Back in October we blogged about Brian Sheehan, Charleston’s new sustainability director. The community was, and still is, excited to have someone focused on greening up our fair city. Well, Brian and his team have been hard at work, and are about to unleash the Charleston Business Challenge! The Green Business Challenge will help local [...]

For the last few years, the Charleston Green Committee has been working hard to keep the city focused on sustainability. Earlier this year, the Committee finalized the Charleston Green Plan (download), a comprehensive set of studies, ideas, and recommendations to improve the city’s sustainability. On Tuesday, December 15th, the Plan goes in front of the [...]

Today is National Philanthropy Day, so I thought this would be a great chance to call attention to the amazing green nonprofits that serve our local community. Whether you give your time, energy, or money to these organizations, you’re helping to keep our local community sustainable, clean, green, and efficient. Please take the time today [...]

This Saturday, October 24, is the International Day of Climate Action – a chance for communities around the world to unite behind a cause that affects us all. 350.org is facilitating over 3700 community actions in 163 countries. These actions will feature photographs of the number 350 taken in iconic locations. Why 350? Scientists say [...]

Like a lot of you, the ample supply of local water has become threaded into my family life. We play in the marsh behind our house, swim at the beach, fish in the creeks, and surf in the ocean. We love it all, and I bet you do too. That’s why we all need to [...]

The 2009 Charleston Green Fair is upon us, and I hope you’re planning on heading down to Marion Square on Sunday to revel in our community’s greeness. Last year’s event was a huge success, and all signs point to even better results this year. Please come visit the Go Green Charleston booth in the nonprofit [...]

Spring is usually the busy season for green events, but this September looks to be giving it a run for the money. There are 5 events just this week, including a Green Drinks Gathering, Green Business Networking Event, and fundraiser for Lowcountry Earth Force. This sustainable tour de force culminates with the Green Drinks Neighborhood [...]

Not only has it been a while since we’ve updated the blog (sorry, you know, summer…3 kids…2 jobs…eek!), but we have quite a backlog in local businesses/organizations to add to the Local Guide. We’ve also done some housekeeping, moving the majority of the listings to the Local Guide page. With over 150 entries and new [...]

Did you participate in Carrotmob Charleston last April? If not, here’s your chance to get a feel for the project and what it was able to accomplish. Carrotmob was organized by Green Drinks Charleston and Carolina’s Eco-Unit, and helped raise $1600 to help the Queen Street Grocery green up their building. Carrotmob is a great [...]

The Sustainability Institute has been hosting Charleston Water Week to help encourage local residents to conserve this precious resource. And since we want to help the cause, we’re featuring different water-related nonprofits that serve our local community. The Coastal Conservation League, who is celebrating their 20 year anniversary, is working hard every day to preserve [...]

The Sustainability Institute is sponsoring Charleston Water Week to increase awareness around the conservation of our most precious resource – H2O. We want to help the cause, so each day this week we are featuring a different water-related nonprofit serving our local community. Charleston Waterkeeper was founded in September 2008 to preserve and protect the [...]

The great peeps over at The Sustainability Institute are sponsoring Charleston Water Week – a week-long celebration and educational series about water-related issues facing our community and planet. Water conservation and protection is becoming more and more important as potable water supplies diminish, so I think it’s great that the extra attention is being given [...]

Zoe and I had the absolute pleasure of volunteering a few hours of our time for Fields to Families. I was introduced to this non-profit through two of Chad’s coworkers, who are on the board, and I instantly wanted to help. After looking at my schedule and capabilities, I decided helping at a booth at [...]

Buying locally is a big part of living sustainably – both for us AND our community. Lowcountry Local First is asking local residents to take the 10% Shift Pledge and start buying more from local businesses. The goal is for local businesses, organizations, and families to shift an additional 10% of their annual spending to [...]

Today was the annual Dump the Pump event presented by CARTA. As I looked at our schedule, I knew I wouldn’t be able to participate. I do want to continue to try to utilize public transportation whenever we are able. I hope their event today was an huge success, and look forward to reading their [...]

The Sustainability Institute and the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association are hosting the Atlantic Green Conference on June 19th and 20th. The 2-day event features 18 workshops covering nearly every aspect of green building. Titles include: Green Roof Systems, Advanced Lighting Solutions, Greening Historic Structures, and Green Infrastructure & LEED. The event also features keynote [...]

Cheers to Green Drinks Charleston and Carolina’s Eco-Unit for bringing Carrotmob Charleston to the Queen Street Grocery last Saturday. Over 400 shoppers showed up and spent $4870 (breaking the old Saturday record of $1400). Not only does this show the power of focused community action, but Queen Street Grocery will be spending around $1600 on [...]

Wow, Earth Day 2009 is fast approaching (April 22 – also our 2nd anniversary!), and with it comes many chances to celebrate with our green community. Here’s a quick set of links to help make your Earth Day plans: April 18 – Charleston County Earth Day Festival April 18 – Green Village Tour Run April [...]

If you’ve ever wanted to directly support the green initiatives of a local business, now’s your chance! This Saturday, April 11th, Carrotmob Charleston will be in action at Queen Street Grocery (map | street view). We often talk about “voting with our dollars” when it comes to green purchasing, but it’s often difficult to see [...]

On April 18th, The Green Village Tour will once again wind its way through the streets of North Charleston’s Park Circle neighborhood. The 8k race will begin at 8 a.m. sharp, and will end at the after party in the Mixson development. There is also a 5k walk for non-runners, so there’s no reason not [...]