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Charleston County News Release

MEDIA CONTACT

Name:   Jennie Davis, Charleston County Public Information Officer

Phone: 843.958.4012

Email:   jdavis@charlestoncounty.org

Release Number: 3015

Date: May 26, 2009

See photo of EPA grant check presentation: http://www.charlestoncounty.org/NewsImages/epa.htm

Charleston County’s “Living Green” TV Show Airs This Weekend and Focuses on Marine Pollution

Viewers can watch the seventh episode of “Living Green,” Charleston County Government’s 30-minute green lifestyle TV show, on Saturday, May 30. The show airs on channel WTAT FOX 24 and My TV Charleston each month.

This month’s topic is “Marine Pollution” and will include representatives speaking about water pollution issues affecting the community, including tips on how to prevent gasoline spills when filling a boat, a discussion on pump-out stations, and information about local programs in which the public can participate to keep the area’s waterways and beaches clean.

Featured guests in the seventh episode of “Living Green” are:

• Dr. Lundie Spence, Director of the SouthEast Center for Ocean Science Education Excellence (COSEE-SE)

• Cyrus Buffum, Executive Director, Charleston Waterkeeper

• Lt. Jim Litzinger, Environmental Response Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Charleston

The County’s show is funded through a $236,498 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) grant given for Charleston County’s continuing participation in its Project Impact Partnership Program, which aims to reduce local air and water pollution through public education programs.

“The TV show is part of an extensive educational campaign that we are taking on in order to provide information and assistance to our citizens on ways to reduce pollution and improve our air and water quality in order to protect the environment for future generations,” said Carl Simmons, Charleston County’s Building Services Director who oversees the County’s Project Impact program.

The show’s host, Wendy Wicke, is the Senior Environmental Specialist and coordinator of the Charleston County CARE Program. Guests and panelists appear on the show, including experts and scientists on the local, state and national level.

In addition to the “Living Green” TV show, other educational campaigns developed through the CARE program also focus on:

• Reducing on-road diesel emissions through reduced idling, retrofits and the use of alternative fuel vehicles

• Controlling open burning

• Promoting mass transit and encouraging the use of public transportation

• Working with boaters to address marine pollution

• Other air and water pollution reduction strategies aimed at the both the general public and specific audiences

SIDEBAR: Background information on EPA’s CARE Grant and Charleston County’s Project Impact

• EPA’s award is part of EPA’s Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program, a community-based, community-driven program that builds partnerships to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources.

• Since the program was established four years ago, CARE has provided a total of $10.25 million to more than 65 communities nationwide. The Charleston County CARE project is one of just six awarded in the southeast region.

• The Charleston County’s Project Impact Partnership program was formed in 1999 with the help of a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant. There are now 172 local partnership members who focus on making the Charleston County communities more disaster resistant, including undertaking environmental improvement endeavors.

• Project partners previously conducted the Charleston Region Toxics Risk Assessment and identified particulate air pollution and ground level ozone as priority air toxics risks, and fecal coliform bacteria, petroleum product releases and trace metals as priority water pollutants in the Charleston County area. Through the CARE project, project partners aim to heighten local residents’ awareness of these air and water pollution sources and encourage actions that individuals can take to reduce pollution.

• Established in 2005, CARE is a competitive grant program that offers an innovative way for communities to organize and take action to reduce toxic pollution in their air, land and water. By joining forces, for-profit and non-profit organizations can work together to improve the environmental health of a community and its residents.

Visit the EPA CARE Web site at www.epa.gov/care or Charleston County’s Web site http://www.charlestoncounty.org/Departments/BuildingServices/care.htm to learn more about the CARE program.

To schedule a presentation on environmental quality and pollution issues, local groups can contact Charleston County Government’s Building Services Department by phone at (843) 202-6940 or by e-mail at care@charlestoncounty.org.