kudos

Richland County Environmentalist Honored by EEASC

Chanda Cooper, Richland County’s conservation education analyst, was named Environmental Educator of

the Year by the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) at the organization’s annual conference hosted on Friday, June 10. “It is both gratifying and humbling to feel the support of my colleagues in this way,” says Cooper of the honor. “I work with some of the best people in the world—students, teachers, farmers and conservationists—and they are a constant source of inspiration and energy for this work.”

In her county role, Cooper provides conservation education programs for audiences from pre-K through 12th grade, as well as educators, agricultural producers and the general public, with support from the Richland Soil and Water Conservation District (RSWCD). Some of RSWCD’s programs include: classroom conservation presentations, conservation education mini-grants for local schools, curriculum workshops for educators, technical support for schools through the Green Steps Schools program, and much more. Cooper also serves as an adviser to several local boards and committees involved in conservation education.

“My passion for environmental education stems from a love for the natural world and a childhood spent exploring the fields, streams and woodlands on my family’s farm,” says Cooper. “As an environmental educator, I now spend my days helping others appreciate and care for our state’s natural resources.”

Kudos to Chanda Cooper!

Richland County Youth Honored by EEASC

The Environmental Education Association of South Carolina (EEASC) honored Isaac Brewer, a

senior at Dutch Fork High School, as its 2022 Outstanding Environmental Youth Award winner. Brewer is a four-year student in the Center for Advanced Technical Studies’ Clean Energy Program and an intern for the S.C. Energy Office. Brewer helped Lexington-Richland School District Five win a state-ofthe-art electric bus based on an essay he wrote for the Kids Ride Clean writing contest sponsored by the Ava Lane Meyer Foundation. As a sustainable nonprofit, EEASC focuses on environmental and natural resource conservation education and seeks to connect, support and equip educators to promote environmental stewardship.

The city of Columbia and Richland County have been selected to participate in a national and international urban heat island

mapping initiative aimed at better understanding and guiding action to reduce heat-health risks, encourage economic development, and improve overall quality of life in the region. With the greater detail from the resulting localized maps, city and county officials and community groups will be able to identify areas that they can take action in to improve air and water quality, enhance livability, and protect neighborhoods from extreme heat risks.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant funding will provide the necessary equipment while supporting organizational project efforts, mapping and data processing, which is anticipated to cover 160 square miles of urban and urbanizing Columbia and Richland County. The grant will also fund the installation of stationary temperature and humidity sensors to provide additional data to be used for decision-making. When the effort is complete, a public report and digital mapping data will be available revealing variations in regional temperatures and humidity that can be used to improve quality of life.

Kudos to the city of Columbia and Richland County!

Local Eco-Hero Featured on Popular Green Teacher Podcast

Local eco-hero Jane Hiller was featured on one of the latest episodes of the Talking with Green Teachers podcast.

Hiller highlighted some of the success stories generated from the South Carolina’s Green Steps School program. Hiller is the coordinator of the program, which is designed to help South Carolina schools earn awards for establishing sustainability projects where students learn, do and teach others.

A former classroom teacher, Hiller understands the challenges teachers face as they seek to provide meaningful learning experiences about environmental stewardship within their schools. She recently retired as education director for Sonoco Recycling, where she was responsible for educating local governments, agencies, businesses, nonprofit organizations, schools and citizens about the importance of waste reduction, resource conservation, reuse and recycling. She is a recipient of South Carolina’s Environmental Awareness Award, an honor established by South Carolina’s General Assembly to recognize outstanding contributions to the protection, conservation and improvement of the state’s natural resources. Hiller currently serves as a board member and central section director for the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina.