The Texan by Nature 20 (TxN 20) is an effort to recognize the best work in conservation from Texas-based businesses. It’s an opportunity to showcase innovation, commitment, and best practices from a variety of industries.
To select the 2021 TxN 20, the TxN Team evaluated submissions as well as conducted independent research across 2,000+ of Texas’ publicly traded and private companies within 12 industry sectors. All companies were evaluated on a 17-point scoring system to narrow down the list of the top 60 companies in Texas. A selection committee of top industry leaders was formed to evaluate the top 60 companies and select the final honorees for the TxN 20. Read the official press release and check out Q&A write-ups with each honoree here.
In 2021, 20 TxN 20 honorees were selected and unveiled at Texan by Nature’s annual Conservation Summit on November 3, 2021. Below is a recap of blogs highlighting the honorees that include best practices coming from the various industries.
“They [The TxN 20] are innovators, collaborators, and changemakers,” said Texan by Nature Founder, former First Lady and Laura Bush. “I encourage other companies to follow their example. Together, we can secure a future where our economy, natural resources, and communities thrive”
– read more in this article from Dallas Innovates.
Data submissions are NOW OPEN for the 2022 TxN 20 – learn more here!
Agriculture Industry Honorees: Alamo Group and Sanderson Farms
Texas leads the nation in number of farms and ranches, with 248,416 farms and ranches that cover 127 million acres, making up 73 percent of land ownership in a state that’s 95 percent privately owned. Not only do these lands provide food and fiber for the world, they also provide critical wildlife habitat and ecosystem services to the 29.1 million Texans that call the Lone Star State home. From 1997 – 2017 there was a net loss of 2.2 million acres of working lands to non-agricultural use. Texas ingenuity within the agriculture industry is helping produce more with less and increase environmental stewardship along the way.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Agriculture Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Architecture, Design, & Development Industry Honorees: HDR and The Beck Group
Valued at a 3.3 billion dollar industry in 2021, with over 5,000 architecture companies operating in the state, architects plan, design, and develop residential, institutional, recreational, commercial, and industrial buildings. At 29.1 million Texas residents, innovative, mindful, reliable, resilient, and environmentally friendly infrastructure is needed to reduce and mitigate the pressure being put on our natural resources by Texas’ growing population. Sustainable infrastructure positively impacts communities, integrates natural resources, and benefits the bottom line through cost savings.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Architecture, Design, & Development Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Construction Industry Honorees: CEMEX
Texas is America’s fifth fastest growing state, with a population of over 29 million, making construction an essential economic activity. From new and expanded roads and bridges to more airport runways, housing developments, electric power grids, pipelines, and wastewater treatment systems — construction is a part of Texans’ everyday lives. From water and energy conservation focused designs to using reclaimed and sustainably harvested materials to landscape-scale restoration projects, construction industry leaders are taking great strides to incorporate conservation into their growth.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Construction and Manufacturing Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Energy Industry Honorees: Shell Oil Company and Vistra Corp
Texas knows how to harness energy, providing more than one-fifth of U.S.’s domestically produced energy. In 2020, Texas accounted for 43% of the nation’s crude oil production, 26% of its marketed natural gas production, and produced about 28% of all U.S. wind-powered electricity. While maintaining production leadership, energy leaders are actively developing innovative new technologies that protect and conserve natural resources. From recycling and water conservation to renewable energy usage to carbon sequestration to incorporating conservation recommendations as standard practice, the energy industry is working to reduce impact while powering the world.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Energy Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Financial Services Industry Honoree: Bank of America
If Texas were an independent nation, it would have the 10th largest GDP on earth. Within this booming economy, the financial services industry takes many forms including banking, insurance, credit, lending, and real estate. An estimated 36 financial services companies from 13 countries either established or expanded operations in Texas between 2009 and 2014. Financial service leaders are dealing with more than just capital; they are actively involved in conservation, from issuing corporate green bonds to supporting the communities they operate in through volunteer efforts to sourcing renewable energy, the financial industry is banking on the environment.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Financial Services Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Food, Beverage, & Grocery Industry Honorees: Desert Door Texas Sotol, Farmer Brothers, H-E-B, and Sysco
The regional diversity of Texas produces a large variety of food and beverage products which are featured on grocery store shelves and restaurant tables across the nation. It takes effort at all points of the supply chain for environmental conservation. How do food and beverages get to your home? What are the products packaged in? Many food industry leaders are answering these questions placing priority on the environment. From reducing waste by recycling and composting to building and developing efficient infrastructure and supply chains to participating in on-the-ground conservation efforts, Texas’ food and beverage providers are working with Texans, for Texans to ensure our natural resources thrive for generations to come.
Healthcare Industry Honoree: Texas Health Resources
Nationally, the healthcare industry drives 18 percent of the total economy, and it’s that big in Texas. The population of Texas is the second largest in the U.S. at over 29 million and is expected to double by 2050. In response to a growing population, existing healthcare is expanding rapidly. The life sciences sector has a significant economic impact in Texas, with an estimated $ 32.1 billion, 135,000 jobs, and $ 3.1 billion in payroll. In North Texas alone, there are 90 hospital members in the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council that have a $14 billion impact on the economy and add 265,000 jobs statewide. Many healthcare providers are leading the way to create healthy communities by incorporating sustainability and green space within their facilities and using nature to provide both healing opportunities to patients and vital habitat for Texas’ flora and fauna.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Healthcare Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Municipal Services Industry Honorees: City of San Antonio Office of Sustainability and Waste Management
Our city’s sustainability offices and waste, water, and energy providers support over 29 million Texans with the resources they need to call Texas home. Cities and municipal service providers across Texas in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston among many others have sustainability and conservation a part of their decision making processes. From establishing climate action plans to making Lights Out Texas proclamations, to protecting and enhancing our water resources and making our cities great places to live, the municipal services industry has Texas’ natural resources top of mind while serving Texans where they live, work, worship, and play.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Municipal Services Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Retail Industry Honoree: Walmart
The retail industry is a huge driver in Texas’ economy and creates jobs in communities across the state with 28M people directly employed through retailers and 5.3M additional jobs supported by retail. With 371,000 retail establishments in the state contributing $400B in direct GDP impact, this industry supports and serves Texans from all walks of life. This industry is also serving up sustainability within their own four-walls and to their customers! From closed-loop recycling to LEED Certified buildings to renewable energy sourcing to sustainable packaging, retail leaders are creating a conservation-minded path to positively impact our future.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Retail Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Technology Industry Honorees: Dell Technologies and Texas Instruments
Texas is no stranger to technology. Before Silicon Valley, the semiconductor was invented in 1958 at Texas Instruments, and one of the largest computer companies in the world, Dell Technologies originated in Austin. Texas ranks #4 in the nation for the number of tech jobs, with many tech firms providing conservation minded solutions for their employees and customers. As of November 2021, 35 tech companies had relocated to or opened new facilities in the Austin area in 2020 alone. From repurposing and recycling old computers to promoting conservation practices such as native habitat creation on corporate campuses to investing in sustainable infrastructure and sourcing renewable energy, the technology sector is using their innovation to reduce their environmental impact.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Technology Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Transportation Industry Honorees: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and BNSF
Texas is BIG: the Lonestar State boasts the most roadway in the US at 314,000 miles of road, the largest share of rail lines at 10,400 miles of track, and 400 airports including 2 of the top 15 busiest airports in the nation. In 2020 alone, DFW Airport served 7.7 million passengers! Leaders in transportation are reducing emissions, becoming carbon-neutral, and recycling tens of thousands of tons annually. In an industry not typically synonymous with conservation, Texas transportation companies are driving sustainability advances for others to follow.
READ THIS BLOG to learn more about the Transportation Industry Honorees and best practices coming from the industry.
Learn more about the Texan by Nature 20 at www.TxN20.org