When it comes to going green, our family’s mantra has always been “Do What We Can, When We Can.” To that end, a couple weeks ago the stars aligned and guided a 2008 Toyata Prius into our lives. We couldn’t be happier.
Over the last few years, I’ve spoken with many Prius owners about the car, […]

One of our many goals around the house this year is to reduce the amount of electricity we use. We actually notice a difference in our bill when we’re vigilant about turning off the entertainment center’s power strip, but we’re sure there’s hidden power hogs elsewhere in the house.
That’s where our newly acquired Kill A […]

I just got word that the ginormous Charleston Battery solar panels are now fully operational! This means the stadium’s ecological footprint has just been greatly reduced, not to mention the positive example Tony Bakker and the organization are setting for our entire community.
If you want see how much power the panels are actually producing, check […]

I just got back from the Fossil Fools Day demonstration downtown, and I have to say that I was stoked at the amount of attention the Alliance for Planet Earth (C of C’s student-run environmental group) was able to bring to this issue. The TV stations and newspapers were all there, and heard about how […]

One of my favorite local groups, The Alliance for Planet Earth, is organizing a good old-fashioned protest against dirty power plants tomorrow. By partnering with the Energy Action Coalition, they hope to bring together local citizens in an effort to demand Santee Cooper provide cleaner energy. Here’s the details:
Alliance for Planet Earth urges you to […]

From 8-9 p.m. tonight, the Eastern Time Zone will be celebrating Earth Hour, a world wide conservation effort. Even those these ideas are kind of gimmicky, they do generate a lot of positive awareness. Australia has already gone dark, and we’ll get our chance tonight. Even Google has their lights turned off today.
So if […]

More news on the solar front: The Sustainability Institute is hosting a free solar energy workshop. Oddly there’s no infocon their website, but Bethany says:

On March 13th, 2008, from 6-8 p.m., The Sustainability Institute will host a solar energy workshop free to the general public. A special guest from Argand Energy Solutions will spearhead […]

While SC creeps along with net-metering, I thought I’d take a look at a solar technology that has positive economics today: solar hot water. Hot water heaters consume a large share of our household juice each year, so cutting the cord can have a real impact.
I contacted Solar Hot Water Works (part of Elemental Design […]

Last week, I was given an opportunity to check out the Charleston Battery’s freshly installed solar panel array (thanks Andrew!) When they announced that Argand Energy Solutions would be implementing the panels, I was stoked. This is exactly the kind of responsibly behavior we need to see from local business owners.
The array is impressive, […]

Despite the dreary weather last night, about 25 of us made it to the Charleston Alternative Energy Meetup at Huger’s Restaurant. These monthly meetings are hosted by local greenlebrity Ian Sanchez, and bring together a wide range of people interested in biodiesel, solar, wind, wave, and nuclear energy.
The meeting kicked off with a 30-minute […]

Last week, Melanie sent me a link to Santee Cooper Green, the state-owned energy company’s environmental portal. They generate and provide electricity to Berkeley, Georgetown, and Horry county residents, as well as 20 electric co-ops around the state. In fact, they provide the juice to 41% of South Carolina - a statistic that makes […]

Our good friends over at the Coastal Conservation League have just released Global Warming Guy, a light hearted take on a serious issue: global climate change. The goal of this video is to educate viewers on the issue and encourage them to follow links to CCL’s website to learn more. It’s a great […]

Last Sunday I begrudgingly unpacked and hung 8 strands of old school, incandescent lights on my hedges and trees. Sure I want LED lights, but I don’t have the cash to just replace the strands I already have. I’m thinking of buying a few LED strands to get the ball rolling, but I’ll […]

The gathering of family and food called us North for yet another Thanksgiving, and as always we backed out of our driveway thinking about the footprint this annual migration leaves. We took off with our usual milk crate for recyclables and lofty ambitions to leave a small impact - despite driving 1700 miles in […]

Ever since a Hummer began showing up in the parking lot where I work, I’ve been dying to get a shot of it next to one of the many Priuses. Well today was the day, and to make it even sweeter, a Chevy Suburban was parked on the other side forming a veritable eco-sandwich.
A photo […]

I was listening to Marketplace on public radio the other day and as part of their sustainability news series, the reporter plugged an interactive assessment tool called “Consumer Consequences” on American Public Media’s website.
Consumer Consequences will tell you how many planets it would take to support your lifestyle on a planetary scale and provide […]

It’s no secret that munching on locally grown food can greatly reduce your impact on the environment. The average U.S. meal travels 1500 miles from source to plate, which causes an unnecessarily large carbon footprint because of all the transportation. Every time you buy something grown in the Charleston-area, you are choosing to eliminate your […]

I just finished watching an awesome show on the Discovery Science Channel called “Eco-Tech.” I stumbled across the “Zero Waste” episode yesterday and queued it up to record. The content they covered was amazing…!

A company called TerraCycle has developed a system where garbage is eaten and processed by worms to make “worm poop” […]

I think the retailers at the Mount Pleasant Town Center are trying to create a micro-climate out on the sidewalks - a land where it’s always cool and dry, and energy is generated via the swiping of credit cards. This phenomenon of keeping doors open to attract shoppers is hideous, and flat out embarrassing […]

One week after I discovered that Limited Brands management was asking store employees to leave the doors open, nothing has changed. I walked by the stores on an 85° evening, and the doors were wide open again (see new photos), allowing energy-intensive cold air to spill out onto the sidewalk.
When I spoke to the […]