Samara Flores EDINBURG – The UTRGV Office for Sustainability announced its first beach cleanup to be held Saturday, March 28 in partnership with the RGV Fishing Area and Waterway Cleanups.
The Office for Sustainability said it wanted to ensure the funds responsible for ecotourism in the valley serve its purpose in keeping our beaches clean and inviting. The office also hopes to continue hosting beach cleanups regularly but faces many challenges with funding and community involvement.
Jeremey San Miguel, assistant director for sustainability programs, said resilience comes with action.
“We, like many offices here on campus, do a whole lot with a whole little,” said San Miguel. “If you care about leaving this world a little better than you found it, or if you care about having hours on engagement zone, or if you were voluntold to do it for class, this is a great opportunity to get out there and meet fellow individuals who may or may not share your passion.”
The Office for Sustainability encourages all UTRGV students, staff and faculty to involve themselves in community events to, not only maintain ecological balance, but give back to their communities as well.
“We strive to get as many people out there as possible, obviously, there is a few weeks of spring break that are going on and we’re catching the tail end of it.” said San Miguel. “We’re hoping to have about 50 to a 100 volunteers there, that is a strong number for us but those numbers are joined by the hundred to maybe thousands of people that will actually go to the beach in the 2026 year to go ensure that our valley is beautiful.”
According to the South Padre Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, over 1 million to 7 million people are expected to visit South Padre Island in 2026, with the island being a popular year-round spot.
The island serves as a popular destination for visitors from all over, outnumbering residents 1,000 to 1 which means that as popularity with the destination continues to grow, so will litter and plastic waste.
