Furman Greenbelt Sustainable Living Community

By Charlotte Moore

A few weeks ago, my family and I took a trip to New York City.  While we were there, we visited the Guggenheim Museum, where we were lucky to experience the “Countryside, The Future” exhibit that told the stories of rural innovations across the globe.  One of these particularly struck me: the Dutch concept of pixel farming. As a member of a peculiar subset of the human family who happens to adore math, I was struck by its attempt to combine Cartesian models with agriculture.

So, what is pixel farming?  Simply put, it is a solution to the problems created by agricultural monocultures.  When one crop is grown across thousands of neighboring acres, it creates more than a handful of problems.  The single crop attracts only a few species of insects, and thus pesticides and insecticides must be used. The crop depletes the soil, and the area’s biodiversity decays rapidly.  Cultivating these massive plots contributes to CO2 emissions and both air and water pollution.  

Pixel farming combats all these adverse effects.  A pixel farm looks like exactly what it sounds like: a grid of pixels, each representing a different crop.  At Campus Almwerk, the world’s first pixel farm, in the Netherlands, the nine-hectare farm is divided into 2 foot-by-2 foot plots.  Each plot is planted with a different crop, and its placement in the field is deliberately considered through analysis of other nearby crops and their root systems, soil preferences, and growth patterns.  The arrangement of plots is designed to test how the intimate proximity of different crops affects the crops’ interaction and the ecological balance of the farm.

And it has had drastic results.  Campus Almwerk has seen an increase in biodiversity and a 50% increase in crop yield.  The variety of crops attracts a diverse insect population that eliminates the need for insecticides, reducing the farm’s contribution to water pollution.  Planting similar crops apart from one another has also dramatically dampened the spread of disease among crop varieties. All these benefits lead to only one natural conclusion: is this the future of agriculture?

What is even more interesting and revolutionary about Campus Almwerk is its digitization.  The plots are planted, weeded, and harvested by an autonomous robot that controls the entire process.  Through onboard data analytics, it can adapt plots as needed. Additionally, the robot allows local consumers who have bought a plot to view their crops like a real-time, real-life version of FarmVille.

Although I find pixel farming incredibly fascinating and am interested in seeing how it affects farming going forward, I can’t help but wonder how it is affecting humankind’s relationship with the natural world.  On one hand, pixel farming appears to be a return to the sporadic nature of wild plant growth. After all, it is increasing variety and biodiversity and reducing the ecological impact of the farm. However, it also appears to be a meticulous attempt to control nature, to force it to work for humans instead of allowing it to act of its own volition, removing its surprises and spontaneity.  Maybe that’s not a bad thing, or maybe it is. I suppose it’s for humanity as a whole to decide. Going forward, how are we going to change our natural world? More importantly, will we allow it to change us?

 

 

Engwerda, Jan. “Pixel Farming: ‘Plots’ of 10 by 10 Centimeters.” Future Farming, Future Farming, 3 Feb. 2020.

Koekkoek, Arend. Pixel Farming: Farming in a digital era. July 2018. PowerPoint Presentation.

“Rem Koolhaas and AMO Explore Radical Change in the World’s Nonurban Territories in the Guggenheim Exhibition Countryside, The Future.”  Guggenheim Museum, February 2020.

Ryan Singer

Butterflies are essential insects as both predator and prey within the food chain. Bats and birds rely on the adult butterflies as well as caterpillars as a food source. Butterflies eat a variety of plants and nectar. Besides being food for other animals, the butterfly eats a variety of insects. As a caterpillar, they eat aphids. They are important components of a thriving ecosystem.

Pollinating flowers, especially red or yellow ones with a strong scent, is an important role that butterflies play within the ecosystem. Several plant species rely on the butterfly for pollination, like milkweed. Pollen collects on the body as the butterfly is feeding on nectar and is transferred from plant to plant as it moves from flower to flower.

Scientists monitor butterflies as indicators of climate change. Certain butterflies have shifted their distribution further north and to higher elevations as a result of an increase in temperature. Declining populations as a result of climate change, affects birds, other insects, and small mammals when they lose their food source and must eat less desirable or less available species. In addition to indicating climate change, butterflies are sensitive to habitat destruction and can be an indicator of the future effects of habitat loss on other animals.

We as a society can accommodate the butterfly’s habitat loss by creating gardens within our own yards to attract butterflies. Providing sunny areas for butterflies to warm up and bask and a shallow water source such as a birdbath will help combat the loss of natural habitats. The following list of plants is an excellent selection of butterfly attractors.

Butterfly bush, Phlox, Bluestar, Coneflower, Pot Marigolds, Black-Eyed Susan, Blazing Star, Heliotrope, Lavender, Swamp Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Flossflower, Chocolate Cosmos, Agapanthus, Aster, Salvia, Sea Holly, Hollyhocks, Sunflower, Sedum, Goldenrod, Allium, Joe-Pye Weed, Cardinal Flower, Penta, and Lantana.

Planting a variety of these in several locations throughout your yard will encourage butterflies to move in permanently. They need nectar as well as warmth and room to fly. Research the planting zone you live in and use native species that provide food for the caterpillar stage of its life cycle. If you do not have a yard, window boxes or potted plants on a patio will still provide butterflies a place to thrive. Even leaving fallen fruit on the ground or on top of the compost heap will provide butterflies with the necessary sugar they crave in late summer.

Leave an area of the yard “wild” to provide larvae with the grasses and weeds they need to grow. Furthermore, avoid pesticides that are harmful to butterflies. Plants bought from the garden center may also have been treated. Try to buy organic plants instead. Create a shelter for butterflies by planting larger leaf species such as trees and shrubs. When the weather turns from sunny to stormy, they will have a place to hide.

Landscaping with native plants is a sustainable practice that requires fewer resources. Native plants are better adapted to their climate and are natural hosts to butterflies. Butterfly gardens provide colorful flowers that draw the interest of humans which result is a greater awareness of the environment and a better understanding of our role in preserving natural habitats.

 

Sources:

https://sciencing.com/plants-animals-germany-6775765.html

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/flowers/butterfly-garden-flowers-pictures

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/gardeners-guide-to-butterflies.html

https://homeguides.sfgate.com/benefits-butterfly-gardens-environment-50693.html

          

 

This is a solstice wreath that I created with my mother using wire, several pieces of silver ribbon, and natural leaves and branches collected from my backyard. The main foundation of the wreath is made of evergreen branches, a flora which represents the everlasting life of the earth. The ‘garnish’ interspersed around the wreath is a mix of holly and oak leaves representing fertility and wisdom, respectively, and at the bottom tied with silver ribbon is some rosemary for remembrance and home.

The purpose of the solstice wreath, which is a part of many pagan belief systems and ancient indigenous traditions, is to honor the cycle of light and darkness that dictates the seasons and to celebrate life, family, and the giving nature of the earth. I created it, and chose to create it with my family (my mom), to represent how our values and our aesthetic can reflect a positive view of the earth as a giver and make art more sustainable. Because it serves a spiritual function as well as an aesthetic one it is not a materialist or consumerist piece but a functional artistic expression. In addition, a wreath is often hung on the front door of a home and in that way it represents values of family and natural harmony over individualism and fabricated aestheticism. Even the shape is reminiscent of sustainable values; of a closed, waste-less economy, the Raworth doughnut, a feedback loop, arms looped in a hug, our earth.

Addison Smith

In 2015, the United Nations along with 193 nations welcomed the Sustainable Development Goals. Pope Francis, Nobel Peace Laureate Malala, and superstar Shakira came to the UN and pleaded for a world free from poverty, inequality, and climate change. Their emotional speeches and songs struck excitement around the world, as hope emerged from this agreement. By 2030, these goals, to name a few, seek to eliminate poverty and hunger, promote quality education for all, and eradicate the effects of climate change. However, after the agreement was signed, many argued that the goals were too idealistic or too unrealistic; others argued that these goals did not go far enough. We are now five years into the agreement– is the world on track to eradicate poverty, hunger, and climate change by 2030? Does the SDG excitement still exist? The answers to these questions are ambiguous, as the world is on track to accomplish some goals, while extremely behind in attempting to accomplish others. However, holistically, the world is not on track to accomplish the SDGs. We must take decisive action to change our course.

Michael Green, an economist and CEO of Social Progress Imperative, forecasts the world’s progress towards these goals based on economic modeling. According to his predictions, there is only one country in the world that is projected to accomplish all 17 goals—Denmark (The Future). It is worrisome to think that 193 nations signed an agreement, but only one signer is projected to accomplish the outlined goals. According to Green, based on the current track, the world will not accomplish the 17 SDG targets until 2094— that is 64 years after 2030 (The Future). What is the world doing? Did these 193 nations actually expect to accomplish these goals? If so, it clear that the world must change its trajectory.

According to the SDG tracker, the world is progressing in terms of eradicating hunger, providing accessible healthcare, and providing clean water and sanitation. In fact, the world could accomplish ninety percent of these three areas by 2030 (“SDG Tracker”). Green argues that if the world could change its trajectory, these three SDGs could be accomplished completely. However, he makes it clear that the world is not progressing towards the SDGs pertaining to inclusiveness and gender equality. In fact, he says that the world is actually declining. According to the SDG tracker, the percentage of domestic violence has increased worldwide; the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community has increased, and number of childhood marriages has increased (“SDG Tracker). The SDGs are grounded in the idea that no one is left behind. The world cannot not choose some SDGs to target while neglecting others. If no one is going to be left behind, the world must works towards all of the SDGs.

It is evident that if the world expects to meet its projected goals, or even get close by 2030, the current trajectory must improve. It is time to realign the world’s investment in the SDGs. The large, powerful nations must first set the example. The G7 countries are considered the seven richest nations in the world, and, unfortunately, they are all failing to accomplish the outlined goals. They have the resources to eradicate poverty, inequality, and climate change in their nations, yet they are not investing the necessary time or money to hold up their end of the bargain. How can developing nations be expected to meet the SDGs, when the most economically powerful countries in the world are failing to do so?

Ultimately, the 193 nations that agreed to the SDGs must do better. We must rekindle the excitement and enthusiasm that we had in 2015. We CAN accomplish these goals. We CAN eradicate poverty, hunger, inequality, and climate change. Frankly, time is running out; we HAVE to accomplish these goals. Our world depends it—our livelihood depends on it.

Citations:

“About the SDG Tracker – SDG Tracker.” Our World in Data. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2020.

The Future: The Global Goals We’ve Made Progress On– and the Ones We Haven’t. Perf. Michael Green. TED. TED, Sept. 2018. Web. 01 Mar. 2020.

“Sustainable Development Goals.:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform.” United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 01 Mar. 2020.

 

Ethan Gallagher

1/31/2020

This past year, I got to travel to Nashville for a school event, and one of the places on our itinerary was the city’s music city center. With this beautiful architectural piece being “1.2 million square feet” (nashvillemusiccitycenter.com) and home to many unique art pieces that would make an art gallery in and of itself, the awe-inspiring building does not stop at that. More impressively, this building “has been awarded LEED¬Æ Gold certification for New Construction by the U.S. Green Building Council and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system is a globally recognized symbol of excellence in green buildings” (nashvillemusiccitycenter.com). This impressive accomplishment is not only a huge deal for architecture but for the sustainability community and environmentalists. 

As we dug more and more into this building throughout the day, I saw a lot of aspects that really made this building stand out and live up to its LEED Gold certification. One of the really impressive parts of the building was the green roof which “is the largest in the Southeastern United States, is composed of 14 types of vegetation which slow rainwater runoff and direct it to a 360,000-gallon collection tank. Harvested rainwater is used to flush over 500 toilets and irrigate outdoor landscaping. The vegetated roof also cools the exhibit hall below and the air around it, reducing HVAC loads and initial equipment size” (clarkconstruction.com). This had to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen in a building. I had never seen anything remotely like it before.

                                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a part of this certification, we were told that this certification recognizes five key areas of environmental health being, “sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality” (nashvillemusiccitycenter.com). With these accomplishments, the facility is able to save a lot of money on resources and do so by creating as little of a carbon footprint as possible. Some other key pieces to this are that the building is successful in, “Reducing portable water use by using high-efficiency flush and low-plumbing fixtures, implementing LED fixtures to promote interior lighting energy savings […] using low-emitting materials for adhesives, sealants, paints, coatings, flooring products, and composite wood products and furniture, and using recycled content in materials (Zork).

Along with the LEED Gold Certification, the Nashville Music City Center has also been Eat REAL Certified, a member of Corporate Sustainability Roundtable, Get Food Smart, Nashville’s Food Waste Initiative, and is a recipient of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award (nashvillemusiccitycenter.com). This stop on our trip was definitely my favorite, and it is so inspiring to see a highly successful center of such a large size achieve these outstanding sustainability goals. Being that I want to one day pursue commercial real estate and development, this initiative inspires me to reach the same goals in future projects across the U.S. I hope to see the success of this building start a trend for developers to start in many cities around the world, and help produce a more green and eco-friendly city environment.

 

Sources:

 

“Creating Noteworthy Experiences.” Nashvillemusiccitycenter.com, www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com/.

“Music City Center Earns LEED Gold Certification.” Music City Center Earns LEED Gold Certification | Clark Construction, 22 July 2011, www.clarkconstruction.com/news/music-city-center-earns-leed-gold-certification.

Zork, Condy. “Nashville’s Bridgestone Tower Achieves LEED Gold (USGBC Tennessee).” U.S. Green Building Council, 8 Jan. 2019, www.usgbc.org/articles/nashville%E2%80%99s-bridgestone-tower-achieves-leed-gold-usgbc-tennessee. 

Pictures from www.nashvillemusiccitycenter.com as well as my own

Rebecca Hearn

YouTube creator MrBeast, from North Carolina, started a sustainability campaign. #TeamTrees has the goal to plant 20 million trees by 2020. I have been a long-time viewer of MrBeast, and his content is always over the top. His videos involve large amounts of money and usually some type of giveaway or crazy challenge to win a car. The premise of his channel is simple and unique. He produces entertaining content on a large scale. When he posted his video titled “Planting 20,000,000 Trees, My Biggest Project Ever!” I was shocked. There is a lot of talk about how young people have to take control of the future and become environmental activists to save the planet. There is limited discourse or variety on how youth can actually participate in climate action. Creating a lack of hope in youth leads to less political activism. I have become aware of this by living in the Greenbelt and in the way that we approach climate change because of how different it is from negativity seen elsewhere.

MrBeast, on the other hand, is anything but negative. He goes through the nasty statistics but, the majority of his video is about him, his friends, and the community he brought together having a really good time planting trees. He also incorporated the correct planting habits into his video. A few weeks ago, the Greenbelt class planted two trees on campus as part of our Arbor Day celebration. A big part of this planting project was a focus on planting the trees correctly. Our instructor, Kyle Stackis, from Trees Upstate explained proper planting procedure and how people don’t know the proper procedure. In the video you can see MrBeast and his friends put into practice the proper planting procedures that we had just learned about on campus. Not only were they having a good time, but they were demonstrating the effective and correct ways to go about this particular activism.

It was fascinating to see a huge social media star, with over 25 million subscribers, use his platform to spread an environmental campaign . Because he acted, a whole new group of people have been exposed and educated on environmental issues and been provided with a positive way to act.

So, what is happening as a result of this? MrBeast used the video to announce his #TeamTrees campaign. A campaign, in association with the Arbor Day Foundation, to plant 20 million trees by 2020. It has a simple approach: 1 dollar = 1 tree. As of today, November 7^th, 2019, the donation count is at 14,224,186 trees. If you go to teamtrees.org you can see the live count. If you scroll farther down, they are offering merch, additional resources, and a donation feed. If you go to the “most trees” tab you can see the top donations. It becomes clear that this is much larger than YouTube. The top donor with 1,000,001 trees is Tobi Lutke, the CEO of Shopify. The second top donor is Elon Musk, technology entrepreneur and CEO of Telsa, SpaceX, and more. These big names are able to show their support for environmental action and it builds MrBeast reputation as a “larger than the platform” YouTuber.

Mark Rober also shows up in the video. He seems like a normal everyday guy, and then he explains that he is a former NASA engineer who helped put the Curiosity rover on Mars. Wow. He made an informative video for the #TeamTrees campaign that helped explain why we should even be planting trees. He explains the topic in a fun, approachable, and consumable way. I didn’t even have an answer for “why trees?”. Sure, more oxygen?? But I really didn’t know why. You can watch the video for a more eloquent and visual explanation, but the short version is that trees store carbon. We plant more trees and we have more carbon storage. Trees are our carbon sink. If we plant trees and focus on doing it correctly, we get big, healthy trees. The bigger the tree, the more carbon they can store. A big issue of climate change is the amount of carbon in our atmosphere. More trees, less carbon.

I wanted to talk about the #TeamTrees campaign for a couple of reason. First, because of the Greenbelt. We just spent a whole class planting trees. It feels like effective activism, even though our trees are small now. There is a sense that we planted the trees together, had a good time, and did it correctly. There is this sense of planting something that will be around for a long  time, maybe even longer than you will be. It felt like I was a part of #TeamTrees, that I was creating long lasting change, and walking the talk, and creating my own form of personal empowerment. The second reason I wanted to talk about this was because of my fascination with culture, specifically micro cultures like social media and YouTube. I tried my best to explain the background and the significance of what this meant for YouTube culture. As a viewer and someone interested in environmentalism, I was inspired to see this community, specifically MrBeast, do something bigger than any of them individually. They used their platform for good. Most of the time when I see people do this, they don’t make it true to their content or to themselves and the “call to action” fails. That wasn’t the case with MrBeast, the video was interesting, fun, lighthearted, informative, and, ultimately, effective. So many big names have come together and made a real effect to educate people or show their support through videos and donations. The campaign ultimately gives me a hope, hope for activism, hope for YouTube, and hope for our future.

 

Sources:

MrBeast’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPJKxAhLw5I&t=260s

Mark Rober’s Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7nJBFjKqAY&t=672s

#TeamTrees: https://teamtrees.org/

Trees Upstate: https://www.treesupstate.org/

more sources:

Nowak, D. J., & Crane, D. E. (2002). Carbon storage and sequestration by urban trees in the USA. Environmental Pollution, 116(3), 381-389.

O’Brien, K., Selboe, E., & Hayward, B. M. (2018). Exploring youth activism on climate change: Dutiful, disruptive, and dangerous dissent. Ecology and Society, 23(3), 42.

Addison Smith

I find it astounding that according to the World Health Organization, 4.2 million people die every year as a result of unsafe air pollution, and 91% of people live in places where air quality exceeds the World Health’s safety standards. I find it even more astounding that there 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean. The worst part about these astonishing statistics: they are completely preventable.

We have created a culture of convenience and one time usage; it is killing our world. For example, we use plastic water bottles, plastic straws, and plastic bags one time. First, the production of these items release harmful pollutants in the air that create smog and cause lung disease such as asthma, emphysema, and even cancer. After we use these items, they end up in our rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans, which cause detrimental health effects in humans, animals, and ecosystems.

While our circumstances look quite grim, there are new, promising innovations that are drastically decreasing these harmful air pollutants. For example, Daan Roosegaarde created the Smog Free Tower in 2015. This tower is much like a vacuum cleaner: it takes in unclean air, and through an ionization process, it then releases clean air back into the environment. “It can clean 30,000 cubic meters of air every hour, and it can suck in up to 70% of PM10, which are tiny pollutants that lodge in our lungs,” according to ENS Clean Air. These towers stand around 23 feet tall, and cost $54,000. They are meant to clean small spaces, like public parks and other public spaces. I believe that these vacuum towers are the keys to the future of clean air, as they have been extremely successful in large cities like Beijing and Tianjin. Now, it is time for our government to prioritize clean air and create incentives for businesses and other institutions to invest in these towers.

In the ocean, the situation seems even more grim. However, Ocean Cleanup, an organization dedicated to cleaning our water sources, has created a passive cleaning system. It is considered a passive system because it does not rely on any external forces. In fact, it relies on natural forces such as solar, wind, and current powers. These natural forces along with an anchor collect large amounts of pollutants and concentrate them in one physical location. Then, a vessel goes into the system and removes the trash, much like a typical garbage truck. According to Ocean Cleanup, this system has the capacity to remove up to 50% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in just five years!

These innovations are promising, and I am beyond thankful for these wonderful inventors because they very well might save us. However, as consumers, we cannot simply rely on the next innovation to save us. As previously mentioned, we have the capacity to prevent much of our water and air pollutants. It is time to create a culture that prioritizes our world over mere convenience.

Sources:

“Air Pollution.” World Health Organization, World Health Organization, 24 Sept. 2019, www.who.int/airpollution/en/.

“New Positive Results for the Smog Free Tower.” ENS Clean Air, 6 Aug. 2018, www.ens-cleanair.com/en/new-positive-results-for-the-smog-free-tower/.

“Oceans.” The Ocean Cleanup, 2016, theoceancleanup.com/oceans/.

Staff, Ng. “Ocean Trash: 5.25 Trillion Pieces and Counting, but Big Questions Remain.” National Geographic, 29 Nov. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/1/150109-oceans-plastic-sea-trash-science-marine-debris/.

 

 

Ethan Gallagher

Often when thinking about protein in our daily diets, the first things that come to mind are chicken and beef. While these are the traditional ways that we often get our protein, it comes with a big environmental cost that has a much better alternative.

That alternative is crickets! While you may be thinking that there is no way that this could be a potential supplement for protein and that it would be gross to eat, let me explain.

To start, crickets have double the protein then beef does, it contains more calcium than milk, and it has more vitamin B12 than salmon or beef. On a sustainable side, crickets grow 13 times faster than do cows, they require 2000 times less land than livestock and require 2000 times less water than cows do. To put that in perspective, it takes 2000 gallons of water for a cow to produce 1 pound of beef. For crickets, it only takes them 1 gallon of water to produce the same amount of protein as 1 pound of beef. Also, cows give off around 100 times more greenhouse gas then crickets do, and also cows require 10 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of beef, whereas crickets only require 1.7 pounds. Not to mention, only 40% of a cow is used as consumed meat, whereas 100% of the crickets are used by being dried and ground up, leaving around 80% of its original body weight. There is no waste!

This form of obtaining protein is relatively new in the past few years and hasn’t really been able to develop for many years. With this industry still developing, there is still much room for how crickets are harvested and how this process can be done as cost-efficiently as possible.

There are various companies taking advantage of this emerging food trend, such as Crik and Chirps. Chirps was a company started by three college students that discovered the value of cricket protein and began making products such as cricket protein powders, baked good mixes, and there most popular, cricket chips. Chirps have been featured on Shark Tank, successfully making a deal with Mark Cuban, and also is on Forbes 30 under 30.

While this industry is still in its beginning stages, there has been much progress made, and surely there should be a larger future market for this source of protein as it is more sustainable, nutritious, and delicious!

 

Sources:

“Chips Made with Cricket Flour – As Seen on Shark Tank.” Chirps Chips, eatchirps.com/.

Knapp, Alex. “Farming The Next Big Food Source: Crickets.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 30 Jan. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2018/01/30/farming-the-next-big-food-source-crickets/#355910fa1168.

“Why Cricket Protein?” CRIK Nutrition, criknutrition.com/pages/why-cricket-protein-powder.

Charlotte Moore

Anyone who has recently driven along Interstate 85 from Greenville to Atlanta or Charlotte knows how frustrating traveling through Upstate South Carolina is.  Construction, coupled with the sheer volume of traffic on the roads, has the potential to more than double the duration of any trip.

Even more concerning than the additional travel time for your weekend getaway, however, is the impact of this heavy traffic on the environment.  With weak (although improving!) public transportation in Greenville County and the surrounding areas, the Upstate suffers from severe automobile dependence.  The automobile is simply more convenient for most residents, so Greenville citizens pile into their cars and commute to work, travel across the state, or simply zip a mile or two down the road to the grocery store.  This is something I see quite often even on Furman’s campus, where students will hop in their car to go anywhere, even to simply drive to class. Although the car’s reliability may be convenient, it has some major drawbacks, including increased traffic and the obvious CO2 emissions.  Altogether, single-passenger cars are the opposite of sustainable transportation, defined by the Geography of Transport Systems as “the capacity to support the mobility needs of a society in a manner that is the least [damaging] to the environment and does not impair the mobility needs of future generations.”

 

Luckily, a solution may be coming to Upstate South Carolina in the near future.  In mid-October 2019, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Railroad Administration publicized their three proposals for a light rail system running between Charlotte and Atlanta.  The fastest and most expensive of the three options could make the trip in just two hours, half the time it takes to travel between the cities by car. More importantly, light rail transportation systems produce 62% less in greenhouse gas emissions per

passenger mile than the average single occupancy vehicle, meaning that the adoption of such a light rail system could significantly reduce the impact of travel in the Upstate on the atmosphere.

However, only one of the three options proposed utilizes existing railway.  According to the Federal Transit Administration, the construction of new fixed rail transit facilities “normally have significant effects on the environment.”  These influences are detailed in the Environmental Impact Statement, and include impacts on air quality, noise pollution, wildlife, parklands and recreation areas, water resources, and biological resources. 

It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the construction of a high-speed railway would have on the Interstate 85 corridor.  The project is not yet definite, nor is it fully funded. Nevertheless, such an initiative could have a major impact on the development of sustainable transportation in the Upstate.

 

 

“Atlanta to Charlotte Passenger Rail Corridor Investment Plan.” Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Department of Transportation, Mar. 2019, www.dot.ga.gov/InvestSmart/Rail/Documents/Atl-Char/05-Affected%20Environment.pdf.

Cavallaro, Gabe. “3 Options for High-Speed Rail Route That Could Connect Greenville to Atlanta, Charlotte.” The Greenville News, The Greenville News, 23 Oct. 2019, www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/2019/10/23/multi-billion-dollar-rail-could-connect-greenville-atlanta-charlotte/4052926002/?fbclid=IwAR37cnyxCg-v9vTozW9N48ciUcXqIjk49GJft3efwlMpUPo7gtGVUwU1fLY.

Rodrigue, Jean-Paul. “Transport and Sustainability.” The Geography of Transport Systems, 18 Aug. 2019, transportgeography.org/?page_id=5725. 

“Transit’s Role in Environmental Sustainability.” Federal Transit Administration, United States Department of Transportation, 9 May 2016, www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-guidance/environmental-programs/transit-environmental-sustainability/transit-role.