural recycling rates through education with Keep Angelina County Beautiful, “Going Green Together” totes for fourth-grade classrooms with Keep Sugar Land Beautiful, litter awareness through public trash art with Keep McAllen Beautiful and reusable bag art contests with Keep San Marcos Beautiful. All 13 grant recipients were selected by H-E-B and Keep Texas Beautiful based on the effectiveness and creativity of their proposals.

H-E-B and Central Market also granted Keep Texas Beautiful an additional $25,000 for the Keep Texas Waterways Clean program, which provides communities with the expertise and tools to host cleanup events on waterways such as oceans, rivers, streams, tributaries, lakes and bayous.

“We are thrilled that through the generosity of H-E-B and their loyal shoppers, we are able to once again offer Green Bag Grants to our affiliates around the state who are working to beautify and improve their communities,” said Suzanne Kho, KTB’s Executive Director.

To learn more about KTB resources and opportunities to get involved in your community, visit
www.ktb.org.