H-E-B giving away 250,000 reusable bags for free on Earth Day

NO STORE DOES MORE, HONESTLY

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

Yet another reason why H-E-B is the best grocery chain in the world. H-E-B brand stores all over Texas will be giving away 250,000 reusable bags on April 22 as part of their annual Earth Day tradition to reduce single use plastic among its customer base.

Visitors at any H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop, and Mi Tienda in the state have been able to get a free Earth Day-themed bag since 2008, amounting to over three million bags within 15 years.

The annual bag giveaway event will begin in all stores at 10 am while supplies last. Customers who would like to own more of the “Our Texas, Our Future” Earth Day bags can purchase them for just $1.50 each.

Many H-E-B Partners are celebrating Earth Day in their own way by volunteering for clean-up or tree planting events, or by hosting in-store events for customers. Select stores will even host family-friendly "Environmental Education Scavenger Hunts" with EcoRise, a local sustainability organization in Austin. The self-guided tours will allow children to learn how H-E-B protects the environment, and how they and their families can get involved with eco-friendly practices.

Earlier in April, H-E-B rolled out new environmentally-conscious initiatives to boost the company’s commitment to reduce waste while maximizing eco-friendly choices in local communities. Some of the new measures include revamping plastic bag collection bins, introducing a new curbside plastic bag collection system, and switching their plastic cutlery to biodegradable versions at all stores, restaurants, and business locations.

Additionally, students from 600 Texas elementary schools participated in H-E-B’s yearly “School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge” and collected over four million plastic bags. The winning schools that collected the most plastic bags will receive H-E-B gift cards.

The San Antonio region elementary schools that won H-E-B’s challenge are:

Randall Fields Elementary
Hopkins Elementary
Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary

H-E-B also partnered with Keep Texas Recycling to choose six projects to distribute their 2023 Community Recycling Grants, totalling $157,000. The grants will fund improvements for better access to recycling and developing educational resources for nearly 350,000 Texans in Pharr, Ingleside, Cuero, Texas City, Burleson County, and San Angelo.

More information about H-E-B's sustainability initiatives can be found on their website.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

H-E-B rolls out new sustainability initiatives for Earth Month

KEEP TEXAS BEAUTIFUL

Central Texas' top grocery store by most measures, H-E-B, is celebrating Earth Month with some new environmentally-conscious initiatives for all of its stores.

The new measures were planned with the ultimate goal of boosting the company’s ongoing commitment to reducing its overall waste while maximizing eco-friendly choices in the communities they serve. H-E-B Partners will also spread awareness of their practices through community events and donations to sustainability-focused organizations across the state of Texas.

A few of the new initiatives include improving awareness of the company's pre-existing plastic bag recycling program with more prominent bins at every store, and rolling out a new curbside plastic bag collection system.

Many municipalities don’t accept plastic bags at their recycling centers, so H-E-B is stepping up to provide its own alternative to landfills. With the new curbside program, shoppers can bundle their eligible plastic bags and items for an H-E-B employee to collect during the customer’s designated curbside pickup time. If a customer would like to bring their plastic items while shopping in-store, they can drop them off in the newly designed, highly visible bins at the main entrances.

Plastic items that will be accepted by the new Curbside program and in-store drop off bins are:

Retail shopping bags
Produce bags
Bread bags
Dry cleaning bags
Newspaper bags
Plastic over wrap, such as the plastic packaging that comes around toilet paper

H-E-B will also switch all their plastic cutlery to biodegradable versions at all stores, restaurants, and business locations. The new cutlery and straws are made from agave and other plant-based materials.

Additionally, H-E-B will host their annual reusable bag giveaway on April 22 to honor Earth Day. 250,000 reusable bags will be given to shoppers, free of charge.

Other actions the company will take include their annual “School Plastic Bag Recycling Challenge” at 600 Texas schools, their 2023 H-E-B Community Recycling Grants for funding improvements for infrastructure and educational recycling resources, hosting local community markets at select stores in Austin, and participating in other community-based events.

In 2022 alone, H-E-B recycled 19 million pounds of plastics thanks to its “Our Texas, Our Future” commitment.

More information about H-E-B’s sustainability initiatives can be found on their website.

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

H-E-B seeks Texas' best for 10th annual high-stakes competition

ADD TO CART

For nine years, H-E-B has been a star maker. Through its annual Quest for Texas Best competition, small companies have become literal household names, filling pantries across the state. Now, a new crop of products has the chance to be crowned as the high-stakes contest seeks entries for its 10th anniversary year.

The Quest for Texas Best is taking applications now through April 6. Small business owners and entrepreneurs across the state can submit their unique and innovative products to win a combined $70,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to feature their products on H-E-B shelves.

Since the competition started almost a decade ago, H-E-B has discovered over 960 exceptional products across the Lone Star State. These have included various food and non-food items, including cookies, coffees, beauty items, toys, home goods, and even roasted crickets. The contest has awarded nearly $2 million in prize money and provided valuable marketing, mentoring, and supplemental support to its winners.

In 2022, a Lakeway-based cookie dough maker called Love and Cookies made Austin proud with a first-place prize. Other past finalists from the Austin area include GoodPop, Mmmpanadas, and Imperfekt Bites, among other Hill Country brands.

To be considered for the contest, interested suppliers and manufacturers can submit details about their products online between February 22 and April 6. After the Call for Entries period is complete, H-E-B's Business Development Managers will select the top applicants who will present their products before a panel of judges chosen by H-E-B on August 9 at Fair Park in Dallas.

The panel of judges will determine the top four winning products and award $25,000 to the Grand Prize winner, the title of "Texas Best," and placement on H-E-B store shelves. The first-place winner will receive $20,000, the second-place winner will receive $15,000, and the third-place winner will receive $10,000.

"As we continue to expand the opportunities for small businesses in Texas and diversify our supplier base through programs like Quest for Texas Best, we look forward to seeing what our fellow Texans bring to the judges' table during the 2023 competition," said James Harris, Sr. Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Supplier Diversity for H-E-B, via a release.

Courtesy of H-E-B

Peek inside Austin's first 2-story H-E-B, plus more top stories

Hot Headlines

Editor’s note: It’s that time again — time to check in with our top stories. Here are five articles that captured our collective attention over the past seven days.

1. Peek inside Austin's first 2-story H-E-B, now open. The first multi-level H-E-B in Austin, the 97,000-square-foot store celebrated its official opening on February 15.

2. 2 Austin restaurants make Texas Monthly's list of best new spots in the state. The magazine says Maie Day "might be the most unexpected steakhouse in town," and Diner Bar is a "bastion of unpredictability."

3. Legendary author's personal estate set for auction at Central Texas gallery. The auction will feature a wide range of treasures, including personal copies of the author's books and memorabilia from his Hollywood productions.

4. Austin Modern Home Tour extends to the Hill Country with spectacular 2-day showcase. Taking place on February 25 and 26, the goal of the two tours is to showcase talented architects, designers, and developers in the Central Texas area.

5. Famous LGBTQIA+ barbershop from San Francisco starts shaving in Austin. Daddy's Barbershop chose Austin for its first expansion outside of California.

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Tenacious D will play the best song in the world in Austin this fall

Spicy Meatball

America's favorite (only?) comedy rock duo is back on tour, and lucky for Austinites, they've announced the addition of three Texas dates this fall. Of course, we're talking about none other than Tenacious D, comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Glass.

The duo's Spicy Meatball Tour is currently underway this month in Europe, with newly extended dates including Houston (September 13), Grand Prairie (September 14), and Austin (September 15).

Supporting acts are yet to be announced, but tickets are on sale as of Friday, June 9, at 10 am. Fans can purchase tickets HERE.

According to a release, the tour dates come on the heels of the recently-released recorded version of Tenacious D’s viral, fan-favorite live cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game.” The single is accompanied by a video directed by longtime D collaborator Taylor Stephens, and features our dynamic duo in a glorious, romantic romp by the sea. Last month, they released their first new song in five years, “Video Games,” which has been streamed over 18 million times across all platforms in less than a month. The animated music video, created by Oney Plays, brings video game-ified versions of Black and Glass to life in classic and hilarious ways.

In addition to the single releases, Tenacious D will be the special guest at this year’s Video Game Awards, happening on June 25 at the Hollywood Bowl, where they will perform their new single.

But of course the burning question remains: Will Black perform his equally viral "Peaches" from the recent Super Mario Bros. movie? There's only one way to find out.

Full Tour Dates are below (new dates in bold font):
6/7/23 Berlin, Germany @ Zitadelle
6/8/23 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
6/10/23 Milan, Italy @ Carroponte
6/12/23 Zurich, Switzerland @ The Hall
6/13/23 Brussels, Belgium @ Forest National
6/14/23 Rotterdam, Netherlands @ Ahoy
6/16/23 London, England @ O2 Arena
6/18/23 Clisson, France @ Hellfest Open Air Festival
6/25/23 Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl (Video Game Awards)
9/6/23 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
9/7/23 Franklin, TN @ Firstbank Amphitheater
9/9/23 Indianapolis, IN @ All IN Music Festival
9/11/23 Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP
9/13/23 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
9/14/23 Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre
9/15/23 Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is ridiculous and fun at the same time

Movie Review

The Transformers series has been one marked by near universal derision by the critics and (mostly) massive box office, highlighting the divide between those who watch movies for a living and those who just go for fun. Given that history, it seemed unlikely that the latest film, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, would unite the two factions.

Like the last film, Bumblebee, Rise of the Beasts is a prequel to the Transformers films directed by Michael Bay from 2007-2017 (Bay remains as a producer). Set in 1994, it features a way-too-complicated story involving something called the Transwarp device prized by three separate groups of Transformers: The Autobots led by Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen); the Maximals, animal-esque bots led by Optimus Primal (Ron Perlman); and the Terrorbots, led by Scourge (Peter Dinklage). One guess as to which of those groups is the evil one.

Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Mirage (Pete Davidson) in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos) is a former soldier in Manhattan who can’t find a job and tries his best to take care of his sickly brother, Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez). Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback) works at a museum on Ellis Island, where she encounters an artifact with unusual markings. Through a series of unlikely but still fun events, both of them are dragged into the conflict between the Transformers, with nothing less than the fate of the universe at stake.

Directed by Steven Caple Jr. and written by a team of five writers, the film is as ridiculous as any of the previous iterations, and yet somehow it becomes the most entertaining entry yet. Some of this has to do with the human characters, who are given engaging scenes outside of the ones with Transformers, allowing them to be relatable instead of just pawns in the robot battles.

The trifecta of Transformer groups turn out to be actually interesting, rather than an excuse to fill the screen with CGI nonsense. The Autobots, as usual, are the main heroes, and with Bumblebee using movie quotes to talk and Mirage (Pete Davidson) lobbing wisecracks constantly, they’re rarely unentertaining. Having the animal-like Maximals on board gives a new dimension, and the seemingly unstoppable Scourge makes for an intimidating villain.

That’s not to say, of course, that the film doesn’t devolve into chaos on multiple occasions. Several of the battles, including the final sequence, seem designed to be almost incomprehensible. But Caple and the visual effects team appear to have understood that clarity makes for a better moviegoing experience, and so even as bedlam reigns, there’s a level of focus to the film that other films in the series have not had.

Even though his character isn’t fully fleshed out, Ramos brings a kind of streetwise energy to the role that makes him stand out. Fishback is not given as much to do, but she’s still highly enjoyable. Cullen, who’s been voicing Optimus Prime since the 1980s, is still a commanding presence, allowing Davidson, Michelle Yeoh, Perlman, and more to bring their own unique flair to their characters.

It may be a low bar to jump, but Transformers: Rise of the Beasts is the best film so far in the series, cracking the code of pairing humans with robots for a (semi)intelligible story. A late movie teaser will have fans geeking out over the future, but it’s best to enjoy this film for being as good as it is.

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Transformers: Rise of the Beasts opens in theaters on June 9.

Austin Public invites viewers to step into the studio to celebrate 50 years of public television

Austin On-screen

Public television may call to mind images of children's shows and documentaries, but the format has lots more to offer — especially if staying in touch with local culture is a priority. Austin has a strong connection to the medium, as the city with the longest continually running public access station in the country, and now it’s celebrating 50 years by naming the month of June Austin Public Television Month.

A public event on June 25 will invite viewers to stop by the Public Access Television Studio (1143 Northwestern Avenue) from noon to 4 for an open house. Visitors can explore, take interactive tours, and mingle with complimentary refreshments by the Austin Film Society (AFS), which the state-of-the-art multimedia facility on behalf of the City of Austin.

Channel 10 (formerly Austin Community Television, or ACTV; not to be confused with KLRU, or Austin PBS) can trace those 50 years back to Mt. Larson, in Westlake, where some University of Texas students “[carried] their video production equipment on their shoulders,” according to a release. With the help of community activists and members of the Texas Commission on the Arts, they started the city’s first broadcast.

This was about more than entertaining Austinites — although Austin Public has done plenty of that over its decades. It was, and still is, a platform for locals to get messages out that likely won’t be picked up by major private networks. (Think of Austin’s wacky KOOP 91.7 FM on the radio today.)

“When community television ... launched, it was the only free-speech outlet available for residents that provided a voice for traditionally underrepresented groups and perspectives unavailable within mainstream media,” said Rondella Hawkins, the City of Austin’s Telecommunications and Regulatory Affairs Officer.

“The City of Austin has continued its commitment to preserve and support the access TV channels," Hawkins continued, "to distribute the content created by the local community at the studio facility, using the state-of-the-art video production equipment.”

And even though these programs are for their viewers, they represent an irreplaceable opportunity for the people who work on them to start or continue their craft. “Leveraging these resources,” continued Hawkins, “it’s through our partnership with Austin Public to provide the training and the pathways for promising careers in the creative industry.”

Austin Public runs a paid workforce development program called Creative Careers, and broadcasts highlights on its producers. The station's many programs include lots of hosting opportunities, like on The Gene and Dave Show, which highlights the disabled experience with comedy, and in nerd-culture conversations curated by Kaiju Labs Media.

Austinites have Channel 10 to thank for attracting and developing talent like film director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused), who founded AFS, and Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, Sin City). Now in addition to that main channel, Austin Public also runs Channels 11 (for Christian programming) and 16 (for music programming).

“The history of Public Access in Austin is intrinsically tied to the growth and success of the City’s creative sector, and public access remains vital to the culturally focused expressions of a diverse city," said AFS CEO Rebecca Campbell.

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