LOCAL Houston | The City Guide JULY 2016 | Page 38

COMMUNITY

DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS
For over 30 years, the Don’t Mess with Texas® campaign has helped keep our state beautiful with a little help from WILLIE NELSON, STEVIE RAY VAUGHN and MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY, to
name a few. Add two Katy-area students whose art was selected for the 2017 Don’t Mess
with Texas calendar.
The joint effort between TxDOT and Keep Texas Beautiful motivates young Texans to not
litter and encourages others to keep Texas roadways and the environment free from trash.
The contest was open to Texas elementary school students enrolled in kindergarten
through fifth grade and sponsored by H-E-B and Central Market. Thirteen winning
designs will be used including those of second-grader ERIC ZHANG of Roosevelt Alexander
Elementary and fifth-grader FERNANDA NUÑEZ-FLORES of Pattison Elementary, both in Katy.
The www.dontmesswithtexas.org website shares that if every person in Texas picked up just two
pieces of trash every month, our highways would be completely litter free in just one year.

By Carla Valencia de Martinéz | Illustration by Eric Zhang

38

L O C A L

| july 16