Texas Recycles Day
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and Keep Texas Beautiful encourage Texans to observe Texas Recycles Day on November 15 by pledging to step up their recycling efforts. Anyone who submits a pledge as part of the nationwide America Recycles Day 2005 celebration will be entered in a drawing to win a new Ford Escape Hybrid or Trek aluminum bicycles."America Recycles Day joins Texas, which held the nation’s first statewide ‘recycling day’ and served as the model for the national campaign," said Matthew R. Baker, director of TCEQ's Small Business and Environmental Assistance Division, which oversees the Texas statewide program. "Statewide and nationwide events will increase awareness of recycling, helping Americans learn how to conserve our natural resources through daily activities."
Nearly 200,000 Americans took the America Recycles Day pledge in 2004. To help increase the number of pledges this year, event organizers are offering a free giveaway. A Ford Motor Company Escape Hybrid will be awarded to one adult and five Trek aluminum 24-speed bicycles will be awarded to youth.
In Texas, organizers have scheduled more than 200 events across the state to celebrate this year's Texas Recycles Day, from an elementary school in San Antonio encouraging students to pack a “zero waste” lunch, to the Texas Department of Transportation and its partners holding “Reuse Roundup” events to collect used goods. Events highlight numerous solutions for simple and inexpensive waste reduction and recycling activities. Texans can easily find out about scheduled events in their area by visiting www.texasrecyclesday.org and getting details for registered activities.
The Recycling Alliance of Texas works as the America Recycles Day affiliate. Community events are held statewide each year from mid-October through the officially observed day of November 15. As Texans have made recycling a part of their everyday lives, additional events are held year-round.
The Hybrid Escape is the industry's first hybrid-electric SUV, combining the performance of a conventional gasoline engine with the fuel efficiency of an electric engine, allowing it to achieve a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel economy of 36 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
For more information on Texas Recycles Day or to join the celebration by hosting an event, visit www.texasrecyclesday.org . Click on the America Recycles Day link to pledge online and enter for a chance to win prizes as part of the national campaign.
posted by Miles Baska 
