9:30am

Welcome

Leslie Skardon, CEO, Sustain South Carolina

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.

10:55am

Break

11:35 am

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

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

3:00pm

Symposium Spotlight

3:15pm

Presentation of the 2026 Ethel Bowman Bunch Sustainability Leadership Award

3:20pm

Closing

Leslie Skardon, CEO, Sustain South Carolina

3:30pm

Adjourn