Laredo Students Learn it Does Pay to Recycle
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Nov 5, 2013, Comments Off
Courtesy Xochitl Mora,
Borderplex contest winners will receive prizes, pizza party, good feeling they helped Laredo environment
Laredo, TX— The 21st Annual Borderplex Directory Recycling Contest once again pitted local schools against each other in a friendly competition to see who could collect the most outdated phone books. The directories have been collected and the three winners determined and these three schools will receive cash prizes, totaling $1,800.
One lucky school will also receive a pizza party for their efforts to help keep Laredo clean and beautiful.
“Children are an important part of the recycling effort, because they remind adults to recycle and by recycling, we can leave a better environment for them. Thanks to our schools participating in these contests, with local teachers taking the time to teach recycling, Laredo children are learning not only the importance of saving our environment, but also, that it does pay to recycle” said Billie Bote, Laredo’s newest and .
“The Borderplex Directory Recycling Contest significantly impacts Laredo’s environment, while children learn more about recycling,” said Raul Cruz, Borderplex Regional Sales Manager. “Hopefully, they will make recycling an important part of their daily life, keeping Laredo clean and beautiful, and preserving the Earth’s resources for much longer. Borderplex is committed to going green, and with the help of Laredo’s students, we are doing just that,” he concluded.
The Borderplex Area-Wide Phone Book contest began on September 30 and ran through October 29, open to every school in both school districts and all private schools. In fact, this year, schools will only compete against schools in their district. One winning school will be crowned for UISD; one for LISD; and one for the private schools. The pizza party will be raffled to one winner among the three top schools.
This year 34 schools participated in the contest and collected a total of 19,508 phone books. According to a formula established by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the total number of books collected by the students saved 398 trees;163,867 gallons of water were saved; 77.25 cubic yards of landfill space and 95,979 kilowatts of electricity.
“I want to highlight these figures, because I think it is extremely important that we honor and all the children for their efforts in collecting the books because there is a real and tangible impact to our local environment, to our resources. Each year, they all participate in this very worthy contest, and maybe they might win, and maybe they won’t, but obviously, everyone is doing their darndest to try to win and to try to protect our environment. These numbers are proof that win or lose, all of these kids making a difference in Laredo,” said Mayor Pro Tempore Juan Narvaez
This year’s winners are: UISD –Trautmann Elementary with 1,365 phone books; LISD –Ligarde Elementary with 1,646 phone books; and PRIVATE – Blessed Sacrament with outstanding number of 2,315.
For more information on getting your school involved in recycling, schools should contact Sylvia Garza, Recycling Coordinator for the City of Laredo Solid Waste Services Division at 795-2510 or via e-mail at sgarza2@ci.laredo.tx.us.
And so, Billie Bote, Laredo’s newest and favorite blue recycling bin mascot with the perpetual smile on his face knows that Laredo students have learned that it really does pay to recycle and, how easy it is to keep Laredo clean and beautiful.
