Sustainable Greenville

The Cliffs Cottage at Furman opens its doors to the public. --------The Cliffs Cottage at Furman is Southern Living magazine's first sustainable Showcase Home and was built to Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design (LEED) certification standards and is a model of environmentally responsible design, building techniques and materials and energy-saving systems. Virtually every design element reflects the concept of environmental sustainability-inside and out.  Tickets on site are $10 for Adults, Senior Citizens (age 62 and over) $8, Children (ages 6-11) $5, and children under age 5 free (must be accompanied by an adult). Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Thursday 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. You can registar online for a tour at http://www.furmancliffscottage.com/register.

January 1 - January 31

January Community Cooperative Canvas Opening Reception with the artists, January 2, 6-9 pm. Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville is excited to announce a community art mural! The members of AGGG are calling all artists, future artists, or anyone who would just love a chance to participate in the making of a group-effort-masterpiece. AGGG is dedicating our guest artist space for the month of January to this community effort.  We wish to encourage spontaneous expression. We are offering a giant mural in the hopes of engaging those who wish to speak through creative expression; come join us! A member/Artist of the AGGG will be available for personal assistance 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sundays through out the month. No appointment is necessary, so come as you are and bring your wildest, creative ideas! As artists and members of the AGGG, we will all participate. We invite the community to join us in creating a memorable artistic experience! Children are welcome but must be accompanied by an adult. For more information visit the Artists Guild of Greenville Website for more information. 

Free Spinal Exams - 2:30-5:30 pm at Migun of Greenville. Dr. Mike of Palmetto Clinic of Chiropractic will be providing free spinal exams in January.

January 10

Make A Clean Start in the New Year  11am – noon.  Detoxification is an important part of any healthy living program. Learn the basics of herbal detoxification and secret detox foods you can find at your local market. Class held at 9 Ardmore Drive, Taylors. Contact Barbara Keeton at 268-9359 or bmkeeton@bellsouth.net to register. Your Instructor is Tessa Porter May, ND, CNHP. Tessa has practiced natural medicine for over 14 years and has a thriving consultation practice providing holistic health solutions for people all over the southeast. Cost $10

Giants of Land and Sea at the Roper Mountain Science Center from 9am to 2:30pm. Get ready for a "big event" featuring some of the biggest organisms to inhabit our planet!  Humans are the dominant life form on Earth now, but we're certainly not the biggest!  Organisms from the past reached gigantic proportions - and they weren't all dinosaurs!  The good news is that many very large plants and animals still exist.  Join us in an exploration of what it was - and is - like to "live large!" In the Darrell W. Harrison Hall of Natural Science you'll enjoy touching the bones and teeth of long-extinct animals, fish, and reptiles.  They'll have fossil displays from exhibitors near and far.  Visitors will find other giants in the hallways and the Marine and Ecology Labs.  This will provide one of many opportunities to compare human sizes to these enormous organisms.  The Sealife Theater will feature a great show about giant extinct marine animals. At 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM, in the Symmes Hall of Science auditorium everyone can enjoy a professional dinosaur puppet show that will be entertaining and educational.   Presented by Rainbow Puppet Productions of Hampton, Virginia, this show will feature an 18-foot long-necked dinosaur puppet, a 9 foot tall T-Rex puppet and songs such as "The Dinosaur Hop."

January 11

The Grand Opening of Willow Wellness Center 309 Jones Road, Taylors, SC. You are invited to a drop in at the center on Sunday from 3:00-6:00 PM.  We will introduce and demonstrate some therapies to be offered. Directions: Look for the Weeping Willow Tree. From Greenville: East North Street to Taylors area. East North will become Brushy Creek Road.  Jones Road is the 4th street on the left, 309 is the 1st house on the Right. From Greer: Brushy Creek Road, past YMCA (Taylors). Jones Road is the 2nd right. 309 is the 1st house on the right.

January 13

Detoxing, Cleansing and Weight Loss Come learn about detoxing, cleansing and weight loss at the Wild Radish at 161 Verdin Road in Greenville. 7:00pm - Free to the public

January 14

Organic Projects and Organic Community Garden presented at monthly meeting of Green Drinks Greenville at the Coffee Underground. Viviane Trama of Greenville Organic Food Organization (GOFO) will be speaking about GOFO projects, including the Community Garden. 6:00pm - Meet & Greet 6:15pm - Guest Speaker (15-ish minutes on a sustainable topic) 6:30pm - Socializing, Networking, & Discussion 7:00pm - Meeting officially over, everyone is encouraged to hang out afterwards to talk and to support Coffee Underground by partaking of their fare.

“Combining Perennials” Greater Greenville Master Gardeners LUNCHEON AND PROGRAM - Plan to savor your lunch at the Commerce Club as you and fellow gardeners enjoy Pam Beck’s timely and informative lecture on “Combining Perennials” at the GGMG Winter Luncheon. Reservations are due by Jan 7, so send your reservation form and check now, before it slips your mind in the holiday rush. For more information visit

GGMG Reservation page. 

Upstate Vegetarian Meetup 6:00pm Do you feel like the only Vegetarian in the Upstate? Well, there are at least a handful of people who are and they propose to get together and share tips on cooking, dining out, raising vegetarian kids, and dealing with the not-so-veg friendly world we live in. They will be meeting at a local Indian Restaurant. Need to be a member to get the location. Visit Upstate vegetarian meetup website for more information and become a member.

January 15

Beyond the Secret Movie A one-night event in select movie theatres nationwide. Hosted by Larry King, this Fathom exclusive kicks off the long awaited follow-up to the acclaimed film The Secret, which sold over seven million DVDs and books. Join an exclusive panel of motivational experts including Bob Proctor, Marcia Weider, Christian Simpson, Les Brown and more as they demonstrate how to apply the concepts from The Secret in real, tangible ways –including how to handle today’s turbulent economy and specific ways to improve your own life despite our nation’s financial setbacks. The discussion will then be opened to the live audience for an interactive panel discussion covering topics from wealth to faith and everything in between. Playing at 8pm at Regal Hollywood 20 – Cost $18. Visit Fandango website to purchase tickets. 

Bancroft Author Series: Evolution -- What the Fossils say and Why It Matters by Dr. Donald Prothero. 7:30pm Gunter Theatre Cost: $20 Evolution is an absorbing combination of firsthand observation, scientific discovery, and trenchant analysis. With the teaching of evolution still an issue, there couldn't be a better moment for a book clarifying the nature and value of fossil evidence. Widely recognized as a leading expert in his field, Prothero demonstrates that the transformation of life on this planet is far more awe inspiring than the narrow view of extremists. Donald R. Prothero is professor of geology at Occidental College in Los Angeles and lecturer in geobiology at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. In 1991, he received the Schuchert Award for outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40. He is the author, coauthor, editor, or coeditor of 22 books and over 200 scientific papers, and his titles for Columbia University Press are From Greenhouse to Icehouse and The Eocene-Oligocene Transition.

January 16

MLK Dream Weekend Diversity Banquet 7pm at Hyatt Regency, Greenville, SC. Tickets $60 each or $550 for table of 10. Semiformal. Menu: Grilled chicken and steak, potatoes, mixed vegetables, salad, & dessert. Vegetarian plates available upon request by calling 864-990-1060 Speaker: Les Brown, a best-selling author and radio and television personality, will deliver a high-energy message about how to shake off mediocrity and live up to your greatness. It is a message the three-term legislator has learned from his own life. His views will honor Dr. King's legacy while unifying and inspiring attendees to live up to their full potential. Visit the  website to for more info and to purchase tickets.

January 16-18, 22-25, 29-31

K2 Thursdays - Saturdays at 8pm,  Sundays at 3pm at the Warehouse Theatre. K2, the world's second tallest mountain. An icy ledge at 27,000 feet. Two climbers. One broken leg. Inadequate gear. Dimming daylight. An approaching storm. Only one possible survivor. Which climber will it be? How do the men decide? What values matter- really matter? The New York Times said of K2: "what we feel is indeed that tingling sensation of traveling beyond the rim of experience- of holding on to life at its highest peak." The New Yorker reviewer wrote: "I found it unexpectedly thrilling from start to finish." Visit The Warehouse Theatre website for more details.

January 17

Bird Club outing at Lake Conestee Nature Park.  8:00 a.m. until noon. Leader: David Kirk.  Meet at 8 a.m. in the trailhead parking lot behind the Belton Fire Department at 701 Fork Shoals Road. An area map, trail map, and directions to the Park are available on the Conestee Foundation's web site. More information about the Park and an updated bird list and monthly records can be found on the Greenville County’s Bird Club Projects page under “Lake Conestee Nature Park”.

Conestee Nature Park Prairie Restoration Project, Native Plant Rescue & Invasives Workshop: Lake Conestee Nature Park, Greenville SC. This is day 3 of the restoration project: The itinerary begins by carpooling and departing at 8:00 a.m. from the Home Depot parking lot on South Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville. For those coming from other areas and wishing to carpool, the plan is to meet at the Clock Restaurant on SC Highway 25 south just past the I-185 toll road, departing at 8:10 a.m. We shall arrive and begin rescuing plants at the Greenville County landfill at 8:30 a.m., remove plants until 11 o’clock, then have lunch at the Clock. They plan to arrive at the Conestee site at 1 o’clock and be done by mid-afternoon. For those who cannot be there in the morning, you may meet them at the Conestee site at 1:00. It should be a wonderful day and the beginning of a project that shall provide a living legacy to educate generations to come. Please sign up with Bill Sharpton, gsharpton@aol.com This is the only way they can know whom to contact if there is a change of plans, rain delay, etc. Be sure to provide a phone number!

January 17 - January 18

Cowpens National Battlefield Anniversary All day events on Saturday and Sunday with demonstrations, storytelling, marches, guided walks and films. Visit the Cowpens National Battlefield website for more details.

January 19

MLK Dream Weekend Day of Dream 9:00 am - 1:00 pm at Greenville High School. General Assembly: 9:00-9:50 am. Workshop session I: 10:00-10:50 am. Workshop session II: 11:00-11:50 am. Lunch: 12 noon-1pm. "Day of Dreams" is designed to allow the Greenville community to give reverence to the ideals of Dr. King by challenging them to adopt the same attitude of having a dream and pursuing it. "Day of Dreams" will take place on the actual date of the King holiday when kids are out of school and many adults are out of work. The day will be filled with activities that will cater to all age groups, which will inspire, motivate and encourage, but most importantly further the goal of Dr. King by motivating citizens of Greenville to set goals, dream big, remain motivated to fulfill those dreams and know that all things are possible. Those in attendance will hear from local dreamers (youth and adults) that have been successful in reaching their goals in a variety of areas. Attendees will also have the ability to attend workshop classes on a variety of topics that will help set them on a path towards a better quality of life as they pursue their dreams with purpose. In short, like Dr. King and all of his followers, together we dream bigger and achieve our dreams. DOD Adult Workshop Registration

Bonefish and The Button Tree Foundation Mountain Bridge Trout Unlimited monthly meeting at Sears Shelter at 6:30 at 100 E..Park Ave, Greenville. Spider Littleton of DK Littleton Outfitters will talk about Bonefish and The Button Tree Foundation.

January 20

"What's goin on at our Heritage Preserves" SC Native plant Society Upstate Branch monthly meeting at 7:00 p.m. - meeting in Founder's Hall at Southern Wesleyan University in Central. Topic is "What's goin on at our Heritage Preserves" and the speaker is Mary Bunch of the SCDNR. Mary Bunch manages 18 preserves in the Upstate. She will describe some of the most interesting and significant preserves in our area and explain how DNR is actively managing them to enhance or protect various plant communities and the wildlife they harbor.

January 21

Kilowatt Ours has been described as “educational, inspirational, informative and well crafted.” Follow film maker Jeff Barrie as he searches America’s cities, towns and countryside for solutions to the great energy problems of our day. Along the way you will meet power companies, schools, businesses and everyday Americans finding ways to meet our energy needs using conservation and green power. Colleen Kierman of the Sierra Club states “The best thing I have ever seen.” Please join the Sierra club at their meeting January 21st at 7:30 P.M. at the Patewood location for an exciting presentation of this important film.

January 22

Moving Forward: A review of “One County. One Future.” 5:30pm at the Greenville County Square Council Chambers. The next meeting of Imagine Greenville’s long term plan for the county. They will review the results of the last public input meeting. All are encouraged to attend. For more information visit www.greenville.com or call 864-467-7270

Reducing Carbon Footprints Spartanburg Sierra Club at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Spartanburg at 7:30 P.M.. Allyn Steele of  Wofford College and the Spartanburg Day School will speak on Reducing Carbon Footprints: Moving toward sustainability at. Hear what these institutions are doing to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the main gasses causing global warming. You will probably learn how you and the institution/s you are associated with can reduce carbon emissions also.

January 22 - January 25

The Festival of Healing and Spiritual Awareness will be held in Columbia, SC, 2009, at The Coop, 1100 Key Road.  The Festival schedule will be available shortly. More information available at A Class Act! Or by calling 864-233-3033

January 24

"Scenic River Forum"  1-3PM at Slater Rec Hall - 5 Whitney  St. in  Slater- This will be a special "SCENIC RIVER FORUM" discussion with Save Our Saluda. Three current members from two different Scenic River Advisory councils have agreed to travel to Slater to participate in this panel discussion about the Scenic Rivers program and the function of the Advisory Councils. The three guests will share their journeys in the process of seeking Scenic River designation. They will also share their management plans developed for the Broad and Lower Saluda Rivers. This meeting has been scheduled on a Saturday to allow attendance by those who have difficulty attending a week night meeting. Please share this information with your neighbors, community members, landowners along the rivers and anyone interested in protecting the watershed resources!

Cool Inflammation with Super Foods Class held at 9 Ardmore Drive, Taylors. Contact Barbara Keeton at 268-9359 or bmkeeton@bellsouth.net to register. Your Instructor is Tessa Porter May, ND, CNHP. Tessa has practiced natural medicine for over 14 years and has a thriving consultation practice providing holistic health solutions for people all over the southeast. 11:00am – noon. Cost $10

Friends of Paris Mountain State Park Annual Meeting:  All Friends members of Paris Mountain State Park are invited to our grand celebration of the things you helped to accomplish. Come at 5 pm for an evening the whole family will enjoy. Bring a salad or desert. The Friends Board Members will provide the main course. Meet at Camp Buckhorn.

January 25

The Foods They Love, Only Better- Kids' Cooking Class 2:00pm at Earth Fare Have fun at dinner time! Bring your little ones to learn how to make fun, healthy, AND yummy food. This is sure to be a great family activity. Space is limited so reserve your spot now by signing up in the store or by calling us at 864-527-4220.

January 27

Birding For Beginners 7:00pm – 8:00pm Learn the basics about the fascinating hobby of bird watching. Call 527-9293 for more information. Hughes Main Library.

5% Day to Benefit the Community Garden Project all day at Whole Foods. Four times during the year Whole Foods select a local nonprofit to receive 5% of a day's sales. We work closely with the benefiting organizations to promote each day and make it successful. This time the benefiting organization will be The Leadership Greenville/St. Francis Community Garden project. This is a collaborative initiative designed to make fresh, locally-grown produce convenient to an under-served Greenville community, while providing educational programming on nutrition, environmental sustainability and urban gardening. Money collected for this project will be used for physical development of garden, including all building and maintenance materials. Save your big grocery shopping for today and come out to help support this very deserving group!

January 29

Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting 5:30 PM TO 9:00 PM The keynote speaker for the Chamber's 120th Annual Meeting will be Betsy Fischer, executive producer of NBC's number one-rated Sunday morning public affairs program and the longest running television program in the world, Meet the Press. The evening will also feature the presentation of the Chamber's annual awards and the passing of the gavel from 2008 Chair of the Board, Jane Sosebee, to the 2009 Chairman, Tim Justice. Cost to attend the Annual Meeting is $75 for Chamber members and $135 for non-members. Table sponsors are still available (each table seats 10). For ticket or sponsorship information, contact Debbie Rheaume at 864-239-3753.

January 31

Home Gardening Design & Planning presented by Upstate School for Sustainable Agriculture. 9am – 1pm Want to save money and have healthy, fresh food for your family?  This is the workshop to help get you started early! The Basics - what to plant, when, how to plan your garden, where to buy seeds, etc.  All you will need to get started gardening successfully. Location:  Greenbrier Farms, 772 Hester Store Rd., Easley Instructor:  School Director and Founder, Jim Smith. Cost:  $35 per person. To register call Lauren McGarry at (864) 324-4901, or email: info@scsustainableag.org

Raising Bees presented by Upstate School for Sustainable Agriculture. 9am – 1pm. Come find out how to get into this wonderful occupation or hobby. Bees are essential to pollination and plant health - and provide us with that wonderful byproduct - honey! This is a how-to workshop to show you how to manage your hives with demos, resources and networking ideas. Location:  Greenbrier Farms, 772 Hester Store Rd., Easley. Instructors:  Gary Ward, member of the Piedmont Bee Keepers Association. Cost:  $35 per person. To register call Lauren McGarry at (864) 324-4901, or email: info@scsustainableag.org

Winter Greenhouse Production presented by Upstate School for Sustainable Agriculture. 9am – 1pm. What does a production greenhouse look like in the Winter?  We will cover production practices, types of crops, insect and disease management, and have a question & answer session.  Come enjoy all those beautiful plants in the middle of winter and get inspired! Location:  The Cliffs Certified Organic Farm, 520 Beaver Dam Rd,, Marietta, SC 29661 Instructors: The staff of The Cliffs Certified Organic Farm. Cost:  $35 per person. To register call Lauren McGarry at (864) 324-4901, or email: info@scsustainableag.org

February 3

Conservation Agreements: The Voluntary Protection of Land 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Carolina First Center, Greenville, SC. This conference presented by Upstate Forever will be devoted to explaining and discussing conservation agreements, one of the most popular and widely used means of protecting natural, scenic, agricultural and historic lands in the United States. It is basically a voluntary agreement by the landowner to protect his or her property, for which the owner may be able to realize significant income, estate and property tax benefits. A conservation agreement does not affect the ownership of the property and typically does not allow public access to the land. The terms are flexible and can be tailored to meet the needs and desires of the property owner, while protecting the land’s conservation values. The conference will provide information about the most dramatic improvements in the tax code for conservation in over 25 years. However, unless the law is amended, these changes apply only to transactions closed in 2006-2009. The conference will end with a panel of owners who will explain why they decided to protect their properties with conservation agreements. Whether you are a landowner, professional advisor or concerned citizen this conference will be of great interest to you. Cost: $100.00 Information: call Upstate Forever 864.250.0500 or info@upstateforever.org

February 7

Building Your Natural First Aid Kit Class held at 9 Ardmore Drive, Taylors. Contact Barbara Keeton at 268-9359 or bmkeeton@bellsouth.net to register. Your Instructor is Tessa Porter May, ND, CNHP. Tessa has practiced natural medicine for over 14 years and has a thriving consultation practice providing holistic health solutions for people all over the southeast. 11:00am – noon. Cost $10

Eighth Annual Gardening Symposium -  "What a Wonderful World of Gardening..." The Greater Greenville Master Gardeners invite you to their eighth annual gardening symposium to be held February 7, 2009, at the Carolina First Center just off  N. Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville, S.C. The day is divided into five sessions. Participants will hear three speakers in the morning and can choose between concurrent speakers for the initial after-lunch session. The symposium will present a variety of vendors offering information and an array of practical as well as decorative items for your home and garden. Included will be: plants, books, wildlife feeders, garden art, and much more! For more info visit the symposium page.

February 11

Home Energy Audits presented at monthly meeting of Green Drinks Greenville at the Coffee Underground. Todd Usher of Addison Homes will be speaking about home energy audits. 6:00pm - Meet & Greet 6:15pm - Guest Speaker (15-ish minutes on a sustainable topic) 6:30pm - Socializing, Networking, & Discussion 7:00pm - Meeting officially over, everyone is encouraged to hang out afterwards to talk and to support Coffee Underground by partaking of their fare.

February 12 -February 13

Profitable Approaches for Managing Forage-Based Operations in the 21st Century Clemson University is excited to host this conference focusing on forage-based meat and milk production. Rapidly rising input costs are squeezing conventional, commodity-oriented margins; however, there are still opportunities for profitable production. Conference speakers are experienced, farm-oriented producers and researchers. Total registration is $500 which will include detailed handouts and multiple breaks and meals. Hold your space at this conference with a $100 deposit by December 13, 2008. Please visit this web site for more information:
http://www.clemson.edu/cafls/departments/animal_vet_science/back_to_reality.html

February 14

Winter Bird Count at Table Rock State Park 8:30am – 11:30am In support of the nation-wide Great Backyard Bird Count, observations will be made at Table Rock. The information we gather will contribute to a broad study by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology of winter bird populations in North America. Participants can enjoy a morning of birdwatching as we seek out a variety of species in wooded, weedy, and wetland habitats. Visit the South Carolina State Parks website for more details.

February 17

SC Native Plant Society - Special meeting with Rudy Mancke at J. Verne Smith Technical Resource Center Auditorium, Greenville Tec Main Campus, Greenville SC at 7pm. Rudy Mancke, host of the award-winning television series NatureScene, founder of the South Carolina Association of Naturalists (SCAN), and Distinguished Lecturer in Natural History of the University of South Carolina, will speak on the fascinating interconnectedness of South Carolina’s natural world.

February 21

Healthy Eating on a Budget Class held at 9 Ardmore Drive, Taylors. Contact Barbara Keeton at 268-9359 or bmkeeton@bellsouth.net to register. Your Instructor is Tessa Porter May, ND, CNHP. Tessa has practiced natural medicine for over 14 years and has a thriving consultation practice providing holistic health solutions for people all over the southeast. 11:00am – noon. Cost $10

February 28

Conservation of Birds of Prey. A wildlife biologist from Foothills Animal Rescue will be presenting a program on the Conservation of Birds of Prey. Foothills Animal Rescue is an all volunteer nonprofit wildlife and exotic rescue group dedicated to treating injured and orphaned wild animals with the intent of returning them back to the wild. Meet at the Paris Mountain State Park Center at 10am.

March 12 -March 13

The 2009 Organic Growers School Spring Conference is March 21-22, 2009 in E. Flat Rock, NC. A Weekend of Workshops for Beginning Gardeners to Advanced Commercial Growers. Choose from over 75 classes and hands on workshops each day! Learn about all aspects of sustainable living, and network with over 1200 like-minded folks! Visit the trade show, seed and plant exchange, and attend the all new Saturday Night Social.  Topics include Gardening, Soils, Alternative Energy, Livestock, Pest Management, Herbs, Fruit Production, Sustainable Forestry, Homesteading, Commercial Farming, Cooking, Landscaping, and much more. NEW TRACK THIS YEAR: Food Preservation! Want to sponsor? Exhibit? Call Meredith at 828 450 2026 or email meredith@organicgrowersschool.org Look for registration details after the New Year online at www.organicgrowersschool.org

May 15 -May 16

Flat Out Under Pressure - Recycling Bins in downtown Greenville that behave like an outdoor Art Gallery - “Flat Out Under Pressure” is the art competition sponsored by Vantage World Travel and presented by the Metropolitan Arts Council, the City of Greenville and area businesses that will fund this great collaboration. The name Flat Out Under Pressure comes from the nature of the art competition, as area artists, both student and professional, will be challenged to create a piece of “flat” or 2-dimensional work “out” of the studio from start to finish “under pressure” within 24 hours. The Goal is to create an event providing an opportunity for artists to benefit the community of Greenville by installing “single serve” recycle bins in Downtown Greenville with art work by the artists participating in the event recreated on the bins as a type of outdoor gallery. Artists will share the space of the exteriors of the bins with area businesses that will sponsor the bins.  The businesses will receive a printed logo or message on the sides of the bins in exchange for their financial support. For more info go to the Metropolitan Arts Council. Or contact  Alan Ethridge: 864-467-3132  alan@greenvillearts.com  or Janette Wesley: 864-289-0103  janettewwesley@yahoo.com