HOUSTON – Who knew learning about oysters could be so interesting?
This Earth Day, Houston Life’s host, Derrick Shore, and crew visited Tommy’s Restaurant Oyster Bar, or Tommy’s for short, in Clear Lake to uncover how oyster shells play a vital role in protecting the beautiful Galveston Bay ecosystem.
Before the cameras started filming, the experts around us shared many fascinating facts about oysters. Did you know they have a mouth and a heart? We certainly didn’t! Check out the video below as Shore shares his newfound oyster knowledge. Feel free to share any hard-shell facts you know in the comments!
From Galveston Bay to your plate
We chatted with the owner of Tommy’s, Tom Tollett, about his inspiration to start an oyster shell recycling program in collaboration with the Galveston Bay Foundation in 2011. Instead of tossing oyster shells into a landfill, Tollett had a brilliant idea of recycling them back into the bay to improve the health of our waterways. Today, Tommy’s and thirty-eight other restaurants participate in this eco-friendly movement.
Want to learn more about this incredible program? Just press play in the video below.
If you’re a restaurateur serving oysters and interested in the program, visit galvbay.org/oysters.
From the table to the Bay
After our conversation with Tollett and the President of the Galveston Bay Foundation, Bob Stokes, we headed to a secret location where we witnessed the collected 200 tons of shells basking and purifying in the sun to remove any bacteria before being lovingly returned to the bay. Meet the dedicated crew working tirelessly to collect and prepare these shells in the video below!
Visit galvbay.org on how you can help make a difference for Galveston Bay—one oyster shell at a time.
The Galveston Bay Foundation’s oyster shell recycling initiative is part of the Galveston Bay Estuary Program (GBEP) series, raising awareness of the conservation efforts to protect our local bays, bayous, and estuaries for future generations. These initiatives are made possible by the support of GBEP through funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Thanks to generous funding from GBEP, TCEQ, and the U.S. EPA, this partnership with the Environmental Institute of Houston (EIH) at the University of Houston-Clear Lake is paving the way for a sustainable and healthier future.
Check out some of the programs we featured on ‘Houston Life.’
🌊 Keep Houston waterways healthy at Trash Bash 2025
💚 Reviving Houston’s bayous: Inside the restoration project making the city greener