1 . Educational Videos by NCTCOG
“ Freddy the Fish Teaches About Stormwater ” ( 4 min . 28 sec .), is geared toward elementary school-age kids . The video aims to make children aware that their actions , and those of their friends and parents , can affect water quality . This complements the “ Freddy the Fish ” lessons presented by some city educators . This video was released in December 2014 .
The second video , “ Stormwater to Drinking Water ” ( 6 min . 8 sec .), is geared toward high-school students with a similar goal as the first . ( It could also be used as an introduction to stormwater education for municipal employees .) This video was released in January 2015 ; both videos are available on disc and YouTube .
2 . Stormwater Quiz Show Game
The Stormwater Quiz Show game was created in 2012 . It is an interactive question-and-answer game for group education . There is a set of pre-written questions and answers , but there is also an option to customize so that educators may tailor the experience to their audience and objectives . The Stormwater Quiz Show Game and Game Editor are available online at www . nctcog . org / envir / SEEclean / stormwater / programareas / public _ education / stormwatergame . asp .
Lawn and Garden Care
The purpose of the lawn and garden care campaigns supporting the Texas SmartScape™ program is to encourage the public ( specifically homeowners and / or landscape companies ) to use native and adapted plants in the landscape and adopt proper design , care , and maintenance techniques . Texas SmartScape plants need less water , pesticides , and fertilizers to thrive , thus reducing these pollutants from landscape runoff .
“ March Is Texas SmartScape Month ” has been identified as a Regionally Developed Initiative ( RDI ) and provides local governments with the opportunity to join others in a common goal to educate citizens on stormwater pollution prevention . SmartScape was the main focus of the FY16 work program ; the website update and push for increased social media presence carried over into FY17 .
1 . Bookmarks
The Texas SmartScape bookmarks were developed in 2003 . The bookmarks were updated in 2013 with a new layout and new photographs . Each bookmark has a photo of a SmartScape plant on the front with the Texas SmartScape website address . On the back of the bookmarks , there is a description about the environmental benefits of Texas SmartScape plants . Cooperative purchase details for the bookmarks can be found in the “ Other ” section under item 2 .
2 . Website
The Texas SmartScape website ( www . txsmartscape . com ) was developed for the North Central Texas region in 2003 and for the West Texas region in 2005 through the sponsorship of several organizations . It is an interactive how-to guide that teaches concepts of landscaping with native and adapted plants ; it also offers proper design , care , and maintenance techniques that are environmentally friendly . The most popular feature of this website is the plant search database , which helps the public select SmartScape plants that are appropriate for their yards / projects .
In early 2017 , NCTCOG completed the FY16 initiative to overhaul the website . This effort included moving the website to a new platform and web host , improvements to search functions ,
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