H-E-B celebrates Earth Day with commemorative reusable bags April 22

CONROE, Texas -- As part of the company’s ongoing efforts to do its part to take care of Texas, H-E-B is celebrating Earth Day by giving away 200,000 reusable shopping bags to customers statewide. For the sixth consecutive year, H-E-B will encourage shoppers to keep the environment and plastic bag recycling top of mind year-round with its reusable bag giveaway.

To show customers “it’s easy being green”, H-E-B will give away 200,000 specially designed commemorative Earth Day reusable shopping bags. Taking place Monday, April 22, from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m., this effort will help to eliminate more than 1 million plastic bags from the environment. Customers who bring in five or more plastic bags for recycling will receive a coupon for one free reusable H-E-B shopping bag. The program is taking place during this four hour time period at all H-E-B stores across Texas. Last year, H-E-B and its customers recycled 5.2 million pounds of plastic bags.

Plastic bags turned in for recycling may be from any retailer. No purchase is necessary, but there is a limit of one free reusable bag per customer while supplies last.

“At H-E-B, we look forward to Earth Day all year. Our bag giveaway promotion is a great way to help our customers make a small change that can add up to a big difference for our communities,” said Susan Ghertner, H-E-B Director of Environmental Affairs.

H-E-B stores across the state will host various in-store activities from April 15 – April 22. Last year, nearly 85 H-E-B stores partnered with 95 local elementary schools to collect 1.2 million plastic bags for recycling. From Earth Day plastic bag recycling contests in schools, to story times for children, neighborhood clean-ups and tree plantings, H-E-B is working hard to educate customers about the importance of being good environmental stewards. Visit www.heb.com for Earth Day activities scheduled at local stores.

In addition, H-E-B has launched a checkstand tear pad campaign in partnership with EarthShare of Texas, a non-profit that supports dozens of respected environmental and conservation groups. Customers can choose to donate $1, $3 or $5 at checkout to be added to their grocery bill.

Available every day at H-E-B, shoppers can select and purchase a variety of artistic designed reusable bags. Five cents from each reusable bag sale, up to a maximum of $50,000, will be donated to Keep Texas Beautiful to support their efforts to beautify and improve community environments.

“H-E-B takes great pride in making it convenient for our shoppers to make environmentally sustainable choices in their daily lives,” said Cyndy Garza Roberts, Public Affairs Director, H-E-B Houston Region.

H-E-B is committed to business strategies and sustainable practices that continually improve the company’s use of natural resources, minimize waste, conserve energy and water, and protect air quality. Since 2005, H-E-B has reduced more than 55 million pounds of harmful air pollutants by recycling materials including aluminum, steel, plastic, oil, cardboard, computers, and truck tires, diverting more than 1 milliontons of waste from landfills– more than the annual waste produced by 395,000 households. Cardboard and plastic recycling efforts have saved the equivalent of15.6 million trees, 1.47 million barrels of oil, 9.2 million cubic yards of landfill space and 520 million kilowatt hours of energy per year. The energy savings alone are enough to power more than 46,000 homes for a year.

When it comes to transportation, H-E-B has reduced its use of diesel fuel by over 830,000 gallons per year and carbon dioxide emissions by more than 8,300 tons annually- which is the same as removing 614,815 cars from the road for one day. Due to fuel saving strategies, H-E-B was the only Texas-based company invited to serve as a charter partner in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay Transport Partnership. The Partnership was formed to reduce greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions from the heavy-duty sector.

New stores are either LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building certified or built to many of those stringent standards. Reducing the heat island effect of our stores is accomplished through the use of highly-reflective roofing. Installing energy efficient LED (light emitting diode) lighting and motion sensors in frozen food door cases and nightblinds on open refrigerated cases to retain cool air overnight are other ways we reduce our energy use.

H-E-B, with sales of more than $19.4 billion, operates more than 350 stores in Texas and Mexico. Known for its innovation and community service, H-E-B celebrated its 105th anniversary in 2010. Recognized for its fresh food, quality products, convenient services, and a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience at everyday low prices. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 80,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities. For more information, visit www.heb.com