Manager's Welcome
This is the July issue of the Houston-Galveston Area Council's (H-GAC's) Community and Environmental Planning (C&E) E-newsletter. We hope this monthly newsletter will keep you up to date on the wide variety of community planning, economic development and environmental planning programs going on at H-GAC. We want this information to be useful and are very interested in your feedback! If you have any questions about any of our programs, please feel free to contact me at 713-993-4560 or Jeff.Taebel@h-gac.com. To unsubscribe, add another subscriber or offer any comments on the e-newsletter, please e-mail cep_news@h-gac.com. To view the current and past editions of the e-newsletter, please visit:
www.h-gac.com/CEeNewsletter Please click on the links below to view information regarding each topic. IN THIS ISSUE
Wal-Mart Expands school Plastic Bag Recycling Program
Bush Administration Grants 10 Million to US Beaches
Apple Begins Offering Free Recycling in US
New EPA Program Saves Dollars and Makes Sense
Wetlands and Watershed Article Series
KHB Accepting Entries for Mayor's Proud Partner Awards
H-GAC MEETING NOTICES
Environmental Enforcement Roundtable
Solid Waste Management Committee IN THIS ISSUE
Wal-Mart Expands School Plastic Bag Recycling Program
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding its partnership with elementary schools to recycle plastic shopping bags. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer will begin offering its Kids Recycling Challenge program in September in 12 states: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Texas, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Schools that join the program receive a 60-gallon collection bag from Wal-Mart, which encourages students to bring in plastic retail and grocery bags for recycling. The program will run from Sept. 1 through March 30. Wal-Mart will donate $5 to each school for each bag they fill. The retailer will group the schools into 26 geographic locations and award the top three schools in each region $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000, respectively.
Back to Top Bush Administration Grants $10 Million to U.S. Beaches
As part of EPA's plan to help deliver clean beaches to Americans nationwide, Administrator Stephen L. Johnson presented Gov. Robert Ehrlich with a $270,000 grant to improve Maryland beaches on Monday, June 19. Ten million dollars will be awarded by the Bush Administration this year to 30 states and five territories for water quality monitoring. Over the past six years, President Bush and EPA have provided nearly $52 million under the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act to states with shorelines along the nation's coasts or around the Great Lakes. Nearly one third of all Americans visit costal waters, contributing nearly $44 billion each year to local economies. Because of EPA's commitment to clean water, the number of beaches monitored has more than tripled nationwide in the past decade. Beach water monitoring helps identify what needs to be done such as warnings and more importantly, actions to prevent closings when bacteria concentrations reach unsafe levels. EPA is also developing new technologies to yield faster test results. With the new tests, local health agencies will be able to act more quickly if a beach has to be closed for swimming. Additionally, as part of its public-awareness efforts, EPA has created an interactive Web site for kids that includes games, information on how to protect beaches and beach safety. More information: Beach protection program: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches and http://www.epa.gov/beaches , Beach Kids: http://www.epa.gov/beaches/kids
Back to Top Apple Begins Offering Computer Recycling Free in U.S.
Apple Computer Inc. launched its free U.S. computer recycling program May 31, allowing any customer who buys a new Mac computer to recycle their old one at no cost.
The program is available to online purchasers as well as those who buy their computer at an Apple retail store. Consumers can recycle any brand of personal computer by packaging their old system and using the free shipping label the Cupertino, Calif., computer maker will provide.
Apple said it will recycle all equipment it receives domestically and ship no hazardous material overseas. The company has processed more than 21 million pounds of electronic waste worldwide since 1994.
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New EPA Program Saves Dollars and Makes Sense
WaterSense, a new water efficiency program launched by EPA today, will educate American consumers on making smart water choices that save money and maintain high environmental standards without compromising performance. The WaterSense program aims to raise awareness about the importance of water efficiency, ensure the performance of water-efficient products and provide good consumer information. The WaterSense label will be easily identified on products and services that perform at least 20 percent more efficiently than their less efficient counterparts. Easily corrected household water leaks frequently rob consumers of eight percent of their water bill. At least 30 percent of water used by household irrigation systems is lost through wind evaporation and improper design, installation or maintenance. The average household adopting water efficient products and practices can save 30,000 gallons per year enough to supply a year of drinking water for 150 of their neighbors. Manufacturers can certify these products meet EPA criteria for water efficiency and performance by following testing protocols specific to each product category. In addition, products will be independently tested to ensure EPA specifications are met. These products will be available to families and businesses early next year. Information about the WaterSense water efficiency program: www.epa.gov/watersense
Back to Top Wetlands & Watershed Article Series
Article 2: Using Local Watershed Plans to Protect Wetlands The most recent article - Article 2: "Using Local Watershed Plans to Protect Wetlands" is now available for free download. This article briefly describes a proposed framework for integrating wetland management in the context of local watershed planning efforts. It outlines: the rationale for managing wetlands at the watershed scale, the basics of the watershed planning process, and 11 recommended watershed planning elements that relate to wetlands. Be sure to visit the Center's Wetlands web site, at http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/index.htm, a central source of information for wetland protection information including the article series along with web links, an events calendar, glossary, and other resources. Also available is Article 3 of the article series, "Adapting Watershed Tools to Protect Wetlands".
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Keep Houston Beautiful Is Accepting Entries for the 2006 Mayor's Proud Partners Awards
Keep Houston Beautiful is now accepting applications for this year's Mayor's Proud Partners Awards. The Mayor's Proud Partners Awards, sponsored by Keep Houston Beautiful and the City of Houston, recognize programs, projects or individual efforts to create a cleaner, more beautiful Houston. The award recipients will be recognized during the Annual Mayor's Proud Partners Luncheon to be held in November. Anyone interested in nominating a project or individual for consideration must complete a nomination form available on the website and mail to: Keep Houston Beautiful, 3000 Richmond Ave, Suite 350, Houston, TX 77098-3188; tel: 713-839-8855, fax: 713-839-8880, E-Mail: lariane@houstonbeautiful.org, website: www.houstonbeautiful.org.
Back to Top H-GAC MEETING NOTICES
Environmental Enforcement Roundtable: OSSF, Public Nuisance & Junkyards
June 13, 2006
H-GAC Conference Room A
3555 Timmons, Houston, TX 77027
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Contact Amy Boyers for more information at 713-993-2441 or aboyers@h-gac.com.
Back to Top Solid Waste Management Committee
June 26, 2006
H-GAC Conference Room A
3555 Timmons, Houston, TX 77027
10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Contact Cheryl Mergo cmergo@h-gac.com or 713-993-4520 for more information.
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