Policy and Outreach

The Policy and Outreach section of the Center for Environmental Resource Management works to improve the quality of life of the United States and Mexico border residents. In this region, like in many others throughout the world, water and sanitation shortages are a major environmental health problem.

In El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, much of the population growth has taken place in informal settlements. These “peri-urban” communities experience lack of basic services such as potable water, sewerage infrastructure, access to health, educational facilities, etc. Throughout the years, CERM has combined research with community-based outreach efforts that develop the capacity of these communities to assess their environmental priorities and participate in the solution of their problems. Many workshops, participatory trainings and low-cost, environmentally friendly technologies have been tested in the areas of Environmental Justice, Ecological Sanitation, Safe Drinking Water, and other Environmental Health initiatives that aim to increase knowledge and reduce the risk of exposure to unhealthy conditions.