This year, 675 schools in Texas collected over five million plastic bags as part of H-E-B’s annual School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge
On Earth Day, H-E-B will give away up to 265,000 free reusable bags to customers across Texas. On April 22, customers who visit any H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop, and Mi Tienda in Texas are eligible to receive a complimentary Earth Day bag. Since 2008, H-E-B has given out more than three million reusable bags in celebration of Earth Day.
Beginning at 1 p.m. on April 22, customers who visit any H-E-B brand store in Texas can get their complimentary Earth Day bag while supplies last. The retailer is launching a three-part series over the next three years of collectible Earth Day bags featuring beloved state parks. This year, the bag’s design resembles a postcard from Texas featuring Big Bend Ranch Texas State Park.
The Earth Day tote highlights the H-E-B Our Texas, Our Future commitment, which is the company’s mission to increase awareness and education around sustainability efforts that help preserve land, water, and air in Texas. Throughout the year, H-E-B is committed to reducing its impact on the environment through waste diversion efforts along with several other programs to help conserve and protect our great state, now and for generations to come.
For Earth Month in April, H-E-B launched multiple ventures aimed at supporting plastic waste reduction and providing sustainable alternatives for Texas shoppers.
Among those efforts, students from hundreds of classrooms across Texas collected thousands of pounds of plastic bags as part of H-E-B’s Annual School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge. This year, a record-breaking 675 schools in Texas collected more than five million plastic bags for the challenge. This year’s contest resulted in a million-bag increase from 2023 results! The schools that collected the most plastic bags will receive H-E-B gift cards as prizes.
This year’s winners are:
Border Region
- La Union Elementary
- Early Childhood Center Elementary
- Muller Elementary
Central Texas Region
- Emile Elementary
- Cedar Creek Elementary
- Colony Oaks Elementary
Gulf Coast Region
- Linnie Roberts Elementary
- Windsor Park Elementary
- Flour Bluff Primary
Houston Region
- Coulson-Tough Elementary
- Pine Shadows Elementary
- Robertson Elementary
North/ West Texas Region
- Shepard Elementary
- Academy at Nola Dunn Elementary
- McKillop Elementary
San Antonio Region
- Rose Garden Elementary
- Pleasanton Primary School
- Fields Elementary School
This year’s
winners are:
Border Region
- La Union Elementary
- Early Childhood Center Elementary
- Muller Elementary
Central Texas Region
- Emile Elementary
- Cedar Creek Elementary
- Colony Oaks Elementary
Gulf Coast Region
- Linnie Roberts Elementary
- Windsor Park Elementary
- Flour Bluff Primary
Houston Region
- Coulson-Tough Elementary
- Pine Shadows Elementary
- Robertson Elementary
North/ West Texas Region
- Shepard Elementary
- Academy at Nola Dunn Elementary
- McKillop Elementary
San Antonio Region
- Rose Garden Elementary
- Pleasanton Primary School
- Fields Elementary School
To support customers in their sustainability and recycling practices, Field & Future by H-E-B is an environmentally minded brand of household, personal care and baby products designed to be clean and green and include many products made with recycled or recyclable content. Since its launch, Field & Future by H-E-B products have supported the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation in efforts such as conservation along the Texas Gulf Coast, Black Bear restoration in West Texas, and outfitting seven state parks with adaptive kayak launches to welcome more Texans to recreational water activities. With support from Field & Future by H-E-B products, the company made a $338,000 donation to support the foundation.
Because H-E-B Partners (employees) are committed to taking their own steps to beautify Texas, many have volunteered at outdoor events, tree plantings, and community cleanups throughout Earth Month and on Earth Day. In San Antonio, H-E-B teamed up with Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs to surprise students from Bowden Academy in San Antonio. The star rookie worked alongside students and H-E-B Partners to plant fruit trees and vegetable gardens as well as an outdoor storytime as part of H-E-B’s Read 3 program. In support of participating local nonprofits Gardopia and the Ella Austin Community Center, H-E-B also gifted the organizations $5,000 each to support their programming efforts.
H-E-B Read 3 is hosting a virtual story time in celebration of Earth Month for Texas schools. On Thursday April 25th, author Liz Garton will read excerpts from her latest book, The World’s Best Class Plant, and discuss her experience as a Texas author. Schools can register here: Bookelicious and
H-E-B Virtual Author Event Registration
H-E-B stores across the state also will host in-store events to celebrate Earth Day with their customers and communities. At participating stores across the state, H-E-B Cooking Connections teams will activate stations showcasing Field & Future by H-E-B products while park rangers from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will setup in store with giveaways, activities, and educational opportunities.
Following a successful launch of the H-E-B Presents: An Our Texas, Our Future film series, the retailer is taking its award-winning nature docuseries into classrooms with fun education guides. Designed for teachers and students in grades 6-12, these PBS Learning Resources are free TEKS-aligned teaching guides that accompany the H-E-B Presents: Our Texas, Our Future Films. The guides have social studies and science materials, with lessons on topics such as ecosystems in Texas, environmental & STEM career paths, human impact on species environment, and wildlife conservation. Find information about the education guides and the scavenger hunts at ourtexasourfuture.com/kidscorner.
H-E-B customers also can support sustainability efforts through its annual donation campaign that benefits H-E-B Trees for Texans, and effort in partnership with Texan by Nature to plant trees at schools and communities. Customers can join in the effort to help plant trees across Texas and donate from April 10 through May 7 at H-E-B registers in store and online when placing Curbside and Home Delivery orders.
