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Adopt-A-Spot Partner Packet Resources Now Available |
Whether you are interested in adding sites and being a coordinator, or just helping to spread the word as a partner, there are resources available to help promote Trash Free Texas and the Adopt-A-Spot map. With its own logo, website, and bright color scheme, the resources for partners and coordinators are designed to be recognizable as part of a Trash Free Texas brand. This will allow potential volunteers to associate your sites and advertising with other program advertising they see, increasing the likelihood that they check it out. Resources in the Partner Packet include a program brochure, a PowerPoint template, short video, links to the program Facebook page and the newsletters H-GAC and NCTCOG send out, and graphics you can download and use. The Partner Packet is meant to be a consolidation of these various resources to help you share your partnership with your stakeholders and encourage volunteers to connect with you and your Adopt-A-Spot sites.
As you browse the available resources though, remember that even though these Partner Resources are branded for the Trash Free Texas program, you maintain control of your own cleanup program. While Trash Free Texas is meant as a tool to help connect people to places across the state – the places and programs we connect them to are completely customized and under the control of the partner. To that end, if there is a resource you think would be beneficial to the Partner Packet and promoting your program that you don’t see, please let us know.
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Would you like to see your Adopt-A-Spot story featured in a future Spotlight? Click on the button below to complete a form and we'll share your story with the community. |
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Two Ways to Learn More About the Adopt-A-Spot Map |
One-on-One Adopt-A-Spot Meeting Appointments Available
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Trash Free Texas project staff is offering one-on-one appointments for cities, counties, and other organizations who want more information about participating with the Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot Map.
The Adopt-A-Spot Map is a free web-based tool that helps to connect volunteers to places in need of routine litter cleanup while allowing cities, counties, and organizations to maintain control of their own litter cleanup programs.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Kendall Guidroz at 713-993-2469.
Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot Webinar Recording Available
If your city or organization has an Adopt-A-Spot volunteer litter cleanup program, wants to start one, has areas in need of routine litter cleanup, or just wants to learn more about this resource, you can watch a recording of the Trash Free Texas Adopt-A-Spot Map Webinar, recorded live on Thursday, February 24. Participants heard from Trash Free Texas staff and partners and had the opportunity to ask questions about how the tool can help meet their cleanup goals.
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Volunteers Needed for Plogging, Plalking, and Pladdling Pilot Group |
We are looking for volunteers to help pilot and provide feedback on newly created resources designed to engage residents and recreationists in the activities of plogging, plalking, pliking and pladdling (picking up trash while doing recreational activities like jogging, walking, biking, or paddling).
The project team is looking for local governments, Keep Texas Beautiful affiliates, and recreation groups willing to pilot all or specific portions of the resources and provide their feedback upon completion. The pilot period is open through September with feedback collected via a survey. Participants will be asked how the provided resources helped with the promotion, planning, or implementation of recreational cleanup activities.
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Litter Cleanup and Education Toolkits |
The Trash Free Texas project offers resources to assist communities and organizations in planning and implementing successful litter cleanup and education efforts. If you plan to hold cleanup events or implement litter outreach in 2022, be sure to check out these new toolkits.
The Community Cleanup Challenge Toolkit provides resources to assist local and regional governments, nonprofit organizations, and other entities interested in hosting litter cleanup events. While the resources are designed for a competition-style cleanup, many are helpful for planning and implementing standard litter cleanup activities as well.
The Local Government Trash Reduction and Education Toolkit is a consolidation of resources developed to assist local and regional governments, nonprofit organizations, and other entities who are seeking to engage and educate their communities on the topics of watersheds, litter, aquatic debris, and cleanup initiatives. The toolkit includes videos, reports, infographics, links to existing campaigns, and more.
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Plastic Reduction Workgroup Update |
The Trash Free Texas project team is working on developing a draft Plastic Reduction Toolkit with strategies for restaurants, communities, and consumers.
The Houston-Galveston Area Council facilitated two work group meetings in the fall/winter to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and resources available to restaurants, third-party delivery services, manufacturers, communities, and consumers to reduce the frequency of single-use plastic use in the food services industry.
Through these discussions, the project team will develop a toolkit of best practices to aid partners in implementing plastic reduction strategies, as well as Case Studies that highlight the great work already being done and tools for launching a plastic reduction certification program. Interested parties can choose to adopt those strategies, helping the project team collect data to better understand which methods are most effective for restaurants.
We plan to have the draft Plastic Reduction Toolkit ready to review this summer. Next steps include:
- Complete a first draft and example resources and preview it to our Workgroup
- Work with City and Restaurant staff to review and/or pilot the toolkit strategies and resources and provide feedback
- Edit toolkit based on partner pilots and feedback and add to the Trash Free Texas website as an online resource
To join the Work Group email list or to learn more about the project, email [email protected].
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Developed by Keep Texas Beautiful, Black Cat GIS, and Houston Advanced Research Center, the tool enables tracking and analysis of litter collected during cleanups. The site also introduces Take 2 For Texas, a new fast and easy way to contribute data on plastic bottles.
For Trash Free Texas coordinators and partners, the Texas Litter Database is a complementary tool allowing you or your volunteers to enter your cleanup data and download it later - along with any other helpful litter data. To make it easier for coordinators and volunteers who have adopted your cleanup spots, the Adopt-A-Spot Map now has a link to the litter database right on the map. For those interested in entering data, you can explore the database's users' guide or watch the step-by-step video tutorials to get started.
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Trash Summit 2022 - May 11 |
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H-GAC Solid Waste Workshop Series: Drones in Environmental Enforcement - May 19 |
Make plans to attend H-GAC’s Solid Waste Workshop Series from 9 to noon on Thursday, May 19. This workshop will focus on Drones in Environmental Enforcement.
Brandon Karr, Chief Pilot and UAS Program Coordinator, with the Pearland Police Department will discuss the rules surrounding drone use and how they are used in environmental enforcement.
The meeting will be in person at H-GAC Second Floor Conference Rooms, 3555 Timmons Lane, Houston. Registration is requested.
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Great American Clean Up Virtual Event Continues |
The Great American Cleanup, Keep America Beautiful 's signature, national cleanup event, continues across the nation through the end of June.
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Keep Texas Beautiful Conference Set for June 27-29 |
Registration is open for the Keep Texas Beautiful 55th Annual Conference June 27-29 in Austin. Keep Texas Beautiful is a network of Texans working together to make the state the best place to live, work, and play. Local partners and affiliates are equipped with tools they need to help clean up and prevent litter across the state. The annual conference is an opportunity for participants to share, learn, and celebrate local, regional, and state accomplishments and programs and includes networking, field trips, educational sessions, awards presentations, and exhibits.
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Annual Trash Bash Celebrates Removal of Over 74 Tons of Trash |
On March 26, volunteers were welcomed back for the first in-person River, Lakes, Bays, N’ Bayous Trash Bash® since 2019. More than 2,500 volunteers cleaned 117 miles of shoreline at 14 locations, collecting more than 74 tons of trash and 336 illegally dumped tires. After picking up trash, volunteers enjoyed educational exhibits to learn more about other common sources of water pollution.
Since 1994, more than 117,000 volunteers have cleaned up 2,411 tons of trash and 11,965 tires from waterways in the Galveston Bay watershed. Due to health concerns, the event was cancelled in 2020, and volunteers were asked to individually clean up around their own neighborhoods in 2021.
Save the date to join thousands of volunteers on Saturday, March 25, 2023, for the next Trash Bash. Learn more about Trash Bash and donate online. |
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Houston-Galveston Region Communities Earn Recognition |
Congratulations to the City of Richwood and the City of Katy for winning in Category 2 and 7, respectively of the 2022 Governor's Community Achievement Awards by Keep Texas Beautiful, in partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). This year, Richwood, Katy, and eight other winning communities across the state will share $2 million in landscaping awards from TxDOT, with the amount based on population size. The funds are used for landscaping projects along local rights-of-way. Other communities in the region were also recognized, including Lake Jackson, Pearland, Seabrook, and Surfside Beach.
Congratulations to the Recycle Right program, The Woodlands Township, for winning the Public Education and Outreach Award from Keep Texas Beautiful's 2022 Beautify Texas Awards. This award recognizes public awareness and education efforts of civic organizations and city/county/state government departments in print and/or electronic media in supporting environmental issues.
Congratulations to Keep Pearland Beautiful Youth Environmental Council for winning the Ruthe Jackson Youth Organization Award from Keep Texas Beautiful's 2022 Beautify Texas Awards. This award recognizes the efforts and leadership of youth-oriented organizations to beautify the community and create cleaner, greener campuses, parks, and neighborhoods.
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World Ocean 2022 Day is June 8 |
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Reduce or Eliminate Your Plastic Use During Plastic-Free July |
Commit to going plastic free in July by refusing single-use plastic items from July 1-July 31. For some, Plastic Free July is a great way to try out plastic free alternatives for a month that can then turn into permanent changes. Learn more about the campaign and take the pledge to join the movement! |
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Do you have a trash clean-up or litter reduction project that’s coming up, ongoing, or recently completed? Ask for help or share your success with the Trash Free Texas Community by sharing in our monthly update. |
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