On Sat. April 11, one deserving company is expected to see a lot of cabbage in Charleston’s inaugural Carrotmob. Green Drinks Charleston has presented a challenge to local business owners to go green, and the winner will be rewarded with a flood of environmentally responsible visitors in the form of a Carrotmob.

“Think of it as the opposite of a boycott with a little healthy competition thrown in the mix,” says Jason Cronen, organizer of Green Drinks Charleston.

Cronen contacted locally owned coffee shops, corner markets, groceries, and bars and asked them to put a percentage of their one-day sales to reinvesting in energy-efficient retrofits for their business.

“The business that makes the greatest commitment wins, and hundreds of Carrotmob consumers deliver rewards by shopping at their store,” he says.

The Carrotmob is expected to help businesses make a positive impact on the community and earn loyalty from the consumer. To learn more about the Carrotmob, visit www.carrotmobcharleston.blogspot.com. -Emma Hart

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“Think of it as the opposite of a boycott with a little healthy competition thrown in the mix,” says Jason Cronen, organizer of Green Drinks Charleston.

Carrotmob allows consumers to make a difference with the environment by buying normal things in a targeted way and also allows consumers to control businesses with their buying power, he says.

Cronen contacted locally owned coffee shops, corner markets, groceries, and bars. “These businesses were asked to determine a percentage of their one-day sales that they were willing to reinvest in their business towards energy efficiency through simple cost-effective retrofits. The business that makes the greatest commitment wins, and hundreds of Carrotmob consumers deliver rewards by shopping at their store,” he says.

The Carrotmob in Charleston is expected to help businesses make a positive impact on the community and earn loyalty from the consumer. To learn more about the Carrotmob visit www.carrotmobcharleston.blogspot.com. -Emma Hart
By Greg Hambrick

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Homeowners now have a new way to receive reduced closing-costs and lower interest rates for energy-efficient homes.

Daniel Island Mortage is the nations first local provider of myEnergyLoan. myEnergyLoan provides discounted mortage rates to customers based on how “green” the project rates.

Daniel Island Mortage is teaming up with several local contractors to provide these “green” mortages. Hunley Waters, Battery Island Row and Mixson have all added the company as the preferred lender for their sustainable developments here in Charleston.

Those developments alone represent over $400 million in projected sustainable developments in the Charleston market.

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The Horry County Solid Waste Authority’s largest customer, the city of Myrtle Beach, declined Tuesday to back the agency’s bid for control of where trash is dumped in the county.

At stake, some people say, is nothing less than their business.

Tim Lee, one of the owners of Lee Disposal Services, which has a recycling center in Myrtle Beach, told city leaders that if the waste agency gains control, “it would put us out of business.”
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The solid waste agency owns the landfill facility on S.C. 90, and if it controls the flow of waste, it could mandate that all solid refuse is taken there. It could send some haulers to other landfills, but many feel that’s not likely.

“They call it flow control, but I call it a monopoly,” Myrtle Beach resident Birgit Darby told the council.

Lee said the deal he has worked out with the Marion County landfill for his recycling materials allows him to make a profit while benefiting the community and the environment.

Even with a discount the solid waste agency says it would offer, he said, his recycling business would become a losing proposition.

But the waste authority says the dumping fees it charges fund its recycling and education programs, and that’s why it has requested control.

The five council members present passed a motion at the afternoon meeting saying the waste authority had not sufficiently made its case proving why it should dictate where solid waste goes. Mayor John Rhodes and Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Gray were absent.

The Horry County Council already has voted in favor of the waste agency twice, and must give one more vote of approval before the deal is done.

“Regardless of what we say, it appears the county is going to pass the third reading of this,” Councilwoman Susan Grissom Means said.

County Councilman Marion Foxworth said it’s a complicated issue because most members of the County Council have an array of reasons for supporting the agency’s request, including that most of the county’s cities have endorsed it.

“But they are the biggest customer, so it’s something to consider,” he said, “but I don’t know if it will have a big impact.”

Foxworth said he supports the agency having control “based on what I know and have seen over the last 20 years. We’ve based our revenue on property tax, and we’ve had very few other revenue streams. We slipped in with the hospitality tax, but the General Assembly acts very quickly to close the window. With the assembly cutting off property taxes and with local governments facing fiscal crises as we are, it would be almost foolish not to nail down that potential revenue source.”

Foxworth said he and his colleagues don’t want to put anyone out of business, but there are always unintended consequences to government decisions.

“Anything we do has impact,” he said. “The needs of the many outweigh the wishes of the few. We’re trying to provide governmental goods and services, and this affects our ability to do that.”

In other business Tuesday, the Myrtle Beach City Council agreed to issue up to $625,000 in bonds to replace a heating-and-cooling system at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and build a staircase next to the escalator in the center’s main entry hall, because when the escalator is closed for repairs, there’s no convenient way to reach the second floor. The bond money will also pay for some repairs on the swimming pool at Pepper Geddings Recreation Center.

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1. South Carolina joins states’ push to recycle electronics South Carolina joined an increasing number of states Thursday when...

A Boston company that helped New York City develop a plan to address climate change has been hired for similar work in Charleston.

At Mayor Joe Riley’s direction, Charleston has been working on a plan for local action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for climate change, and now the Coastal Conservation League has agreed to pay as much as $660,000 to hire the national consulting firm Serrafix to further that effort.

“We proposed doing it in Charleston because Charleston is interested in doing it, and it’s a scale we can deal with,” said Megan Desrosiers of the Coastal Conservation League. “The goal of this is to capture what is lost, and turn it into something that can stimulate the economy.”

In other words, instead of throwing money away on energy that’s wasted because of factors such as poor insulation or inefficient air-conditioning systems, spend that money on job-creating efficiency improvements that reduce energy needs and energy costs.

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by Airman 1st Class Melissa White
437th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

2/27/2009 – CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) — According to recent reports from Air Mobility Command officials, Charleston AFB is currently leading the way for reduction in energy consumption in AMC.

Mandated by federal Executive Order 13423, the Air Force and all federal agencies are required to reduce energy consumption annually by 3 percent for electric and 2 percent for water based off of a 2003 baseline, or the total amount of energy consumed in 2003. All federal agencies should have reached a minimum of 30 percent reduction of electricity and 16 percent of water between its start in 2005 until fiscal year 2015.

With only two months into the year, Charleston personnel already have decreased electric consumption by 13.7 percent and water consumption by 2 percent for 2009. In 2008, base personnel reduced electric consumption by 30.6 percent. They also reduced it by 32.9 percent in 2007.

The base’s energy conservation team has several programs and initiatives already completed or in progress to help minimize the total energy consumption.

First, 70 percent of the taxiways on base already have LED, or light-emitting diode, lights in place to replace the incandescent lights that were there. All taxiways are programmed to have all lights changed to LEDs by fiscal 2011.

“Converting to LED lights will promote energy savings and they’re also easier to maintain with a better reliability than incandescent lights,” said Jeff Morgan, 437th Civil Engineer Squadron base energy manager. “They also have about five to six times the longevity of incandescent bulbs.”

LED lights also were put to use in another location besides the flightline. The traffic lights and pedestrian crossing lights by the front gate also have been converted from incandescent lights to LEDs. The estimated savings per year from this change alone is estimated to be $5,700.

During September, October and November of 2008, members of the 437 CES helped decrease energy consumption and costs by finding another way to eliminate incandescent lights. As part of Operation Change Out — a voluntary U.S. Department of Energy program encouraging the replacement of incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones — 1,243 fluorescent bulbs were issued and placed in the base’s military family housing units and dormitories. The energy savings from this program during a three-year period is estimated to be $37,000.

Aside from dealing with light bulbs, another energy-saving measure involves installing new heating, ventilation and air conditioning units throughout the base. There are currently four HVAC installation projects taking place at different facilities where old, outdated, inefficient heating and cooling equipment is being replaced with new, energy-efficient equipment and controls.

“The controls for these four new systems will be at one centralized location so we can control them by turning them off overnight or for a weekend, promoting some more energy savings for the base,” said Mr. Morgan.

There also are plans in the future for replacing geothermal heat pumps located in military family housing with conventional HVAC systems. This will result in an increase of both electric and water conservation.

In addition to new, energy-efficient equipment being installed on the base, Charleston officials also take a proactive role in finding ways to promote energy conservation by meeting quarterly with the Energy Management Steering Group. Base officials also remind Airmen that if they see anything needlessly consuming energy, like a leaky faucet, or a street light staying on throughout the day, to report it to the 437 CES help desk.

“We want Airmen take on the mindset that they’re paying for it out of their own pocket … turn off the light when you leave the office or unplug that space heater,” said Mr. Morgan. “They don’t realize just how much little things add up, but the average monthly electric bill for the base is more than $300,000.”

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Charleston, SC – Electric wall outlets to save energy was the grand prize winner in the New Ideas for a New Carolina business ideas contest, which were announced February 11 at the ThinkTEC Innovation Summit in Charleston. Mike Switzer of Richland County won the grand prize with his idea of installing electric wall outlets in new construction and replacement markets that would eliminate wasted energy. Essentially, if an appliance isn’t in use the outlet would shut off. Switzer won $5,000 seed money, a scholarship to FastTrac entrepreneurial training programs and access to a Dream Team of Mentors to help cultivate his idea.
“We are so pleased to support South Carolina’s up and coming entrepreneurs and their innovative business ideas again this year,” said Bill Mahoney, CEO of SCRA. “SC Launch is proud to be associated with the New Ideas contestants– and we are eager to see them succeed and help build an even stronger knowledge base in South Carolina.”
Winners were chosen in four categories based on the idea’s viability, innovation/vision and profit/revenue potential. There was also a Wildcard category chosen by co-owner of the Charleston RiverDogs Baseball team and “Director of Fun”, comedian Bill Murray and Mike Veeck, President of the RiverDogs. Each category winner received $2,500 to cultivate their idea and a scholarship to FastTrac. The honorable mentions in each category received $1,000.

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HARDEEVILLE, S.C. – December 12, 2008 – (RealEstateRama) – Tradition Hilton Head, a 5,300-acre, master-planned, sustainable green community, has joined with the Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority to provide the water utility’s first water reuse service for residential irrigation here.

While BJWSA has been a leader in reusing reclaimed water for irrigation of commercial areas and golf courses, Tradition Hilton Head is its first residential reuse project. BJWSA will supply reclaimed water for all of Tradition Hilton Head’s irrigation needs, including residential lots, common areas, landscaped medians and the community’s 18-hole Tradition National Golf Club.

“We are excited to join with Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority in this green and environmentally friendly initiative, which exemplifies Tradition Hilton Head’s efforts and commitment to being sustainable and green,” said Bob Swift, General Manager of Tradition Hilton Head.

“Our parent company, Core Communities, has a long and distinguished history of reclaiming water for irrigation of public green areas and golf courses as a significant way to conserve water,” Swift said. “Tradition Hilton Head reuses not only collected storm water runoff for irrigation but also water recovered from BJWSA’s treatment plant – water that has been treated to standards that allows safe reuse.

“Essentially, treated water from BJWSA will supplement the storm water runoff we collect at Tradition Hilton Head,” he said, noting that reclaimed rainwater is used for irrigating residential lots, public green spaces and Tradition National Golf Club, in addition to keeping lakes and lagoons filled.

The Tradition irrigation system is not only a BJWSA first, but the first system of its type in South Carolina, according to BJWSA. In the hot, humid Lowcountry climate, irrigation causes a huge increase in water usage during the summer months, and water reuse for residential irrigation is a significant step forward in using an alternative water source and reducing the peak demand on our drinking water system, BJWSA officials said.

For many years, BJWSA has been providing treated wastewater to golf courses for much needed irrigation – a win-win solution for this water-hungry industry. BJWSA serves 12 golf courses overall.

About:
Tradition Hilton Head is a 5,300-acre master-planned community in Hardeeville, S.C., just west of Hilton Head Island. Started in 2007 and planned for more than 9,000 residences to be built over the next 15 years. The community is committed to sustainable development and has already received nationwide recognition for its commitment to this purpose. It has voluntarily embraced numerous environmental mandates and was selected as the site of the first HGTV “Green Home.” The community will feature a variety of neighborhoods and housing styles along with shopping, dining, services and recreation facilities in its own charming village. Tradition Hilton Head is located at 3171 Independence Boulevard, Hardeeville, S.C., 29927. For more information, call (866) 459-1422 or visit on the internet www.traditionhh.com.

This article is brought to you by the good people of S.C. real estate rama.

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