Every year, students throughout the state grab their video cameras and head outside to compete in the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality's annual Take Care of Texas Video Contest. The goal is to produce the most entertaining and compelling content demonstrating how to keep Texas’ air and water clean, reduce waste, and conserve water and energy.

More than 200 young filmmakers submitted entries. Daphne Hayes, a 7th grader at Kealing Middle School in Austin won second place in the middle school category. Daphne’s video can be viewed here. 

Take Care of Texas team members narrowed down more than 200 entries to just 12 finalists from the initial pool. Members of the public then voted on those 12, and the first, second, and third place standings were decided by TCEQ commissioners, executive staff, and representatives from the contest sponsor, Waste Management of Texas, Inc.  

“This is one of the most fun days of the year,” said Charles Rivette, Senior Market Area Planner at Waste Management, Inc. “We’re proud and happy to be a part of this student video contest.”

Take Care of Texas is a statewide campaign from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that provides helpful information on Texas’ successes in environmental protection and encourages all Texans to help keep our air and water clean, conserve water and energy, and reduce waste.