Take Care of Texas: News You Can Use, January 2012 Page: 1
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Take. *NEEWS
TexasL~.1 E?1 =January 2012
In This Issue
" Weatherize Your Irrigation
System
" Texas Parks and Wildlife
Loaner Trunks
" Did You Know?
" Don't Forget...
" Get Involved in the
Permitting Process
" Highlighted TCEQ
Publications
Take Care of Texas
Tips
At Home:
Upgrade Your Home Cooling
and Heating System
In Texas, cooling and heating
accounts for about 45% of annual
home energy expenses. By using a
properly sized Energy Star cooling
and heating system, you can reduce
your home energy consumption by
8% and help improve air quality.
Collectively, we could reduce energy
consumption throughout Texas by
more than 16 billion kWh if all Texas
households replaced their heating
and cooling systems with Energy Star
HVAC systems.
Around the Office:
Reduce Your Unwanted Mail
Each year junk mail, including
unsolicited mail to businesses, ends
up as 4 million tons of solid waste. E-
mail or call direct-marketing
companies to remove your name or
those of former employees from their
mailing lists-some companies have
websites that allow for removal. You
also can register with a
comprehensive junk-mail reduction
service for a small fee. Search for
"junk mail" online to find some of
these services. By taking your name
off marketing mailing lists, you can
help reduce waste.Weatherize Your Irrigation System
To minimize the risk of freeze damage to your irrigation system, you'll
need to "winterize" it in just a few simple steps.
1. Remove the water from your system, especially if you live in the
northern regions of Texas. There are three types of water removal:
manual drain, auto drain, or blowout. If you don't know your system type,
consult a licensed landscape irrigator.
2. Shut your system down for the season. Depending on your system's
controller, set it to "rain mode" or simply turn it off. Turning your system off
will prevent it from accidentally operating, which can damage the system
and cause ice hazards.
3. Insulate your irrigation system's backflow preventer. This is especially
important if your backflow preventer is installed above ground and
exposed. Purchase a winter cover sold at home supply stores and
irrigation warehouses, or use a small amount of self-sticking, foam
insulating tape to wrap around the backflow without blocking the drain
outlets or the air vents.
4. Get a spring "tune-up." When winter is over, have a licensed irrigator
inspect your system for damage and make sure it's operating properly.
Find a licensed landscape irrigator in your city or county at
<www.tceg texas gov/qoto/lawn>.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Loaner Trunks
As part of its collection of teacher resources for outdoor learning, the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department offers "loaner trunks" to formal and informal educators and
youth leaders. Each trunk contains activities and materials appropriate for multiple-
age-level groups. You can find contact information for borrowing each trunk and its
availability by city at
<www tpwd.state. tx us/learning/resources/trunks/city listing.phtml>.Available Trunks:
(www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/resources/trunks/)
" Bird Trunk
" Coastal Critter Bingo
" Coastal Ecosystem Treasures Trunk
" Rare Texas Wildlife Trunk
" Texas Educational Bat Trunk
" Texas Wetlands Discovery Trunks
* Wild in the City Trunk.,*
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Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Take Care of Texas: News You Can Use, January 2012, periodical, January 2012; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth542102/m1/1/: accessed June 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.