Isabel Araiza: “If you don’t want it in your backyard, it shouldn’t be in anybody’s…”
Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Dr. Isabel Araiza knows the beauty and potential of the Coastal Bend, and the challenges created by decades of prioritizing industry over people. As one of the leaders of For the Greater Good, she works to protect the community’s health, water, and future.
The Current recently sat down with Isabel and asked her to answer five questions about her path into advocacy, the fight against the Inner Harbor desalination plant, and her vision for a thriving, sustainable Corpus Christi.
How did you first become active in environmental advocacy?
In 2016, Corpus Christi experienced a series of water boil notices, and eventually a full water ban. At the time, I wasn’t thinking of my work as strictly “environmental” – it was about something more basic: access to clean water. The city wasn’t providing essential services, and they weren’t considering how vulnerable populations would be affected. A group of us began meeting regularly to understand how our water system worked. Six months after we started, a major incident left the city without safe water, and that really galvanized us. We called ourselves For the Greater Good. Our mission was, and still is, to center people in decision-making—ensuring they have safe water, healthy surroundings, and the ability to thrive. That work has only grown since those early days.
Who is involved in For the Greater Good, and what is the group’s primary focus now?
We have a core group who are consistently active in decision-making and organizing. But our reach is much wider – hundreds of people have collected signatures, shown up to protests, or spoken during public comment. We may get a few dozen people at a general meeting, and our Facebook group has over 1,400 members, many of whom mobilize when we put out a call to action. Our work is rooted in education and community engagement. We’ve helped people learn about how our water system works, what’s at stake when it comes to industrial expansion, and how to make their voices heard. As I’ve said before, every being deserves dignity and a healthy environment, and our water in particular deserves to be treated with respect.
You’ve talked about Corpus Christi’s industrial history. How has that shaped the community?
From the beginning, our water infrastructure was built to attract industry, not to prioritize residents. People have always been secondary in that equation. Over time, that has created what’s known as a sacrifice zone – a place where the environmental and health costs of industry are accepted as the price of doing business. The effects are everywhere. Our roads are in poor condition, our schools are underfunded, and opportunities for young people are limited. We have rural communities where incomes and educational attainment are lower, and jobs often mean working in refineries or prisons. Industry looms large in the community’s imagination, but the benefits are concentrated, while the costs are spread widely. Corpus Christi is beautiful – sunrises and sunsets along Ocean Drive are breathtaking. We can have a thriving, vibrant economy without relying on an industry that makes us sick, but to do that, we have to stop starving our public institutions and start centering people’s needs over corporate profits.
You’ve been a key leader in the fight against the Inner Harbor desalination plant. Why is the fight so important?
Desalination is the most energy-intensive, resource-heavy way to get water. It produces waste brine that has to go somewhere, and often into the waters that our wildlife and communities depend on. And it’s not for us. We have enough water for residents and small businesses for the next 50 years if we adopt a real conservation plan. Industry wants desalination because it allows them to expand – and they want the public to pay for it. To try to stop the city from pursuing it, we initially launched a charter amendment campaign. We fell short of the signatures needed for the ballot – because COVID shutdowns made public spaces inaccessible – but we still gathered over 4,500 signatures from registered voters and raised awareness across the city. Some groups support desalination under certain conditions, but we are 100% opposed. I say if you don’t want it in your backyard, it shouldn’t be in anybody’s. Every person deserves a healthy environment.
What keeps you motivated in this work?
I was born here. My family’s been here for generations. I know what this place can be. We could be a city where people vacation to instead of escape from. A place with clean beaches, healthy local food, and public spaces that improve our quality of life. But when we center industry over people, we limit opportunities and degrade the very resources that make this place special. I stay motivated because I believe change is possible. We’ve already shown that community action can slow harmful projects and open people’s eyes to what’s happening. I think Corpus Christi’s mindset can and will shift. And a better future is possible if we can help make that happen.