Climate change is the term used to describe a trend in the overall warming of the Earth. Although the Earth goes through warming and cooling cycles on scales of hundreds of thousands of years, the current situation is concerning to scientists because the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere has been rising at an…
Category: Industry and Development
Passive solar design uses the natural energy from the sun for heating and cooling living spaces. Key aspects of passive solar include properly oriented windows, thermal mass, distribution mechanisms, and control strategies. Windows are used to collect solar energy and should face southwards for maximum solar input during the winter months and minimum input during…
During the process of gathering information for this project, Santee Cooper was asked several times for information on involuntary electricity terminations for their service area. That information was never made available. The private utilities operating within South Carolina have the information publicly available on their websites. Santee Cooper does not have a visible organizational structure,…
Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. People have an equal right to a healthy environment to live, learn, and work. Consensus can be difficult when defining shared…
The Waccamaw Indians fought for federal recognition up until 2005 when they became South Carolina’s first recognized tribe. Federal recognition honors the tribes’ inherent rights of self-government, tribal sovereignty, and they are entitled to receive federal benefits, services, and protections because of their special relationship with the United States. In June 2006, the United Nations Declaration…
Many jobs along the Grand Strand are seasonal with unemployment fluctuating as much as 4 percent between January and June. Those who work seasonal jobs must save earnings over the tourist season in order to support the household through the winter. Unfortunately, energy bills are at their highest in the winter months when unemployment is…
Proponents of offshore oil and gas exploration affirm oil spills are unlikely to happen. According to a report from British Petroleum in 2009, if a spill were to occur, adverse effects to the environment would not be expected. One year later, in 2010, Deepwater Horizon happened, a large, deep water oil spill that gushed “4.9 million…
1.2 billion people,17 percent of the global population, in the world presently live without electricity. In developing nations where incomes are low and jobs are difficult to find, there tends to be lower education achievement. A large part of has to do with lack of electricity; when the sun goes down, the books have to close. There are…
According to the Brundtland Commission report, sustainable development calls for “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Long before the report was published in 1987, Native American indigenous cultures lived by the proverb, “we have not inherited the earth from our fathers,…
Conventional solar panels are sometimes regarded as an eyesore, but there are new forms for rooftop solar. Solar shingles are building-integrated photovoltaics that are integrated into the existing design of a conventionally-shingled rooftop. Solar shingles were introduced in 2005 and have since been making ground mostly in Colorado. Household solar shingles have the ability to cut…