A few times a year I travel to far off cities and speak with nonprofits about how social media can help their cause. While on the road, I always keep my green eyes peeled for interesting, innovative, and clever sustainability ideas. When I visit places like San Francisco, Portland, Vancouver, and Montreal, I always notice [...]

I like to keep things positive around here, but sometimes it helps to point out mistakes rather than successes – we learn from our mistakes too, right? One of our first columns was Weekly Trashed, which was a photographic look at poor trash disposal activity. On a recent trip to a Mount Pleasant recycling drop [...]

At this month’s Green Drinks Charleston gathering, the topic at hand will be energy efficient mortgages. Daniel Island Realty has become Charleston’s first myEnergyLoan provider, and Jeff Cole and Gary Harwyn will be on hand to speak to their benefits.  Energy efficient mortgages sound interesting, as they help bundle in sustainable add-ons to the home during [...]

Our holiday green poll ending with unsurprising results: A vast majority of Go Green readers were consuming less this holiday season as a way to increase their sustainability. In troubled economic times, it makes as much financial sense as green sense to cut the consumerism cord. But don’t cut all the way – support the [...]

Whether you’re shopping for a green friend, wanting to give green gifts, or just looking get involved locally, this post is for you. Below you’ll find green holiday ideas that are both local and sustainable. Need an alternative to wrapping paper or an organic cotton blanket? Maybe you’re looking to spend that year-end bonus on [...]

Jen and I were recently able to go green in a whole new way – by burning locally-made soy candles from A Soyful Candle Company. (thanks Melissa!) Soy candles are a natural alternative to paraffin candles, which are made from petroleum. Because they are biodegradable, they also produce less soot when burned. Making small tweaks [...]

I recently saw that Charleston Style & Design Magazine will be coordinating the building of a Green Idea Home at Battery Island Row. This event will bring together sustainability experts from the Charleston-area to show off their game and demonstrate the latest green offerings. Cool! This should be an interesting venue for our local green [...]

A big part of Go Green Charleston’s mission is to help connect the local scene in an effort to futher the cause. Today we implemented Google Friend Connect, an easy way to stay connected with your fellow Charleston greenies. Check out the Go Green Community section in the sidebar to join the fun!

Buy Local Week is upon us, and Lowcountry Local First is on the case! They are sponsoring several events this week to raise awareness around local businesses, growers, and manufacturers located here in the Lowcountry. Supporting the local community is a huge part of going green, as it reduces the carbon footprint of our purchased [...]

What do The Charleston Battery, Lowcountry Local First, and Nikki Seibert have in common? They are the visionary eco-focused local superstars being honored at the 4th Annual Sustainable Community Awards. The Sustainability Institute is throwing a huge shindig down at the South Carolina Aquarium tonight, at $35 will get you in the door. This is [...]

The great minds over at Lowcountry Environmental Education Programs (LEEP) have begun offering a great way to go green AND support the local eco-community: The Lowcountry Green Scene Coupon Book. The book contains valuable coupons for local-area green businesses, which is a great way for you to make a difference locally. Also, all of these [...]

At the heart of every local green movement you’ll find the businesses, organizations, people, growers, and movements that are making a difference. The Go Green Local Guide is a great place to look for local eco-friendly options (check the sidebar…down and to the right → ↓ ) Here are five new additions: Soyful Candle Company [...]

Halloween! I love it. The costumes, the candy, the cooler weather, the parties, the decorations and of course, carving pumpkins – a plethora of fun for all ages. Hmmm…all that spooky fun can cause a lot of consumption and waste. Chad and I found some ways to manage our haunting excesses, and I’m certain we [...]

Local businesses, organizations, people, growers, and movements are the heart and soul of every local green scene. The Go Green Local Guide is a great place to look for local eco-friendly options (check the sidebar…down and to the right → ↓ ) Here are a few new additions: Muenda Fair Trade — Amazing fair trade [...]

For a great way to keep up with the local scene, check out our Green Charleston feed over at Twitter.com. Twitter is a great way to keep track of people and organizations you care about through small, bite-sized messages called “tweets”. If you are new to Twitter and have no idea what I’m talking about, [...]

We all know how fast the area is growing, and the perpetual construction of I-26 between Summerville and Charleston is certainly a symptom. Even though traffic continues to grow, adding lanes will not solve this problem alone. Using public transportation, working remotely, moving near your office, and carpooling are all things you can do to [...]

As we stress out about our 401(k)s taking a beating due to the economic crisis, there are millions of Americans who have been living with their own personal financial crisis for years. Life below the poverty line in the richest nation in the world is a difficult reality — one that is even more challenging [...]

Getting our kids interested in sustainable living is important to us, as the good green habits they develop early in life just might stay with them. Most green activities are fun and full of science, so our boys love getting involved when they can. There are also great youth-focused organizations our there like LEEP, Lowcountry [...]

I’m still a little blown away by what went down yesterday at the 2008 Charleston Green Fair. I mean, 1st Annual? You would have thought it was the 10th annual. In short, it was an amazing event, and every volunteer, exhibitor, vendor, and Charleston resident should be proud. I had a great time talking to [...]

From 12-6 p.m. on Sunday, September 28th, the Charleston Green Fair will descend on Marion Square. The fair is bringing together green businesses, nonprofits, and programs together from around the Lowcounty for a day of environmental awareness and education. There will be food, entertainment, and activities for the whole family. Jen and I will be [...]