After decades of collaboration and publicly launching in 2021, Sustain SC began convening our state’s leading corporate and environmental stakeholders so they could form partnerships, find common ground and create solutions that benefit both our economic and natural resource infrastructures.

Several years ago, Sustain SC members Norfolk Southern and Ecosystem Planning and Restoration (EPR) engaged in a proactive partnership to restore a stream and wetland system that stretched throughout Norfolk Southern’s Brosnan Forest.

The Board of Directors of Sustain SC, a nonprofit organization connecting the sustainability goals of business in South Carolina with local solutions, is excited to announce the appointment of Leslie Skardon as Chief Executive Officer.

Sustain SC, an economic development-driven organization connecting the sustainability goals of business in South Carolina with local solutions, is pleased to announce its 2024 Board of Directors with a new Chair and two new members.

Implementing global initiatives at the local level is no easy feat. For global companies like Michelin, moving the needle requires a multi-pronged approach, and for sustainability leaders like Kara Fulcher, it’s a very grassroots approach.

Demand for sustainable technologies is on the rise in the United States and in South Carolina. In a quest to gauge the economic impact of sustainability, Sustain SC commissioned a study led by Joseph C. Von Nessen, Ph.D., a Research Economist at the University of South Carolina.

In 2021, Sustain SC partnered with The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University to establish the Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI). The SLI focuses on developing the qualities leaders need to steer South Carolina through unprecedented changes in human and natural communities.

Demand for sustainability-related skills in the job market has increased by nearly 40% since 2015. These unique skillsets are needed in energy, manufacturing, transportation, IT, finance, insurance, health, hospitality and tourism, marketing and communications, agriculture, business services and government jobs.

Sustain SC is proud to launch the Roadmap to Sustain SC, which identifies seven key accelerators that will move South Carolina forward as a sustainable state ensuring economic prosperity and protection of our quality of life.

Incorporating a clean energy mix into South Carolina’s infrastructure has become a cross-sector priority. In recent years, South Carolina has seen more than $9 billion in capital investments in the EV industry. This is an industry that crosses political boundaries as it provides both environmental and economic benefits and signifies the arrival of the sustainable revolution in the state.

Global companies like Coca-Cola Consolidated are harnessing the economic opportunity in South Carolina and helping build the circular economy by capturing plastic waste. In March 2023, Sustain SC and Coca-Cola Consolidated installed a Litter Gitter on the University of South Carolina’s campus.

In 2022, Sustain SC launched the Land and Water Action Platform (LWAP), a new conservation platform dedicated to protecting South Carolina's precious natural resources.

Sustain SC is proactively responding to the ever-increasing demands for the organization to facilitate the advancement of sustainability in South Carolina with key hires. Today, Sustain SC welcomes Dr. Cynthia Davis as Senior Vice President and announces a nationwide search for CEO.

Sustain SC and The Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities at Furman University are proud to announce the 2023-2024 class of Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI) fellows. It’s the third SLI class since the program’s 2021 launch in partnership between Sustain SC and the Furman University Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities. The new class of 26 participants will meet for the first time next month, marking the beginning of this program cycle, which spans eight months from October to April.

In partnership with our member organizations, partners, and generous sponsors, Sustain SC hosted an Energy Forum on May 3, 2023. The Sustain SC Energy Forum brought together a cross-sector of stakeholders to address best practices and procedures, as well as discussions on how clean energy is revolutionizing the economy, and what the future holds for energy in South Carolina.

Sustain SC is proud to announce the graduation of the second class of Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI) fellows. On Friday, all 25 participants accepted their certificate of completion in Columbia.

As the 2022-2023 Sustainability Leadership Initiative (SLI) class concluded this spring, those part of the second class are reflecting on what it means to be a SLI Fellow. April Donnelly and Alex Sturgis are part of the exclusive group of sustainability leaders who now share a unique bond in more ways than one.

“It’s up to your generation.” I’ve heard these words hundreds of times from adults admitting they’ve ignored the problems of climate change for their entire lives. They’ll leave the conversation on a light note when they say they’re not worried, “The future is in good hands.”

If you live here, you already know the Palmetto State is beautiful … and growing quickly. This legislative session we have a unique opportunity to make big decisions that could shape South Carolina for decades to come. Striking a healthy balance between economic development and sustainability will be paramount.

Trying to save the world is often a thankless job, but Ingevity’s recent efforts have been noticed in a big way. The company was recently recognized on Newsweek Magazine’s list of America’s Most Responsible Companies 2023.