Environmental Outreach

The Office of Community Outreach at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is committed to building successful collaborations to address the environmental, educational, and economic needs of the Coastal Bend. It has received state and national recognition for its innovative approaches to environmental education and pollution prevention. Outdoor recreational experiences such as summer kayak camps have introduced thousands of local youth to the beauty and value of our bays and estuaries in a fun, engaging way. Beach clean-up initiatives and non-source point pollution outreach has raised awareness of the negative impact trash can have on marine habitat and wildlife. Local boaters are now less likely to pump oily bilge water into our bays thanks to bilge water and waste oil recovery units developed for area marinas.

Area residents can breathe easier due to air quality improvement projects such as the AutoCheck vehicle inspection and repair program and the Clean School Bus project. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has honored Community Outreach with the “Gulf Guardian Award” for its environmental education and outreach programs. EPA also named the Pollution Prevention Partnership as a “Blue Skyways Partner” for its air quality programs.

(Notes: other awards Outreach has received include the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Environmental Excellence Award, Texas General Land Office (TGLO) Oil Spill Prevention and Response Award, Coastal Bend Bays Foundation Public Awareness Award, plus other EPA awards. The Pollution Prevention Partnership was also an integral part of Corpus Christi earning the All-America City award. If you want any more details on any of these, let me know.)