The 5th Annual Sustainability Symposium

October 22nd at Central Energy | 8:30 am — 3:30 pm
2030 Gregg Street
Columbia, SC

AGENDA

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Doors Open

8:00am

Check-in + Networking Hour

Join us from 8:30am-9:30am for coffee, breakfast and networking ahead of the event!

8:30am

9:30am

Welcome

Leslie Skardon, CEO, Sustain South Carolina

Sustain SC Impact Highlight: Land and Water Action Platform

9:30am

9:45am

Panel Discussion

Conservation as an Economic Lever for South Carolina Communities: Key Insights from Florence County

This panel will bring together key stakeholders to reflect on how Florence County’s conservation movement took shape, the goals driving it today and the collaborative model that’s protecting the region’s natural and cultural assets. It will also highlight lessons and strategies that can help scale and replicate similar conservation efforts in counties across South Carolina. It will include representatives from land trusts, Florence County and conservation organizations.

Moderator

Helen Rogers, Open Space Institute

Panelists

Kevin Yokim, Florence County Administrator

Harry Lesense, Darla Moore Foundation

Dan Rummel, ArborOne Farm Credit

10:50am

10-Minute Break

Keynote Address + Fireside Chat

The Economic and Conservation Power of South Carolina’s Working Lands

This keynote and fireside chat will explore the national and state landscape for working lands, highlighting how their preservation strengthens our economy, supports rural communities and serves as a core conservation and sustainability strategy. The discussion will underscore the need for a statewide coalition of industry, conservation and community partners to drive economic growth, expand renewable material markets, support workforce and infrastructure needs, and reinforce the resilience of South Carolina’s supply chain.

Keynote Speaker

Robert Bonnie, Founder of Sage Agronomics and former USDA Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment

Fireside Chat Moderator

Sole Peresin, Ph.D., Director of Clemson University’s Wood Utilization and Design Institute

Fireside Chat Participant

Matt Holt, Ph.D., Dean of Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences

11:05 am

12:30 pm

Lunch Hour

1:30 pm

Panel Discussion

Managing the Load: Balancing the Data Center Industry Expansion and Our Natural Resources in South Carolina

This panel will bring together key stakeholders to create a shared understanding about the emerging data center industry's use of natural resources and how to balance this with protecting and sustaining our state's natural resources. This panel will include and build upon outcomes from Sustain SC's summer workshop. Panelists will include representatives from multiple sectors including the data center industry, economic development and conservation.