Charleston City Paper: Digs - October 2022

Dig it!

EDITOR and PUBLISHER

Andy Brack CONTRIBUTOR

Chelsea Grinstead, Rūta Smith

Toni Reale STAFF

Published by City Paper Publishing, LLC

Members: J. Edward Bell | Andrew C. Brack

Views expressed in Charleston City Paper cover the spectrum and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Charleston City Paper takes no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.

© 2022. All content is copyrighted and the property of City Paper Publishing, LLC. Material may not be reproduced without permission.

Proud member of the Association of Alternative Newsmedia and the South Carolina Press Association.

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES:

sales@charlestoncitypaper.com

For staff email addresses, visit us online.

SALES

Advertising Director: Cris Temples

Account team: Kristin Byars, Ashley Frantz, Gregg Van Leuven, Melissa Veal

National ad sales: VMG Advertising

DESIGN

Art Director: Scott Suchy

Art team: Dela O’Callaghan, Christina Bailey

DISTRIBUTION

Circulation team: Chris Glenn, Robert Hogg, Stephen Jenkins, David Lampley, Spencer Martin, John Melnick, Tashana Remsburg

How to get it right when planting trees

From Staff Reports

Trees are virtually everywhere you turn, from your own backyard to nearby parks and forests where you enjoy hiking. They provide shade and beauty, and some even bear fruit. Beyond all the imme diate benefits, you may be surprised to discover trees are also a critical key to the future.

These facts and tips from the book Now is the Time for Trees offer practical insight on the importance of trees and how to nur ture one from selection to planting and beyond.

A compelling and ever-growing body of evidence generated by scientists, health care professionals, conservationists, humani tarians and both public and private corporations supports the critical importance of trees and their impact on the human condi tion. Trees filter pollutants out of the air and water and provide protection for people and communities from dangerous heat and flooding. They lower urban temperatures, reduce energy bills and sequester carbon to slow the rate of climate change.

When you plant a tree in your yard or neighborhood, that tree goes to work filtering out pollutants, intercepting stormwater and capturing carbon. With proper placement, that tree can also help lower household energy use by as much as 20%.

You can engage in the tree planting movement and make a dif ference by planting trees around your home and surrounding com munity with these tips.

Consider where the tree will grow

Choosing a tree that will flourish in your growing region is fun damental to becoming a successful tree planter. Start by get ting familiar with the growing conditions of your planting site, including factors like sunlight, soil condition and room to grow.

The amount of available sunlight at your planting location will determine which tree species will be successful. Most trees require full sunlight for proper growth and flowering. Some do well in (or even prefer) partial or light shade, but few perform well in dense shade.

Before you plant, get your soil tested for $6 through the Clemson Agricultural Service to evaluate what’s happening underground. Test results, which are usually returned in a couple of weeks, provide a complete analysis of nutrients, possible contamination and pH (alka linity or acidity), as well as directions for correcting problems.

Be conscious of overhead or underground utilities, pavement, buildings, other trees, traffic intersections and other factors that may impact your planting space.

Shopping for a tree

When choosing which kind of tree to plant, be conscious of details like size, flowering, color (including how colors may vary through the seasons) and your view from inside the house. While shopping, you can rely on plant labels to learn details about a tree’s growth pattern, sun requirements, watering needs and soil requirements.

Two common styles of trees are container-grown trees, which spend their entire nursery lives growing in a container, and ball-and-

Make sure you plant trees on sites where they can thrive.

burlap trees, which grow in the ground until they achieve a targeted size.

A well-tended container-grown tree has been care fully monitored and moved into larger containers as the plant grows. Be wary of a tree with roots that circle or twist within the container, which may cause roots to die. For a ball-and-burlap tree, look for a firm, securely tied root ball that is large enough to support the mature tree; it should be about 10-12 inches wide for every inch of trunk diameter.

Preparing your planting site

Properly preparing your planting site is one of the best things you can do to get your tree off to a strong start. Before you plant, make sure your tree is thoroughly hydrated by watering the container or root ball several hours before proceeding. When planting a tree into a lawn, remove a circle of grass at least 3 feet in diameter where the tree will go to reduce competition between turf and fine tree roots.

To get started, dig a broad, shallow planting hole with gently sloping sides 3-4 times wider than the diameter of the root mass and the same depth. Mound removed soil on a tarp for easy backfilling. Loosening the soil on the sides of the hole allows roots to easily expand and establish faster, but don’t disturb soil at the bottom of the hole.

Once the tree is positioned, replace the soil while firmly but gently tamping the original soil around the base of the root ball to stabilize it. Create a waterholding basin around the tree by building up a ring of soil and water to settle roots. Spread protective mulch 2-4 inches deep in a 3-foot diameter around the base of the tree, but not touching the trunk.

• Find more tips to successfully plant and care for your trees at arborday.org.

A handy guide for planting trees

A rally cry against climate change, Now is the Time for Trees is an inspirational and informative guide that explains the important role trees can play in preserving the environment.

Author Dan Lambe, CEO of the Arbor Day Foundation, offers compelling reasons to plant more trees while providing simple, actionable steps to get involved, choose the right tree and achieve planting success. For each book sold, the foundation will plant a tree in a forest in need.

• Pick up a copy wherever books are sold or visit arborday.org/TimeforTreesBook.

From backyards to tropical rainforests, trees provide the necessities of life. Trees clean air and water, provide habitats for wildlife, connect communities and support human health.

• Trees are a proven affordable, natural way to pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

• Trees filter water and slow storm surge and flooding in cities.

• Trees provide shade, cooling cities by up to 10 degrees, which can help prevent heat-related deaths.

• Neighborhood trees can reduce stress, improve overall health in children and encourage physical activity.

• Trees support wildlife and aquatic life by providing habitats and helping keep waterways healthy, which ensures ecosystem balance and promotes biodiversity.

• Trees and other forest life work together to ensure a clean source of drinking water, buffer against extreme weather, provide medicines, offer outdoor recreation and enrich human culture.

Family Features contributed to this story.

Goodman shines as local leader, speaker and stylist

By Chelsea Grinstead

The welcome mat outside Sunshine Bella Goodman’s front door in North Charleston says, “Check yo energy before you come in my shit” — a fitting introduction to a woman who is the president of the Alliance for Full Acceptance.

The sun streamed in slats of light through the blinds on the living room windows as she sat barefoot in her purple armchair. The apart ment decor is elegant yet understated like Goodman herself.

The Charleston native has many trades up her sleeve: fashion and hair styling, per sonal training and empower ment speaking. Goodman said she realized that college wasn’t for her, and when she moved from Virginia back to Charleston in 2005, she eventu ally pursued an apprenticeship at a local salon instead.

After earning her hair care specialist license, she opened a salon in 2011 in West Ashley, Celebritimage Studio. It has since relocated to a small studio in North Charleston that caters to brides and special event styling. Her goal is to one day own her own building with a styling closet and photography space as a full service studio.

“When I started in the beauty industry is when I started to experiment with my look,” Goodman told City Paper. “In 2019, I went on vacation, and I had a tarot reading. And with the first card that she flipped over, she said, ‘Why do you allow people to refer to you as he if you prefer she?’ ”

Being who she is

The very next morning as she was doing her makeup, she recalled how she gave herself permission to be who she truly was inside.

“Growing up, I didn’t have the language that we have now,” she said. “My parents weren’t able to nurture me as a queer child.

Goodman is president of the Alliance for Full Acceptance.

Chelsea Grinstead

They didn’t know what that was. Anything that I may have thought got tucked away.

“I believe that when you come here to this earth you know who you are, and life happens to derail you. And as you get older, you start to discover things. You come back to the knowledge and wisdom that you have. Like, ‘Oh, this feels right.’ And that’s what that moment was for me.”

In January 2020, she started her transition with hor mone replacement therapy. Her journey was in the public eye, and she realized how much she loved caring for others, showing them — through her own resilience — what it looks like to succeed as your authentic self.

“Transitioning was a complete roller-coaster,” Goodman said. “It affects you mentally, not necessarily in a nega tive way — it’s like your brain is waking up. Looking in the mirror, you’re wanting to look like how you feel on the inside instantly and that doesn’t happen [right away].”

Goodman quickly became more involved in her commu nity, and she sat on a panel for Black Women Who Vote in February of that year. In turn, that opened the door for her to become more familiar with local humanitarian causes.

“It was just having the support of my community and having the support of my family and friends that really made [transitioning] a lot easier,” she said. “They put me in the position to be a leader in the community, and I cherish it. And it’s opening me up to all these things that were already inside of me.”

She became the first Black transgender president of Alliance for Full Acceptance sin July of this year. AFFA is a local nonprofit organization launched in 1998 centered around empowering LGBTQ+ individuals.

“I know what this organization can be and what I see for it,” Goodman said. “When I was growing up, my father was always telling me, ‘You’re a leader.’ So I thought, ‘Well, why not?’ And I put my name in the hat and the board voted for me to be president.”

AFFA specializes in advocacy and social program ming, such as discussion groups for BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals. AFFA also secures small grants for other youth-oriented nonprofits and offers diversity and inclu

sion training certification.

In June 2021, Goodman founded Sunshine Bella Global to house her personal brand and create content that encour ages people to be their authentic selves and approach their sexuality from a place of acceptance and truth.

These days no matter the challenge that’s in front of her, for Goodman, the integral force behind her drive is influence.

“Having money is great and the money will come, but get ting myself to an elevated level of influence — where I can say, ‘Hey, go and tell this person that I sent you,’ and you get what you need — out of everything that I’ve done, it’s all so I can reach back and make it easier for someone else.”

Checking her energy

A self-described movie buff, Goodman’s favorite pastime is curling up with a good film. When she chose her apart ment three years ago, one of the most important aspects for her was natural light, and her living room is certainly flooded with it.

“I consider this my chakra room,” Goodman said of her living room. “Every color in here coordinates with all the chakra colors. I want people to feel calm as they come from outside — like my mat says outside, ‘Check yo energy.’ ”

From the purple armchairs and bright yellow couch to the shocking red corner seat and burning orange footstool to the green and blue accents — all of the chakra colors are accounted for.

An array of paintings hung above her couch reflects her respect for Black and queer artists and a love for a visual style that nods to pop art. One of her favorite pieces is a painting that includes the late trans icon and liberation activist Marsha P. Johnson, a New York City leader in the 1969 Stonewall uprising.

“As a Black trans woman, it’s important for me to have her here. I always want to have that representation,” Goodman said.There is a lot to look at in Goodman’s home.

THE LOWDOWN ON SUNSHINE GOODMAN

Age: 36.

Birthplace: Charleston, S.C.

Education: Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia.

Current profession: Image consultant/speaker.

Past professions of interest: “As a child, I wanted to be an art teacher.”

Something people would be surprised to learn about you: “I’ve had eight teeth removed. This includes four wisdom teeth.”

Favorite thing to do outside of work: Eat snacks and watch movies.

Your passion: “Empowering, motivating and encouraging people to live their most authentic lives.”

Favorite food to eat: Chicken wings.

Favorite food to cook: Any type of chicken or pasta.

Favorite cocktail or beverage: “I don’t have a favorite. But I prefer fruity drinks.”

Five foods you always need in your refrigerator: Kraft cheese, sliced turkey, salad mix, Texas toast, chicken.

Three people (alive or dead) you’d like to dine with: Prince, Lil’ Kim and Oprah.

What meal would you want served to you for your last supper: Fried chicken wings, collard greens, yams, mac and cheese, limas beans with smoked turkey, white rice and cornbread.

Something that you have too much of at home: Clothes lol.

Hobbies: “What’s that?”

Secret vice: “I love cold M&Ms.”

Guilty pleasure: “Eating ice cream… I’m lactose intolerant.”

Favorite musicians: Patti LaBelle, Lauren Hill and Prince.

Pet peeve: “People who lie or communicate poorly.”

Philosophy: “Everything is working in your favor, even when it looks as though it’s not.”

Your advice for better living: “Pray and/or mediate. A few minutes of alone time each day makes a world of difference in your mental health.”

Your advice for someone new to Charleston: “Get out and explore the city. Do not be confined to the four walls of your home. There are plenty of beautiful places to see.”

Art pieces fill Goodman’s home.

Rūta Smith

Protecting coastal habitats can mitigate impacts of tropical storms

By Toni Reale, special to Digs

As Hurricane Ian whipped through the Lowcountry as a Category 1 storm, many wondered with two months left of hur ricane season whether this would be the first of many more. Scientists can’t predict storm frequency with confidence, but they can predict with certainty that hurricanes will become more intense. What could this mean for the Lowcountry, its citizens, the economy and our treasured coastal places?

Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm yet had a higher storm surge and killed more people than the Category 5 Hurricane Camille in 1969 which hit the same region. These hazards weren’t consid ered when rating the hurricane and there fore left many in harm’s way.

Rising temperatures mean increased coastal hazards

A 2022 study published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences shows 2021 global ocean temperatures were the hottest recorded by scientists. Not only has the ocean been steadily warming since 1958, but the rate of warming since the 1980s has been eight times faster than any previous decade. Without a doubt, scientists blame human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels, land use change and deforesta tion, for the warming.

Reale

Meteorologists use the Saffir-Simpson’s 1 to 5 rating system, developed in the early 1970s, to determine a hurricane’s strength and any damage it may cause. Decisionmakers use this scale to communicate each storm’s potential hazards to the public. Unfortunately, this system only takes into account maximum sustained wind speed and not storm surge, rainfall or any spinoff storms, such as tornadoes, that are typically responsible for most damage and casualties caused by storms.

There is talk of amending the scale to include factors other than wind speed to avoid giving the public a false sense of security. For many Lowcountry residents, including myself, there is a perception that a Category 1 or 2 hurricane is relatively insignificant. But there is a history of these lower-rated storms causing exponentially more damage.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), the 2018 Category 1 Hurricane Florence caused $24 billion dollars in damage and 53 deaths, which is nearly the same amount of death and destruction as Hurricane Michael that made landfall in the U.S. as a Category 5 one month later. Most of the damage from Hurricane Florence came from the immense amount of rainfall that swelled upland rivers in the Carolinas, leading to historic flooding. In 2005, Hurricane

The increase in sea surface temperatures has led to the “extreme rapid intensifica tion” (when wind speeds increase 35 mph or more in a 24-hour period) of recent hur ricanes such as Harvey, Irma, Michael, Ida and now Ian. Sea-level rise coupled with projected increases in precipitation from hurricanes will lead to more destructive storms, especially to low-lying areas and vulnerable populations in our region.

According to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, the Southeast is particularly at risk of climate hazards due to our rapidly growing population, tourism-based economy and vulnerable coastal ecosystems. Any interruptions or deterrents to tourism activities can have devastating impacts on the local economy. Analysts at The Perryman Group estimate Hurricane Florence cost South Carolina

“$3.3 billion in expenditures, $1.4 billion in real gross product and nearly $1.0 bil lion in real personal income.” This analysis does not take into consideration the cost of any losses to our ecological resources such as forests, oyster beds, marshes, fisheries and wetlands. If the intensity of hurricanes increases we can assume that future eco nomic and environmental impacts of single

Advocating for Clients and Community

One of the most effective ways to mitigate the impacts of climate change and hurricanes is to protect our natural coastal habitats.

According to a 2013 Scientific American article, 67% of our nation’s coast is protected by oyster beds, mangroves and wetlands. Should these habitats continue to disappear, more than 1 million additional citizens and billions of dollars in property values and other economic resources would be put at risk.

There are a myriad of climate adapta tion and mitigation opportunities that the region is considering. In 2019, The Dutch Dialogues Charleston’s final report suggests an integrative approach to resiliency using lessons learned from the Netherlands and other low-lying vulnerable places. This report, a product of multi-year engage ment with international and local leaders, scientists and stakeholders, also stresses the importance of protecting and rebuilding our coastal natural buffers.

There are many ways to get involved with the climate resiliency discussion hap pening here in Charleston. Contact your local elected officials and ask whether they understand climate change and what’s at risk. Tell them the importance of developing meaningful regional climate adaptation

Like it or not, climate change is threatening our coastal habitats.

plans that not only protect the economy, but also the environment. Consider becoming involved with one of the many groups working on these issues such as the Coastal Conservation League, the Charleston Climate Coalition and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Toni Reale is the owner of Roadside Blooms, a unique flower, plant, crystal and fossil shop in Park Circle in North Charleston. Formerly a Geology Instructor at the College of Charleston for over a decade, Reale is still passionate about environmental issues and interesting topics in science. roadsidebloomsshop.com.