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
Check-in + Networking
Join us from 8:30am-9:15am for coffee, breakfast snacks and networking ahead of the event!
8:30am
9:15am
Welcome
Leslie Skardon, CEO, Sustain South Carolina
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.
10:45am
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
10:55 am
12:15 pm
Lunch
Sponsored by Parker Poe
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.
2:00pm
3:25pm
Presentation of the 2026 Ethel Bowman Bunch Sustainability Leadership Award
3:30pm
Closing + Adjourn
Leslie Skardon, CEO, Sustain South Carolina
3:30pm
Adjourn