Sneak Peek! A few photos from the 2023 Barton Springs University Day
View Diane Wilson's Formosa Plastics Slide Show Below
2023 Goldman Prize Winner, Diane Wilson will be our Keynote Speaker for BSU Day
We are thrilled to present Ms. Diane Wilson as our keynote speaker this year for BSU Day. She is the director and founder of Calhoun County Resource Watch and the executive director of San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper. A lifelong shrimper and fourth generation fisherwoman, she began her environmental activism after reading an Associated Press article in 1989 that listed her county—Calhoun County, Texas—as the most toxic county in the US. After watching the local fisheries collapse, she became determined to protect the region from pollution and restore the devastated marine ecosystem.
Ms. Wilson is the recipient of the esteemed 2023 Goldman Prize. The Goldman Environmental Prize honors the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists from around the world, inspiring all of us to take action to protect our planet.
In December 2019, Diane Wilson won a landmark case against Formosa Plastics, one of the world’s largest petrochemical companies, for the illegal dumping of toxic plastic waste on Texas’ Gulf Coast. The $50 million settlement is the largest award in a citizen suit against an industrial polluter in the history of the US Clean Water Act. As a part of the settlement, Formosa Plastics agreed to reach “zero-discharge” of plastic waste from its Point Comfort factory, pay penalties until discharges cease, and fund remediation of affected local wetlands, beaches, and waterways.
See her speak at BSU Day, September 19th at 9:30 am on the South Hill of Barton Springs pool.
Ms. Wilson is the recipient of the esteemed 2023 Goldman Prize. The Goldman Environmental Prize honors the achievements and leadership of grassroots environmental activists from around the world, inspiring all of us to take action to protect our planet.
In December 2019, Diane Wilson won a landmark case against Formosa Plastics, one of the world’s largest petrochemical companies, for the illegal dumping of toxic plastic waste on Texas’ Gulf Coast. The $50 million settlement is the largest award in a citizen suit against an industrial polluter in the history of the US Clean Water Act. As a part of the settlement, Formosa Plastics agreed to reach “zero-discharge” of plastic waste from its Point Comfort factory, pay penalties until discharges cease, and fund remediation of affected local wetlands, beaches, and waterways.
See her speak at BSU Day, September 19th at 9:30 am on the South Hill of Barton Springs pool.
About Barton Springs University
Barton Springs University is a year-round series of educational events and classroom presentations, highlighted by a full day of outdoor learning and fun at Barton Springs Pool on September 20th. The Barton Springs University day is designed primarily for high school students but includes college students and the general public. It features lectures, hands on activities, an interactive community fair and training by leading academics, professionals, and policy makers on central Texas water science, public policy, history and sustainable living.
Barton Springs University is produced by Save Our Springs Alliance in partnership with:
Save Barton Creek Association, City of Austin Parks & Recreation, Watershed Protection, Water Utility and Austin Resource Recovery, University of Texas’, Environmental Science Institute, Texas State University, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Texas Parks & Wildlife