Ten Winning Communities Receive State Environmental Awards and Share
$2 Million in Landscape Project Funds
(Austin, Texas) – Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) is proud to announce the winners of the 2024 Governor’s Community Achievement Awards (GCAA) for outstanding community improvement. The winning communities are Argyle, Whitesboro, Alpine, Seabrook, Anna, Del Rio, Little Elm, San Marcos, Pearland, and Garland.
The winning communities will share $2 million in landscape funding for projects to be completed by TxDOT along state-maintained rights-of-way in their communities. The ten winners also receive a stately cast aluminum metal plaque to be placed in a prominent public location.
Sara Walters, KTB’s Program Director said, “The Governor’s Community Achievement Awards received over 50 applications from around the state. This year, three of these communities have won for the first time, while one is celebrating a remarkable seventh win. We are so proud of every community’s efforts. These ten winning communities represent the hard work and dedication of volunteers around the state to create a better place to live, work, and play for all Texans.”
The Governor’s Community Achievement awards were created in partnership with the Governor’s Office in 1969, and TxDOT has provided landscaping award funding for the winners since 1985. To date, 261 projects have been funded, totaling $47 million in project costs.
The GCAA is one of Texas’s most coveted annual environmental and community improvement honors. A group of diverse, multi-sector judges evaluates a community’s programs in seven environmental and community improvement areas: public awareness and outreach, environmental education, beautification and community improvement, litter prevention and cleanup, solid waste management, litter law, and illegal dumping enforcement. Communities compete in 10 categories based on population, with the size of the landscaping award awarded by population.
To learn more about GCAA and this year’s winners, visit ktb.org/gcaa.
About Keep Texas Beautiful
Keep Texas Beautiful (KTB) is a non-profit organization dedicated to making Texas the best place to live, work, and play! Our mission is to inspire and empower Texans to make their communities clean and beautiful. We provide resources for community improvement projects, clean-ups, and youth engagement efforts across the state. Through the Keep Texas Recycling program, we provide technical assistance, education, and market access to increase recycling in rural and underserved communities.
Everything we do focuses on mobilizing volunteers to take action by providing them with tools, resources, and training. Our fieldwork includes research on best practices for litter reduction and the development of community programs to prevent the flow of litter to the Gulf of Mexico.
Founded in 1967, Keep Texas Beautiful’s work is driven by its network of affiliate members, communities, volunteers, and supporters that span the state and reach 17 million Texans annually.
For more information and to find your closest affiliate, visit www.ktb.org. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
About TxDOT
The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, maritime, rail, and public transportation across the state. Through collaboration and leadership, we deliver a safe, reliable, and integrated transportation system that enables the movement of people and goods. Find out more at TxDOT.gov.