The “Big Dig” Arbor Day Planting Attracts over 1,000 Volunteers

The Arbor Day "Big Dig" became a larger than life recruiting opportunity for nature. On January 27, 2007, more than 1,000 volunteers from approximately 37 organizations took part in a ground-breaking event (no pun intended)!  Since the project required about six months to organize, rain or shine – the show had to go on.

A few remember the childhood fun of mud and rain, but these volunteers take it one step further. Keep Houston Beautiful handed out several “Muddy Boots Awards” to tireless volunteers who spent the day planting trees in the very muddy esplanades. The muddier the boots got, the wider the smiles were.

KHB Celebrates Arbor Day with Pecans

KHB, along with the Texas Forest Service, followed up Arbor Day by sponsoring The Nutty Tree Giveaway. KHB gave away more than 3,000 pecan and oak seedlings as part of its effort to encourage plant growth and environmentally-friendly habits. Houston Independent School District teachers from Mark Twain, Wilson, Anderson, J. Wood Jones, Shadydale and Tidwell Elementary schools; Hamilton and Edison Middle schools; and the Houston Outdoor Learning Center were recipients of this windfall during the first week of February 2007.

FOURTH WARD – HOUSTON CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT I - City officials joined organizations and individuals to mow, trim, sweep, and clean up sidewalks and streets in a section of the Fourth Ward. This “1^st Annual Fourth Ward Neighborhood Cleanup” effort on November 4, 2006 was started at the corner of Robin and Buckner and was supported by Council Member Sue Lovell, At-Large Position 2, and District I Council Member Carol Alvarado.

Sondra Strachan of the Greater Houston Partnership Quality of Life Coalition contributed her time and leadership to the effort. The hospitality of Pastor Elmo Johnson of Rose of Sharon Baptist Church is to be commended, as he allowed us to set up our onsite headquarters in the church parking lot and provided other supplies and fruit drinks.  

In addition, the group enjoyed doughnuts, juice, water, soda and pizza generously sponsored by Republic Services while mowing lots, trimming back weeds, and cleaning up debris. After lunch, door prizes sponsored by Lyondell Chemical Company and Keep Houston Beautiful were awarded. The event was a partnership between Keep Houston Beautiful, the Neighborhood Protection Corps of the Houston Police Department and the C3 City Council Cleanup Program. More than 50 students from the YES Prep School Academy joined other volunteers from the neighborhood and those recruited by KHB to support the cause.

HOUSTON COUNCIL DISTRICT I - A small group brought smiles to brighten up the landscape in Charlton Park of District I on December 2, 2006. Volunteers included Council Member Carol Alvarado and Houston Clean City Commissioner Ramiro Fonseca. 

Volunteers met in front of the Charlton Park Community Center to refurbish the flower bed around the flagpole, mow vacant lots, cut weeds and pick up trash.  The effort was part of a partnership with the C3 City Council Cleanup, Neighborhood Protection Corps, and the Houston Parks & Recreation Department.

Keep Five Alive at Fifteen

FIFTH WARD - The group partnered with Project Respect, an organization dedicated to restoring and maintaining Evergreen Cemetery.  Joe Stokes, President of the Keep Five Alive group, enthusiastically commented that the new partnership is leading to cooperation on other projects.  Volunteers included Council Member Adrian Garcia and Neighborhood Protection Corps.  Once more, the YES Prep Academy sent 50 students to help gather up trash, rake leaves and sweep sidewalks.  Republic Waste Services again provided the refreshments, including doughnuts and pizza.

The Keep 5 Alive Cleanup was sponsored by Council Members Jarvis Johnson, District B, Adrian Garcia District H, and Peter Brown at Large Position 1. Stokes was joined by long time committee members: B.J. Thomas, Alvin Byrd, Clarence Brooks, Earnest McMillan, Mike Easley, Wiley Henry, Pauline Moore, Flora Bonham and members of the United Bikers Motorcycle Club. Myra Hypolite led inspectors from Neighborhood Protection Corps.

Mayor’s Proud Partner Awards Luncheon

Forty individuals, groups, organizations and companies were honored at the 22^nd annual Mayor’s Proud Partner Awards Luncheon on November 13, 2006 for outstanding beautification, recycling or neighborhood cleanup projects.  Lyondell Chemical Company was the winner of the Mayor’s Outstanding Proud Partner Award for their long time commitment to volunteerism and a clean environment. President & CEO Dan F. Smith accepted the award for the company.   

The Beautification Award was given jointly to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and Keep Texas Beautiful for their successful 20-year “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign.  The Beautification Award was accepted by Doris Howdeshell for TXDOT.

Ruth Hurst, a longtime activist, received the Distinguished Service Award for her commitment to the New Braeswood Revitalization Association.

Fourteen Proud Partner Awards were given, as well as 14 Certificates of Recognition and nine Honorable Mention Awards

Keep Houston Beautiful Received a Greater Houston Partnership Award

The Greater Houston Partnership initiated a “Quality of Life Visionary Award” in 2006 and presented the inaugural litter-reduction honor to Keep Houston Beautiful on September 14, 2006.  Bill Linthicum, Chairman of the Houston Clean City Commission, accepted the award.

AFL-CIO Sticks to the Heavy Equipment

Keep Houston Beautiful was proud to participate in  the AFL-CIO Council Cleanup Project on January 13, 2007 to plant large trees in the Martin Luther King Day Care Center. Keep Houston Beautiful partnered with the Neighborhood Protection Corps.

The group utilized heavy equipment provided by KHB to turn a brown landscape green.  A group of 400 volunteers, mostly from outside Houston, helped dig holes to plant the big trees and cleared out trash bags filled with dead leaves and branches to clear the way for the new trees. The job required more than a few smiles. Muscles, sweat, and a few extra hands were needed to transport the plants from their plastic pots into the ground. Spokesman Richard Shaw praised the cooperation AFL-CIO received from Keep Houston Beautiful and the City of Houston to honor Dr. King’s memory by working together to benefit the community.

Lucky the Ladybug and a Cowboy Crocodile joined some young, future volunteers to celebrate the Ar-Boo-Retum at the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center.  Coca-Cola sponsored the Green Event – “Putting Waste In Its Place: Litter Free Events With Recycling” - and Keep Houston Beautiful donated supplies to help children learn about the environment in a fun-filled, non-scary way.

But if the smiles and the treats did not ward off ghosts and the goblins, volunteers from the Houston Arboretum were there to help. The Arboretum opened doors to treats of gardens, trees, flowers, and the wonder of nature. Attendees also learned lessons on recycling and cleanup. The Neighbor Gator from the Houston Police Department Neighborhood Protection Corps was there to keep the peace, and Lucky the Ladybug from Keep Houston Beautiful brought her own good cheer.

Houston-area teachers discovered new environmental classroom skills at the Halliburton-sponsored Waste-in-Place Teacher Training class on January 6, 2007. Forty teachers plus 20 employees from the Houston Parks & Recreation Dept. interacted with each other and guides who showed them the successful Keep America Beautiful program which encourages the implementation of environmentally-friendly lessons, recycling, and park services in other academic curricula.

Deena Carstens, Halliburton Sr. Community Relations Rep, echoed the positive feedback from the attendees: “Halliburton proudly supports the Waste-in-Place workshop offered through Keep Houston Beautiful. The program offers teachers valuable tools to help teach the children in our city the importance of protecting our environment.”

A pizza is just not a pizza without a few added recyclables to tempt the eye and the appetite to recycle.  Made of inedible marshmallows, jellybeans, recycled paper, branches, and marbles, this recycled pizza was the most attractive message in support of environmental awareness. Teachers learned how to help students construct a garbage pizza as one of the Waste-in-Place activities. Each slice of the pizza represented a different solid waste category, which created a three-dimensional pie chart.

To learn more about the Buffalo Bayou “Adopt-a-Spot” program, click here.

City Council members Adrian Garcia, District H, and Ronald Green, At-Large 4, pumped up the audience. The very most enthusiastic participants were Lucky the Ladybug from Keep Houston Beautiful and Neighbor Gator from the Houston Police Department Neighborhood Protection Corps who danced to the lively music of the Worthing Band. A new mascot was introduced from the Solid Waste Management Department – Reusette Wisely. “We are excited to join other cities around the nation as they celebrate and encourage recycling on America Recycles Day,” Mayor White proclaimed.

The event was sponsored by H-E-B, City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department and Keep Houston Beautiful. Republic Services, Abitibi Consolidated, Inc., Devon Energy, Waste Management, Allied Waste Services, Teas Nursery and Clampitt Paper Company generously provided door prizes.

Susan Ghertner of H-E-B said, “H-E-B is an environmentally proactive company that takes many steps to reduce waste. We are proud that we can help Texas communities do the same.”

To see which neighborhoods won the Go Green Recycling Program click here.

Wills explained, “This change is attributed to an increase in the population within the City of Houston. We must double our efforts to educate Houstonians to take responsibility for handling their trash properly.”

To read the full report, click here