Don't Mess with Texas Summer Outreach Tour Launches July 4 with
New Designer Litterbags for Vehicles
- 07.03.07
(AUSTIN, Texas) — For Don’t Mess with Texas, the summer of 2007 is all about the bag.
The Texas Department of Transportation is issuing a challenge to all Texans: Keep a litterbag in every car. The challenge coincides with the launch of the Don’t Mess with Texas summer outreach campaign on July 4, called the Rock the Bag Tour.
The six-week Rock the Bag Tour will feature a new line of free plastic vehicle litterbags designed to appeal to a younger generation. At tour stops, visitors can pick up their favorite new litterbag.
TxDOT is releasing four new litterbag designs to appeal especially to Texans ages 16 to 24, also known as ?Generation Litterer? or ?Gen L.?
?We want to get young people interested in using a litterbag instead of throwing trash on Texas rights-of-way,? said Doris Howdeshell, Travel Division Director for the Texas Department of Transportation. ?Research tells us Texans ages 16 to 24 are the state’s worst litterers. They have low awareness of the free, plastic litterbags TxDOT distributes, but have a high willingness to use them. So we’re going to help them get their hands on a litterbag.?
The four new designs are limited-edition bags and will be available at any of the outreach stops. One bag has an urban, hip-hop feel with the phrase ?Neat Freak? in bold letters; another design with a rural flavor features a traditional red, white and blue flag with a monster truck; a third tattoo-style bag says ?I Love Texas;? and the last says ?Rock the Bag,? featuring a person break dancing.
Rock the Bag, Snag Some Giveaways
The Rock the Bag Tour will travel across the state this summer visiting the most popular hangouts for young people?beaches, theme parks, concerts, shopping malls and movie theaters. Six premier events will feature a VIP lounge called a ?SWAG Suite? under a giant tent complete with comfortable sofas, a live DJ mixing beats, a flat screen TV and free ?swag,? or giveaways, including the new litterbags. Approximately 40 additional smaller-scale tour stops are also planned.
The Rock the Bag ?SWAG Suite? Experience
People who visit the Rock the Bag Tour this summer will see how the custom bag designs have been incorporated into the outreach experience, including a giant inflatable ?Rock the Bag? mascot towering above the Suite and oversized beach towel giveaways branded with the ?I Love Texas? tattoo logo.
The Suite is a spot to relax and grab a cool drink away from summer heat. To enter, visitors simply pledge to use a litterbag. The flat screen television will run favorite Don’t Mess with Texas spots, and patrons can earn Don’t Mess with Texas giveaways by correctly answering litter trivia questions or winning other litter-themed games. Visitors also have the chance to win free plane tickets at each premier event when they fill out a completed pledge card. Tour sponsor Southwest Airlines has provided 25 round-trip tickets to anywhere Southwest Airlines flies in the U.S.
Summer Tour ?SWAG Suite? Schedule
July 4: S. Padre Island, Independence Day Beach Celebration
July 7: Galveston, East Beach
July 13: San Antonio, Van’s Warped Tour
July 15: Houston, Van’s Warped Tour
August 10: Odessa, Rock the Desert Concert
August 11: Dallas, And1 Mix Tape Tour
Some 827 million pieces of litter accumulate annually on TxDOT rights-of-way. “If every person who littered in Texas put six pieces of litter each month in a litterbag, Texas would be litter-free,” said Howdeshell.
Celebrity Fashion Designer Lends Her Support to Don’t Mess with Texas
The Don’t Mess with Texas campaign has had a host of celebrity supporters over the years, from actors to musicians to athletes. On June 15, Houston fashion designer Chloe Dao, winner of Project Runway 2, met with a group of Texas students who designed an alternative to the plastic litterbag — a more permanent trash container for the car.
All Texans who visit the outreach tour will have a chance to vote on their favorite litter container prototypes developed by students at the McCombs School of Business Future Executive Academy. The academy annually hosts about 50 elite Texas high-school students with a goal of encouraging economically disadvantaged students and those who are about to be the first college students in their families to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
Yak Pak, a company that designs messenger bags, backpacks and purses, provided prizes for the winning student team and will evaluate the potential for bringing the winning design into production.
La Quinta, McDonald’s, Southwest Airlines, Sweet Leaf Tea and Yak Pak are this year’s sponsors of the Rock the Bag Road Tour.
