Eating locally produced food is a key ingredient to a sustainable future. The authors of Plenty learned that while eating only food from local farmers can be rewarding and delicious, it was also exstremely difficult in our world of Magellean-like meals.  Lowcountry Local First advocates for all local businesses, and knows that true sustainabilty requires all [...]

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 [...]

I’ve been getting conflicting emails and information about Waste Industries accepting plastics #1 though #7 for recycling in the Summerville area. Being able to recycle plastics #3, 4, 5, and 6 is the Holy Grail of reclamation, and would be HUGE for our area. Plastic #7 cannot be recycled anywhere, which makes me question the [...]

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 [...]

Foam packing peanuts have protected our shipped items since the seventies, but scientists are only now realizing their impact on the environment. That’s because these protectors of all things fragile are often made from polystyrene (plastic #6), a resin that does not biodegrade, is resistant to photolysis, and has become a chief component in the [...]

*** EDIT: Down to Earth has closed *** Most artificial Christmas trees are full of bad things like PVC, so getting a real tree might be the greener option. But if you want to take it up a notch this year, Down to Earth is offering a Living Christmas Tree Program that will let your [...]

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 [...]

If you’d like to see how a local business is transforming itself into a sustainability icon, look no further than the Charleston Battery Stadium. They recently won a Sustainable Community Award, and are teaming up with The Sustanability Institute to offer a free tour of the facility. The Battery organization has done a great job [...]

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 [...]

As most of you know, buying local food is one of the best things you can do to lead a more sustainable life. Fresh food travels an average of 2000 miles to reach our plates, which means eating locally grown food can really make an impact. To bring awareness to local businesses and growers, Lowcountry [...]

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 [...]

This Sunday, October 26th, the SC Aquarium will be hosting the 5th Annual Sustainable Seafood Festival at the Charleston Maritime Center. The festival celebrates the sustainability of our local seafood, one of the many green advantages we have here in the Charleston-area. This is a great chance to have some fun AND get your green [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

A few weeks ago, Go Greener Melanie Milonas handed me a copy of Shade of Green Magazine, and I thought: how exciting it was that another piece of the local green puzzle had fallen into place! With a SMART car on its cover, the inaugural issue was off to the races. Publisher Robin Jarvis has [...]

Woohoo, save the date! The Charleston Green Fair is coming to Marion Square on September 28. The Fair will focus on promoting local green businesses and nonprofits, sharing ideas and technologies, and offering a sustainable event geared for the whole family. Brought to you by Evergreen Concepts and The Charleston City Paper, the organizers are [...]

A couple months ago, we asked our readers how they were buying local food. With oil prices at an all-time-high, cooking with locally grown food can greatly reduce your impact on the environment (and save some serious cash too!) We had 99 respondents at the time of this writing, and over 40% were shopping at [...]

I recently ran across a local blog written by Dorn Moore chronicling the construction of their green house in the Oak Terrace Preserve neighborhood of Noisette. Our Little Green House is a great example of someone using technology and a little gumption to make a positive impact on our community. We’ve finally made up our [...]