Lucky Texans could win Southwest Airlines tickets, other prizes volunteering at Don’t Mess with Texas "Trash and Treasure Hunt"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; May 19, 2006

ODESSA-MIDLAND — Local residents have an added incentive to volunteer for a Don’t Mess with Texas 20th Anniversary cleanup event along State Highway 191 between Midland and Odessa on Saturday morning, June 3. There is a chance to win round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines.

"There have been many ‘firsts’ in the history of the Don’t Mess with Texas campaign, but I can say with certainty that cleaning up Texas has never been so exciting," said Doris Howdeshell, Travel Division director for the Texas Department of Transportation.

"This year, we wanted to offer Texans something truly unique and exciting to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Don’t Mess with Texas program," said Howdeshell. "Southwest Airlines stepped up to the litter prevention plate in a big way by offering a valuable incentive for Texans to get involved in the Don’t Mess with Texas campaign."

The Texas Department of Transportation is teaming up with Keep Midland Beautiful and Keep Odessa Beautiful to present the Don’t Mess with Texas "Trash and Treasure Hunt" here in the Permian Basin –one of just 25 locations around the state. Anyone who volunteers has a chance to win.

Trash or Treasure

At the cleanup, which starts at 9 a.m. with a kickoff at the Mid-Cities Community Church parking lot at the CR 1275 Exit on SH 191, volunteers will be sent out to pick up litter along State Highway 191. As they pick up trash, some will find specially marked pieces of litter. For each piece of marked litter collected, volunteers will receive an entry into a random drawing. At the end of the cleanup, volunteers with return to the Mid-Cities parking lot for lunch and a drawing to win Southwest Airlines tickets or gift certificates for Starbucks and Blue Bell Ice Cream.

"Although we fly all over the U.S., we’re a Texas-based company, and we’ve always supported a litter-free Texas," said Linda Rutherford, Southwest's Vice President of Public Relations and Community Affairs. "Offering the chance to win plane tickets is one way we can reward volunteers at the cleanup events and show our Texas-size support of the 20th Anniversary."

There’s no limit to the number of marked pieces of litter someone can collect in exchange for an entry into the prize drawings, so volunteers who collect more trash have a better chance of winning.

Cleaner Texas Roadways

Adopt-a-Highway volunteers who have participated at past cleanup events may notice roadways appear cleaner this year. The latest Visible Litter Study, an analysis of litter and accumulation on Texas rights-of-way, reveals total annual litter accumulation fell below 1 billion pieces in 2005 to 827 million pieces. This is compared with 1.25 billion pieces on Texas roadsides in 2001, resulting in a 33 percent drop in litter. However, volunteers will find there’s plenty of work to do—half of all Texans still admit to littering and the most frequently littered items are tobacco, food, and nonalcoholic beverage cups and cans.

Cool Prizes for Volunteers

At the event, Don’t Mess with Texas staff members will also hand out commemorative 20th Anniversary merchandise including T-shirts, koozies and cups to volunteers who correctly answer litter-related trivia questions and participate in games. The first 50 people to sign in will receive a gift card courtesy of Coca-Cola or McDonald’s. The public is encouraged to visit www.DontMessWithTexas20.org for complete details.

Don’t Mess with Texas 20th Anniversary

2006 is the 20th Anniversary of the Don’t Mess with Texas campaign. Advertising, outreach and special promotions like the "Trash and Treasure Hunt" are spreading the litter prevention message throughout the year.

Southwest Airlines, La Quinta, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Blue Bell Ice Cream, and the Texas Department of Transportation are proud sponsors of the Don’t Mess with Texas "Trash and Treasure Hunt."

For more information: contact Glen W. Larum, Texas Department of Transportation, at 432) 498-4746.