Barbara Brown

At the age of 12, Barbara Brown and two of her friends from 4-H founded a motor oil recycling program called Don’t Be Crude. Barbara was inspired to start the organization because she frequently saw used motor oil poured on the ground as an herbicide or insecticide. She spoke with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (formerly Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission), solicited $16,000 in donations from area businesses, and worked with several County Commissioners Courts to designate the recycling sites. Today Don’t be Crude has 19 do-it-yourself recycling centers 7 different counties and because of its efforts, 50,000 gallons of used motor oil and hydraulic fluid are recycled every year.

View Barbara Brown's video or read the transcript

Learn More

• Article about Don’t Be Crude
• Center for a New American Dream
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

• Voice & Action: Active or Passive
  
  Trustee: Barbara Brown, Amy Wong Mok, or Charles Clymer
  Grade Level: 10-12
  Time: 65 minutes
  Description: Students analyze and describe the concept of political participation.
  
  
• Issue Group Debate
  
  Trustee: Amy Wong Mok
  Grade Level: 9-12
  Time:90 minutes
  Description: Teach students about influence of interest groups in the decision making process.
  
  
• Involved for Change
  
  Trustee: Cathy Bonner, Barney Flores, or Barbara Brown
  Grade: 10-12
  Time: 90 minutes
  Description: Students will complete a biographical sketch of a local community leader.
  
  

AND if desired,
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