The Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) recognized David Yeomans, Amy Concilio, Paul Walter, Ethan Tobias, Christiane Heggelund, and a joint effort by the City of Bastrop, Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) and Lone Star Clean Fuels Alliance (LSCFA) with the 2022 Air Central Texas awards on Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, for their significant contributions to improving the region’s air quality.
About the Recipients
The City of Bastrop, Capital Area Rural Transportation System (CARTS) & Lone Star Clean Fuels Alliance (LSCFA) received the 2022 Air Central Texas Outstanding Organization Award. The three organizations coordinated the establishment of transit alternatives that blended electric taxicabs and smaller transit vehicles into an app-based on-demand micro-transit service. They used electric and fuel-efficient vehicles to provide a higher level of service to residents and visitors in Bastrop while reducing vehicle miles traveled and pollutants.
David Yeomans received the 2022 Air Central Texas Media Award for his exceptional media coverage of air quality over the past year as chief meteorologist at KXAN. David works to keep the public “Air Aware” by regularly announcing Ozone Action Days and has been a regular attendant of Clean Air Force’s annual Meteorologists Luncheon and Air Quality Professional Forum. In addition, he has interviewed air quality professionals and supported programs to increase the use of air quality sensors in schools.
Dr. Amy Concilio received the 2022 Air Central Texas Environmental Education Award for her exceptional leadership in air quality education. Dr. Concilio is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at St. Edward’s University where she teaches climate change, natural resource conservation and management, and more. She is a leader in the Environmental Science and Policy program and one of the most popular instructors at the university. As an instructor, she believes strongly in ensuring that her students understand the value of trees in reducing air pollution.
Dr. Paul Walter received the 2022 Air Central Texas Researcher Award for his findings in the field of air quality in Austin, San Antonio, and other areas of Texas. His research included ozonesonde, similar to a weather balloon but with ozone measurement tools included, launches to understand ozone formation and concentrations in the atmosphere. His research revealed the ozone concentrations at different altitudes and how ozone is transported within the atmosphere.
Ethan Tobias received the 2022 Air Aware Student Leadership Award for his role with the Office of Sustainability for St. Edwards University as an intern. Ethan is a campus leader who promotes renewable energy, the importance of trees and using public transportation to help reduce air pollution. His work has elevated Climate Justice to one of the pillars of the university’s strategic plan.
Christiane Heggelund received the 2022 Bill Gill Central Texas Air Quality Leadership Award for her long-lasting and distinguished work at the Capital Area Council of Governments. Christiane is an environmental scientist with 6+ years of supporting the CAPCOG Air Quality Program. Her work was crucial in implementing the display of CAPCOG air quality monitoring data on EPA’s AirNow platform so residents of the region could access air quality data. She performed emissions inventory work to refine and improve the data, that TCEQ and EPA use, for the CAPCOG region in the on-road, non-road, and point source categories. Heggelund was also instrumental in the writing of two EPA grants for fine particulate matter monitoring, which CAPCOG was recently awarded.
