GVW Report june 2015

Vol. 1, No. 1 |

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the GVW Report

by Anne Fulcher The GVW Report came to be after the Graniteville Brownfield Project had a workshop where one of the community members said they wished there was a newspaper to let the Graniteville, Warrenville and Vaucluse area know what is going on in regards to regrowth and redevelopment in this area. This, the first edition of the GVW Report is the outcome of that one suggestion. As the Graniteville Community Coordinator for the Graniteville Brownfield Project, I was able to work with the Aiken Standard to lay the ground rules for this new publication. Our partners throughout the area will be providing updates about what their businesses are doing to make the Graniteville Community a better place to live for current residents and

GVW Report

also as a welcoming place for new families to call home.

This first edition of the GVW Report is geared toward what the Graniteville Brownfield Project and its partners’ vision of what is to become of this beautiful town so many of us call home. Having grown up in the Midland Valley area and as a member of the Midland Valley Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, my dream is to develop a piece of land where com-

munity members can work with business leaders to build a community garden with a Saturday Farmer’s Market. While there is a parcel of land I am wishing for this garden to occur, I am working with a local business who has my same vision and believe that sooner than later my vision for Graniteville will come true.

On the first Saturday of every month, this paper will come out in the Aiken Standard in the Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville zip codes as well as in racks in local businesses in those same zip codes. These free standing racks will hold the GVW Report that will be free to the public. If you are interested in being a sponsor with the Graniteville Brownfield Project as well as the GVW Report, please feel free to contact me at 803-9794476 or ernieace2@yahoo.com.

Anne Fulcher is a 2013 Graduate of USC Aiken with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Minor in music. She is employed by the Medical University of South Carolina as the Graniteville Community Coordinator with the Graniteville Brownfield Project.

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The Graniteville Brownfield Project:

Rebuilding the Graniteville, SC Community through Public Health Communication and Tracking

The Graniteville Community, Health, Environmental, and Educational Connection (GCHEEC) is a community, environmental injustice, health, and education partnership. The partners include environmental health scientists at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), and the University of South Carolina (USC) and community steering committee members from the entire Graniteville community.

The GCHEEC partnership was forged to tackle public health and environmental justice issues related to brownfield redevelopment in Graniteville, SC. We propose community-based participatory service and evaluation methods to improve the quality of communication and tracking on human health and the environment, to improve the communication to the public and affected communities and ensure that future redevelopment, education and outreach meets the needs of these communities.

The educational agenda outlined in this project will expand and build on areas where initial work has been done: 1) community leaders and representatives concerned with long term redevelopment after the plant closings and of the redevelopment sites 2) health and environment issues in the target area with emphasis on morbidity outcomes including hypertension, cancer, and endocrine (diabetes, thyroid), respiratory (COPD, emphysema), neurologic, and mental health outcomes. Educational programs will target three groups: 1. The community practitioners; 2. Community leaders and citizens; 3). Researchers and students. Because of the inherent connection between inquiry, education and action, GCHEEC will empower the community, promote collaboration within the development community; develop a model of measuring improvement of community health and other issues related to Brownfield/Land Reuse redevelopment project; Collaborate with development community

to develop community health model to address health disparities and develop health indicators through public health tracking; contribute to the public understanding of science and risk, and collaborate with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) in expanding the ATSDR Brownfield/Land Reuse Health Initiative. We are using the community level model to designed to foster dialogue communication and vision among diverse members of the community. The goal is to bring hope and positive sustainable improvements in overall community health.

John Vena, Principal-Investigator, is responsible for the overall planning, implementation and performance of the partnership to complete the project aims. He will supervise the activities of the project coordinator and research assistant and work closely with the USC co-investigator, oversee the meetings of the Partnership Steering Committee, participate in the Steering Committee and lead the Implementation Committee for Education and Public Health Tracking and the Evaluation Committee. Dr. Vena will lead the involvement and collaboration with all involved members.

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Christ Central’s Hope Center Christ Central’s Hope Center has a vision to enrich the community through Building Tomorrow’s Work Force.

This will be accomplished by uniting volunteers to help families in need through education, job skills training, and medical services.

Building Tomorrow’s Work Force will see children trained up to reach their academic capacity and help unemployed adults take their next step to develop skills towards self-sufficiency and selfemployment.

Hope Center is a renovation of a 15,000 sq. ft. building in Graniteville, which was ground zero for the 2005 train derailment and chlorine. spill. The building’s interior was rendered useless after sitting idle for five years. More than 2,000 volunteer hours of work and $750,000 dollars in donations have been invested to enrich the community and surrounding area with a teaching, mentoring and medical facility for the unemployed, and under resourced people.

Building Tomorrow’s Work Force project provides holistic assistance to the economically disadvantaged in the CSRA. The project will equip through EDUCATION, MEDICAL AND CULINARY ARTS training and services. Low cost vision services and medical guidance through health screening for uninsured and vulnerable people will be provided as well. Utilizing the strengths and skills of our volunteer base to teach and reach our under served community is the foundation to assist others take their next step whether is it though education or training in life skills. This is key to why Christ Central Ministries is a proven ground for enriching communities today and tomorrow.

CULINARY ARTS Food Safety and Handling • Food Management • Food Allegens • Culinary Training • Catering Team to employ local individuals

EDUCATION • GED (22 graduates this quarter) • Job Readiness Training (First Culinary Class graduated May 1, 2015) • Early Childhood Development • After School Tutoring (see pictures of Celebration May 7, 2015) • Certified Nursing Assistant Training (CNA) - future MEDICAL • Health Screening (Partnership with USCA SCHOOL OF NURSING) • Vision Clinic (free eye exams, partnership with Lions Club for glass frames) • General Dentistry (future) OUR MISSION: To break the cycle of generational poverty through holistic assistance to the economically disadvantaged in the CSRA who are unemployed or under resourced.

OUR VISION is Building Tomorrow’s Work Force by uniting volunteers to help families in need through education, job skills training, and medical services to see children trained up to reach their academic capacity and help unemployed adults take their next step to develop skills towards self-sufficiency and self-employment.

Christ Central is an all-volunteer, cross-cultural, cross denominational Christian response to a community need in Aiken and beyond. We have over 350 volunteers who are working together in unity with the goal of neighbor helping neighbor to break the cycle of generational poverty.

If you are interested in volunteering to help build our community, please contact us to learn more. We would love to connect you to someone to work along side to help them take their next step.

HOPE CENTER - 3 Hickman Street - Graniteville, SC 29829 - (803) 393-4575 Marshal Chastain, Jr. Director - (803) 6461016 email: mchastainjr@live.com Donelle West, Volunteer Coordinator (803) 2706305 or email: donellewest12@ gmail.com www.christcentralaiken.com Judy Floyd Director, Christ Central Aiken/Graniteville (803) 640-1708 www.christcentralaiken.com

Midland Valley High School FFA Mr. Henderson Rowe, Teacher The Midland Valley FFA chapter is very excited to be a part of the Graniteville Brownfield Project.

The Graniteville Brownfield Project will allow our FFA members the opportunity to be an integral part of this community project to build and maintain a sustainable garden in the heart of Graniteville. Students are looking forward to helping design the garden and structures that will be associated with the project. By helping build and maintain the Graniteville Brownfield community garden, as well as helping with Sat-

urday farmers markets, students will see firsthand what goes into growing and sustaining food, as well as become more involved in their community. The Graniteville Brownfield project will allow students and families, some of which were affected by the train derailment, to begin the revitalization process of Graniteville. The garden will be centrally located allowing the community convenient access to the garden and its amenities. The Graniteville Brownfield Project will be an excellent opportunity for Midland Valley High School FFA students to help improve their community.

I grew up in Fort Mill, South Carolina, where I was involved in the Fort Mill High School FFA chapter. During high school, I worked at the Anne Springs Close Greenway Horse Barn, where I helped care for horses and acted as a camp counselor for horse camps for younger children. After high school, I attended Tri-County Technical College and then transferred to Clemson University where I completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Education. During college, I worked on a 100 acre hay farm that also housed rental properties that I helped to maintain. I am currently the Agricultural Education teacher at Midland Valley High School where I have been since May of 2012.

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ATSDR Brownfield/Land Reuse Health Initiative Overview

Community health considerations are important parts of ATSDR’s land revitalization activities. As such, through its Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative, ATSDR works to conduct the following activities: • promote a well-rounded approach to redevelopment, • include health as an important part of redevelopment, • grow community resources to promote health, • measure changes in community health, • encourage early community involvement in decision making, • restore and revitalize communities in a way that is fair to all community groups, • promote relationships among, agencies, partners, and communities, • improve ways to talk about health and environmental risks.

What is a Brownfield or Land Reuse site?

Brownfield sites are defined as “abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial properties where reuse or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived contamination.” These sites have received funding from EPA Brownfield Program for redevelopment. (Source: EPA) Land Reuse sites are defined as “any site formally utilized for commercial and industrial purposes complicated by real or perceived contamination” that has not received funding from the EPA Brownfield Program for redevelopment. (Source: ATSDR)

Health Checks

As part of its land renewal activities, ATSDR promotes many health checks so that people can have healthier neighborhoods and workplaces. Some of these

health checks may include: • Explaining data about chemicals in people and the environment • Helping people learn more about health risks in their area • Checking to find out if there are health issues that can be made better through changes in land use, and • Measuring health factors to find out if land reuse projects make people healthier.

How ATSDR and EPA Can Help Communities The number of communities that conduct health pilot activities at brownfield and land reuse sites is low, mostly because communities do not understand what types of activities EPA, health departments, or ATSDR can conduct. To help communities learn more about how EPA, health departments, or ATSDR can help, communities should know that: 1. ATSDR, working with health departments and EPA, can help more people include community health in brownfield and land reuse projects.

2. EPA can award health programs monies through Brownfields awards, and that ATSDR has some limited health pilot awards for brownfield and reuse sites as well.

3. ATSDR has free tools to assist communities and their health departments to include health activities as part of their Brownfield and Land Reuse projects.

People who work to renew brownfields and other lands can use these tools to learn about health and environmental risks.

4. ATSDR and its partners also work to build community resources so that communities themselves can continue to make health part of a well-rounded approach to growth.

5. Together, communities, ATSDR, health departments, and EPA can create healthier places for everyone.

Comments from ATSDR’s Director of Division of Community Health Investigations According to Dr. Tina Forrester, ATSDR’s Director of Division of Community Health Investigations, ATSDR’s Brownfield/Land Reuse Health Initiative helps communities incorporate health considerations in land reuse decisions. People can turn vacant or under-used land into places that benefit the whole area. ATSDR works with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and local officials, developers, and communities to include health in these types of projects.

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The Horse Creek Trust

The Horse Creek Trust, a South Carolina nonprofit corporation, was organized in 2015 for the general purpose of rebuilding one of the South’s most timeless small towns as a beautiful destination and a

dynamic sustainable new working community. “The Trust’s” mission honors the vision of William Gregg, who founded the town of Graniteville in 1845 as a model cutting edge industrial town, serving

to help uplift the working class citizens of the South through education and a civic minded dedication to a sustainable economy. Today, The Trust heralds a new era in the Graniteville community, building upon Gregg’s dedication new economic opportunity as well as the timeless architectural patterns of this beautifully planned southern town.

Via the introduction of new industries, such as Recleim, which herald a new era of sustainability and adaptive reuse in the Graniteville community, a Master-plan for the redevelopment of the greater Graniteville, SC area is underway, dedicated to historic preservation and new urbanist planning methods which embrace the architectural patterns established by Gregg in the 1840’s. Through the adaptive reuse of the many beautiful and important historic mills and structures, and capitalizing on the fact that Graniteville and Vaucluse serves as a gateway to the city of Aiken, the Trust will endeavor to attract new industry for the employment and reeducation of the Community’s workforce, thereby building the framework for an attractive mixed-use community where residents and visitors can Live, Work, Learn, Play and embrace the natural resources of the of the beautiful

In January 2013 the Graniteville and surrounding communities welcomed Recleim as we began renovating a portion of the historic Hickman Mill into a state of the art facility focusing on the recycling of appliances. Graniteville was chosen as the site of Recleim’s flagship facility for a variety of reasons but one of the main reasons was the availability of a workforce with a strong work ethic that takes pride in their community.

Many people have asked who we are, what we do and what is going to happen in the future for Recleim. I would like to address each of these areas in this first edition of the GVW newsletter.

Who are we? We are Recleim SC LLC a part of Recleim LLC which is based in Atlanta GA. We are a closed-loop resource recovery process facility housed in a portion of Hickman Mill. We refer to ourselves a de-manufacturer, in that

we breakdown an appliance instead of assembling the appliance. The appliances we de-manufacture are called Feedstock and are acquired from an area within 350 miles of Graniteville. We have the ability to process 60 million pounds of product annually including large household appliances, HVAC systems, vending equipment and related electronics.

What do we do? Once we receive feedstock we process by shredding and or granulating the product into smaller

pieces. The end product that results may be steel, cooper, plastics, and aluminum. These commodities can be sent to plastic or steel manufacturers for repurposing.

Recleim is unique from other appliance recyclers because we recover 95%+ of the retired appliance’s commodities, we capture 99% of the ozone depleting substances found in refrigerated cabinets and the foam blowing agents inside these cabinets. Finally we are able to offer complete traceability from acquiring

Horse Creek Valley.

The Trust’s mission is to promote a vital cultural life in the “Community” and Aiken County, South Carolina, for the benefit of residents and visitors, initially including the redevelopment of the Hickman Mill complex, which will house two major employers, in addition to Recleim. It will deliver the first mixed-use connection to Horse Creek, via the beautifully restored Hickman Mill and a new canoe launch, to be partnered with Aiken County. Plans include the construction and operation of a Horse Creek Valley museum at Hickman Hall, encouraging the development of programs that provide valuable social, cultural and educational opportunities, particularly trades and arts disciplines, urban agricultural practices to define a cultural identity for the region. This includes the encouragement of historical and environmental education programs and the provision of time proven design practices which promote public health. The Trust is already establishing partnerships with compatible state, federal and county organizations, as well as local citizens, in the master-planning process for the greater Graniteville, Vaucluse while preserving the natural beauty in- between.

the feedstock to destruction. Recleim is also proud to be a voluntary participant in the EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) program.

Graniteville and the surrounding community have had a strong industrial history. The loss of the textile mills in 2005 was a major blow to the area, through their determination and sense of pride WE in Graniteville are reinventing ourselves and Recleim is proud to be a part of that future while assisting in preserving the past.

6 • Saturday, June 6, 2015 Dr. Lucy Annang Ingram is an Associate Professor at the USC-Columbia Arnold School of Public Health. Her work is in the area of health disparities, with a particular interest in working with communities on issues that impact their

Graniteville, Vaucluse, Warrenville health based on differences such as race, ethnicity, geography, or gender. For the Brownfield project, Dr. Ingram helps lead the Communication and Implementation Committees of the Program Steering Group which are charged with using a participatory approach to determine education and communication interests of the community and devising ways to communicate issues of concern to the broader Graniteville-Vaucluse-Warrenville (GVW) area.

Dr. Ingram was also the lead investiga-

tor on the recently completed Graniteville RISE Project. The RISE project was designed to determine the long-term impact of the 2005 train derailment on the health, access to health care, and quality

of life of community residents. The project received local and international attention and some of the findings from the project were published in the academic journal, Qualitative Health Research.

Below are several of the photos taken by GVW-area residents as part of the project.

Vacancies.

“You can’t really make it out but that’s a For Sale sign and what they are selling is the top half of Gregg. But, I thought it was kind of interesting because that’s the view of all of Graniteville, and it just kinda struck me as the whole town is up for sale. If you got enough money you can buy it…if you find out who owns it.”

Vacancies.

“The parking lot is empty…No one is walking around. There is no life!!”

Economic Decline.

“This once employed thousands of employees. Now it’s abandoned. Job loss and it’s an eyesore.”

Economic decline.

“I liked the work down there working with the people. It was a community thing.

When the train wreck happened, it messed up the community, too, because it took away other jobs. Everything rolled down hill.”

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Clean-up and Modernization.

“We don’t even have the little basketball tournaments. We used to have a little camp and all of that down there. Someone should get the word out that people are still in this town.”

Wellness/rehabilitation.

“After all this happened, the new Family Y is a way of being fun and getting back to normal life. This can be a rehabilitation mechanism. Fun and relaxation.”

Clean-up and Modernization..

“The picture of the bed is representing all the stuff people threw out because it could no longer be used because the chlorine affected it. I think it would be best if we let go of things like beds…stuff that has chlorine in it…air conditioners, filters, etc...”

Safety.

“We had to move because everything inside was turning. We changed the air filters and you can still smell the chlorine from the air conditioners.”

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The Megiddo Dream Station creates self-sustaining families though our unique core curriculum, volunteer requirements, life skill classes and specialty programming.

Many of our neighbors want to provide for their families and give back to the community, but they become frustrated and overwhelmed in their

Graniteville, Vaucluse, Warrenville

Economic Development Partnership

It’s been 10 years since the train accident that changed the Graniteville community.

Much has happened but I sense a momentum switch and I believe the next five years Graniteville will look different than it does today. Avondale’s closure brought the community down, but many positive things have happened over the last number of

Want to make a lasting impact?

Give a man a fish, and you’ll feed him for a day.

Teach a man to fish, and you’ve fed him for a lifetime. ~ ancient proverb search for a stable job. At Megiddo, we remind each individual that they offer value to our community and that their skills are needed. In addition to resume, interview and job search training, we help students set up reasonable budgets and learn to follow them. We teach important communication skills, including conflict management and presentation

techniques. We provide computer training at all levels and advanced classes in customer service, construction, desktop publishing, home health care and lawn care. We require students to participate in at least 20 hours of volunteer service, adhere to a strict attendance/tardy policy and complete all class assignments.

Since October 2012, we have helped

years to pick us back up. Graniteville Specialty Fabrics has opened and is doing well, even winning an award from the SC State Chamber of Commerce. MTU has located at Sage Mill Industrial Park with over $100 million invested and 300 jobs since 2010.

Bridgestone PSR has expanded several times and they invested $1.2 billion in the new Off Road Radial plant.(Incidentally, the $1.2 billion investment is still the single largest capital investment in SC history and Bridgestone’s single largest investment in one of their facilities.)This has over 300 working there. Recleim has opened the doors and hiring is still going on at this $42 million investment. My organization is constructing a 100,000 sq ft speculative building to attract more manufacturing jobs to the area. I am very bullish on the future of Graniteville and I look forward to watching what happens. Our organization hopes to help grow this area.

Will Williams, SCCED President/CEO Economic Development Partnership PO Box 1708 Aiken, SC 29802 803-641-3300

over 140 people move from the system into the workforce. We have placed employees with over 50 very satisfied employers. Our graduates are getting excellent reviews and being promoted when opportunities arise.

You can be a part of the solution to important issues, such as unemployment, an unskilled work force, poverty related crime, overwhelming discouragement and depression.

Teach a man to fish…. Feed him for a lifetime.

Partner with us today!

(803) 392-7044 www.megiddodreamstation.org 103 Canal Street Graniteville, SC 29829

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Environmental Public Health Tracking for the Graniteville Community Overview

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) Network is a nationally integrated environmental and public health information system that collects, combines, analyzes, interprets, and disseminates data on environmental hazards, human exposures and health effects (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015; South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control [SC DHEC], 2014). The CDC provides funds to 26 state and local health departments to develop local tracking networks, of which feed into the national tracking network (CDC, 2015). In August of 2009, South Carolina became one of six additional states to be awarded CDC funding to build a local tracking network (CDC, 2011).

Public Health Tracking and Evaluation Committee Objectives EPHT enables public health professionals to identify health conditions related to the environment, evaluate possible trends, and monitor data over time (SC DHEC, 2014). As part of our specific aim to conduct communitybased participatory services (CBPR), we will be using EPHT to develop a community health profile for Graniteville by receiving input about possible health indicators that may be of interest to the community in relation to the trail derailment disaster in 2005. Moreover, we will use EPHT to evaluate environmental and health related trends for the past decade (i.e. 2000-2013), before and since the disaster, and continue to monitor our select health indicators for future analyses. We will also use the 2011 Aiken County Health Survey conducted by Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) to identify possible health concerns and use data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) and South Carolina’s Central Cancer Registry (SCCCR) to analyze health trends.

References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2015). National Environmental Public Health Tracking. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/tracking/ South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. (2014). Environmental Public Health Tracking.

Retrieved from http://www.scdhec.gov/Health/SCPublicHealthStatisicsMaps/ EnvironmentalPublicHealthTracking/OverviewEPHT/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011).

National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network, South Carolina. Retrieved from http://ephtracking.cdc. gov/docs/State_ Tracking_2011_SC.pdf

Danira Karzic is a recent MPH graduate in Epidemiology from the University of Georgia (UGA). As part of her capstone, she investigated the incidence of rare upper urothelial cancers in Croatia over the last decade. In May of 2014, she accepted a Research Associate position at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Her areas of research include cancer epidemiology, community-based research, chronic kidney disease, and veteran morbidity.

My role in Brownfield project:

Danira Karzic, Health Data Analyst, is responsible for obtaining and analyzing health and environmental data for the community. As part of the Public Health Tracking and Evaluation Committee, her specific aims are to help develop a community health profile for the Graniteville/Vaucluse/Warrenville area using health indicators selected by the community; evaluate environmental and health related trends, before and since the train derailment disaster in 2005; and continue monitoring select health indicators for future analyses.

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Community Participation in Risk Assessment and Management Risk Assessment and Management that serves to address local environmental health concerns operates in a social and political context, and includes interactions with John E. Vena, Ph.D., Professor and Founding Chair the public at Department of Public Health many points in Sciences, Medical University the process. As of South Carolina such, there are many impediments to fielding quality study and assessment that address controversial environmental health issues. There are also impediments to the communication of findings that contribute significantly to effective public health policies and support interventions to reduce individual or population risks.

My experiences in risk assessments at Love Canal, Kodak Park, and other sites in Western New York and recent experiences in South Carolina including N. Charleston and Graniteville indicate that successful research involving the members of an affected community requires their full cooperation and the cooperation of representatives from community groups. This experience is corroborated by the experience of epidemiologists, environmental scientists and risk communication specialists whose work involves an interaction with the public, and is supported by research and theory in these fields (National Res. Council 1989; Funtowicz and Ravetz 1990; Norgaard 1991; Brown 1992; Morgan, Fischoff, et al. 1992). In particular, there is a growing body of knowledge and practice in participatory research which provides the theoretical and methodological basis for the involvement of communities in activities such as the Community Advisory Panels (CAP) established by chemical companies. (for example, Brown and Tandon, 1983; Stull and Schensul 1987; Reason 1988; Crampton 1991; Elden and Chisholm 1993; Greenwood, Whyte, et al. 1993). Public participation has been shown to improve data quality, communication and knowledge utilization, and thereby helps meet the needs of the researcher, plant manager and the community alike. Thus, community participation in risk assessment and management will ensure

public input into the research, evaluative and educational processes. Each member of a community team or Community Advisory Board (CAB) therefore has a tremendous responsibility to participate with conviction and maintain two way dialogues with their constituents in the community.

The members should participate in all aspects of the process (through problem definition, methodological development, data gathering and interpretation and evaluation) and not just in instances convenient or in the best interest of the risk assessor, scientists or in some instances plant managers. Understandably, this brings into sharp focus the contrast between lay and professional ways of knowing, a problem that also arises in the field of risk communication and perception.

The key result, though, is that the community representatives begin to feel their problems will be adequately addressed, and they feel they own the knowledge they helped create. The participatory act of knowledge generation is at the same time an act of communication and education.

The diverse communities of South Carolina, for example, differ markedly in their conceptions of risk, access to education, information and resources, and trust in government and industry. Groups who feel their needs have not been considered in the risk assessment or management are likely to reject the process as a basis for decisions about risk and efforts to reduce the risk (National Research Council 1989). Many of these problems can be attributed to what Ann Bostrom (Bostrom 1994) has recently called the “communication gap” between experts and the public. One step to bridging the communication gap is for scientists and industrial managers to see themselves as partners with the public in the process itself and in the communication of the findings. In this way, risk communication becomes a dialogue and an interactive process of exchange rather than a series of one-way messages from experts to non-experts (National Research Council 1989; Wynne 1991; Morgan, Fischhoff, et al. 1992).

The interactive approach recognizes that discussions of environmental problems involve individuals with different perceptions of risk, different opinions about the meaning of scientific uncertainty, the meaning and definition of health, different methods for making decisions under risky conditions and, most importantly, different value

structures (National Research Council 1989).

Therefore, decisions regarding risk management and the research and education process require bridging the communication gap, which only occurs when the decision-making process is a dialogue amongst all of the stake holders in any particular environmental issue. Efforts should focus on fostering a dialogue within and between groups that have formed around common problems and issues and involve everyone, including community representatives, as active partakers in the dialogue (Swanta and Vainio-Mattila 1988).

A participatory risk assessment and management process is responsive because it will ensure that citizens’ knowledge of their own problems is validated through their involvement. Because of the inherent connection between inquiry, education and action, the process will likely contribute to the public understanding of science and risk, to the making of good environmental policies, to the taking of effective actions, and to corporate social responsibility. Similar to the Action Model of the Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry(ATSDR) the process encourages the community to focus on public health topics connected to community health such as physical and mental health, nutrition, built environment, planning, safety and security and communication and risk communication and management.

References: ATSDR Action Model: http://www.atsdr.cdc. gov/sites/brownfields/index.html http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/brownfields/ model.html Bostrom A. Toward Evaluation of Effective Risk Communication. Hazardous Substances and Public Health 1994; 3(4): 7, 8.

Brown D, R Tandon. Ideology and political economy in inquiry: action research and participatory research. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 1983; 19(3): 277-94.

Crampton L. Participatory Action Research and Its Applicability in the Natural Sciences.

Great Lakes Health Effects Program, Health and Welfare Canada, 1991.

Elden M, R Chisholm. Emerging varieties of action research: Introduction to the special Issue. Human Relations 1993; 46:121-142.

Funtowicz S, J Ravetz. Global environmental issues and the emergence of second order science. The Ecological Economics of Sustainability. New York: Columbia University Press, 1990.

Greenwood D, W Whyte, Lazes P. Participatory Action Research as a Process and as a Goal. Human Relations. In: Whyte W (Ed) Participatory Action Research 1993; 46(2):175-192.

Morgan M and B Fischoff. Communicating risk to the public. Environmental Sci and Tech 1992;26:2048-56.

National Research Council. Improving risk communication. Washington, DC, National Academy of Sciences, 1989.

Norgaard R. Environmental science as a social process. Environ Monitoring and Assessment 1991; 16:1-16.

Reason P (Ed.). Human Inquiry in Action: Developments in New Paradigm Research.

London: Sage Publications, 1988.

Stull D, J Schensul (Eds.). Collabaorative Research and Social Change: Applied Anthropology in Action. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1987.

Swanta M, A Vainio-Mattila. Participatory inquiry as an instrument of grass-roots development. Human Inquiry in Action: Developments in New Paradigm Research. London: Sage Publications, 1988, 127-143.

Wynne B. Public perception and communication of risks: What do we know? J NIH Research 1991; 3:65-71.

John Vena, Principal-Investigator, is responsible for the overall planning, implementation and performance of the partnership to complete the project aims.

He will supervise the activities of the project coordinator and research assistant and work closely with the USC co-investigator, oversee the meetings of the Partnership Steering Committee, participate in the Steering Committee and lead the Implementation Committee for Education and Public Health Tracking and the Evaluation Committee. Dr. Vena will lead the involvement and collaboration with all involved members.

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College of Charleston-Based Farm-ToSchool Initiative is Set to Go Statewide A College of Charleston-based, multi-agency farmto-school initiative funded by grants from Boeing will go statewide beginning in 2015.

The program will expand from Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties to include counties across Dr. Olivia Thompson the state, where the Medical University of South Carolina’s Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness has worked to help schools implement wellness policies.

Olivia Thompson, professor and farm-toschool director said, “Farm-to-school is a social movement that creates an atmosphere of optimism and excitement about eating for optimal health and wellness, which is important for a number of reasons including that healthy people drive community economic development,” explains Professor Olivia Thompson, farm-to-school director within the Mayor Joseph P. Riley Institute for Livable Communities at the College of Charleston.

Jessica Jackson, global corporate citizenship manager at Boeing South Carolina, adds “the farm-to-school initiative is important for a number of reasons. It promotes healthy eating and living habits with children at an early age; increases access to locally-grown foods; and, through comprehensive school-based gardening programs such as the Green Heart Project, it promotes S.T.E.M. learning through the experiential process of starting and maintainworkforce. The Center will reflect our coming a school garden.” munity’s commitment to bring high-paying The farm-to-school initiative is designed careers to our area, and to ensure that the to support the state’s farm-to-institution proworkforce available for local business is of the gramming and has five main components that strengthen both the demand and supply sides highest caliber.

You can be a partner in the revitalization of of the farm-to-school equation, as outlined our local communities by attaining the educa- below. Thompson says that each component is tion necessary to become part of our growing necessary for success: Workforce development for educators: workforce, or by encouraging others to take Clemson Extension agents Amy Dabbs, Jenniadvantage of this opportunity. In addition to fer Schlette, and Zach Snipes have developed financial aid, we have $70,000 in scholarships “School Gardening for South Carolina Educaavailable for qualified new students attendtors,” a new online course with one full day ing the College starting this fall. Contact our of hands-on instruction that assists educators Enrollment Services Center today at 803-508- in the creation of sustainable school gardens.

Teachers who complete the course earn 7263 to learn how you can get started.

Aiken Technical College is part of the vision continuing education credits; receive cuttingedge, cross-curricular course materials and for Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville.

We look forward to sharing our efforts in the supplies needed to construct or improve gardens; and are paired with Clemson Extension GVW Report, and to continued engagement master gardeners and South Carolina farmers in these vital communities.

Education Vital to Midland Valley’s Future Aiken Technical College is proud to be a sponsor of the GVW Report. The College is part of the Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville communities and we are dedicated to their success. It is our hope that through participation in the GVW report we can assist our Midland Valley neighbors in efforts to revitalize and grow these historic communities.

Our mission statement reads in part that we are “established to provide citizens of greater Aiken County opportunities for educational, economic, professional, civic and personal development.” As we consider our vision for the Graniteville, Vaucluse and Warrenville communities, we believe that education is central to success. A recently released regional workforce study focused on manufacturing, nuclear, healthcare and information technology economic sector needs indicated that a staggering 37,000 job openings will be available in the CSRA in the next five years.

To take full advantage of all the economic opportunities being discussed for Midland Valley and Aiken County, we must have an educated workforce that is trained and ready to meet the needs of new and existing employers. Aiken Technical College is ready to meet the challenge of developing this workforce, and to professionally develop residents of the Midland Valley to fill available jobs.

As part of this effort, ATC will open a new Center for Energy and Advanced Manufacturing (CEAM) this August. CEAM will support the College’s radiation protection technology, nuclear quality systems, welding and advanced manufacturing programs, which are crucial to developing the area’s growing manufacturing, nuclear and energy

for ongoing agricultural technical support.

Community, family, and student engagement: The Green Heart Project provides technical assistance to participating schools wishing to implement comprehensive, schoolbased garden programs designed to engage youth in farm-to-school programming.

Project staff facilitate public-private partnerships between local businesses and participating schools in order to strengthen community ties, while providing needed financial and volunteer support to scale gardens and sustain educational programming. Students’ family members have opportunities to participate in Cooking Matters©, which is a national program administered locally by the Lowcountry Food Bank.

Workforce development for school nutrition staff: School nutrition staff are trained by certified chefs from the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College to prepare and serve healthful meals to school children using local produce, as directed by U.S.D.A. school nutrition guidelines. Also, local chef Miles Huff is working with other local chefs, school food service personnel, and nutritionists to create a farm-to-school cookbook that will be published and available for use in South Carolina schools in 2015.

Workforce development for farmers and food systems leaders: Lowcountry Local First’s program entitled “Growing New Farmers” provides new and beginning farmers with farm apprenticeship, farm incubation, and land-matching programs. Additionally, in 2015, trainings will be conducted to provide farmers and food systems leaders from across the state with toolkits that include food production; farm business and marketing for new farmers; recommended workshops and field trips; videos of lectures; and evaluation materials.

Produce supply chain infrastructure and management: Agent Harry Crissy with the Clemson Institute for Economic and Community Development and faculty member David Pastre with the Clemson Center for Architecture in Charleston are leading teams of students to design and build H.A.C.C.P.certified farm kitchens that will enable farmers to more easily participate in farm-to-school as well as in other markets. Participating farmers will be provided with H.A.C.C.P. food safety instruction at a low cost and, upon course completion, farmers will be able to lease kitchen space for a nominal fee.

Dr. Olivia Thompson and Agent Harry Crissy will be partnering with the Graniteville Brownfield Project to develop the community garden in the GVW area.

12 • Saturday, June 6, 2015

Graniteville, Vaucluse, Warrenville

The GVW Report is sponsored by:

www.musc.edu