Ozone Season 2005 Ends

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Today is the last day of the 2005 ozone season (April 1 to October 31 annually), the period when we expect to see higher levels of ozone than are typical during winter months. And 2005 is the first of three important years of record for ozone numbers. In spring of 2008, the EPA will again judge our region for compliance with federal clean air law. They'll be looking at an average taken over 2005, 2006, and 2007. The Federal ozone standard threshold was exceeded on October 17 for 2005.

To read this entire article, please click here.
 

Air Quality contact: Brenda Williams

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National Family Caregiver Month Honors and Celebrates Family Caregivers

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This November, organizations across the United States will celebrate and recognize family caregivers during the annual National Family Caregiver (NFC) Month.  With over 50 million family caregivers across the U.S., the number of people who chose to care for their loved ones themselves, versus placing them in a nursing or care facility, is growing rapidly.

This year NFC Month has adopted the Theme The Caring Every Day Campaign and offers three steps family caregivers can take every day to make their lives better and improve the care they give their loved ones:  BELIEVE in Yourself.  PROTECT Your Health.  REACH OUT for Help.

To read this entire article, please click here.
 

Caregiver program contact: Nellie Garay

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Texas Recycles Day - November 15, 2005
article courtesy of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

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"Growing Recycling in Texas" is the theme for Texas Recycles Day for 2005, with an emphasis on composting and using compost.  Composting is nature's way of recycling.

In Texas, more than 20 million tons of compostable organic materials like yard trimmings, wood chips, food waste, and paper go into landfills every year. When these materials decompose, methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) is released. 

To read more about Texas Recycles Day, click here.
 

Recycles Day Contact: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

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Clean Cities Coalition opens first public dual alternative fuel station in Texas

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On October 19, 2005, Bexar County, CleanFUEL USA, and Alamo Area Clean Cities celebrated the displacement of the billionth gallon of petroleum by the US Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program and the opening of the first public dual alternative fuel station in Texas at the Bexar County Fleet Maintenance Facility at 4023 IH 35. 

Since the inception of the Clean Cities program by the US Department of Energy, coalitions all over the United States have helped displace more than a billion gallons of petroleum.  To commemorate this occasion, coalitions symbolically pumped the “billionth gallon” at alternative fuel stations in their region.  Alamo Area Clean Cities “billionth gallon” was pumped at the first dual alternative fuel station in Texas.  The station dispenses propane and E85 and is the first public E85 station in Texas.  This fuel blend, made of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, is a cleaner alternative to unleaded gasoline and can be used by flex-fuel vehicles. 

This station was made possible through the collaboration of the US Department of Energy, Texas State Energy Conservation Office, CleanFUEL USA, Bexar County, and the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.  To determine whether you have a flex fuel vehicle, log onto www.e85fuel.com.  For more information on the station as well as a map to the facility, check the Alamo Area Clean Cities Coalition webpage.
 

Clean Cities Point of Contact:  Isabel Chacon

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Pony Express Couriers
Swearing-in Ceremony

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The Alamo Area Council of Governments, the Alamo-La Bahia Corridor Committee, and the U. S. Postal Service announce the 17th Annual Pony Express Christmas Courier Swearing-In Ceremony on Saturday, November 19, 2005, at the U.S. Post Office, downtown across from the Alamo, at 10:00 a.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Swearing-In Ceremony is the prelude to the 17^th Annual Christmas Along the Corridor celebration. Christmas Along the Corridor is a 150-mile celebration of history, heritage, and the holidays as 120 Pony Express Christmas Couriers carry proclamations to communities in the seven counties along the historic Alamo-La Bahia Corridor and El Camino Real de Los Tejas, with the San Antonio Grand Finale at Fort Sam Houston on December 3, 2005.  For more information about this event, please call Burma Hyde at (210) 362-5220, or click here.
 

Swearing-in Ceremony Point of Contact:  Burma Hyde

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2nd Annual "Kin Raising Kin" Celebration

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Bexar Aging Caregiver Program Point of Contact:  Nellie Garay

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Walk & Roll Challenge

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More than 225 citizens accepted the Walk & Roll Challenge, pledging over 115,000 miles and logging over 68,000 “smart” miles of walking, bicycling, busing, or carpooling/vanpooling to promote healthy lifestyles, better transportation and improved air quality for the region.  “Smart” miles improve your health, reduce traffic, and save you gas and money. 

Prizes will be awarded to four individuals who log the most miles in each one of the four competition categories (Cycling, Walking, Busing, Carpooling/Vanpooling).  Prizes will be announced on the Walk & Roll Challenge website, and delivered directly to the winners throughout the month.  For more information, contact Heather Willden at (210) 362-5303 or visit www.walkandrollchallenge.com.

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