Our Work

Rosenwald Schools are a living symbol of the movement to educate African American communities after Reconstruction. There were nearly 500 Rosenwald schools built across South Carolina, but due to development, sprawl, and neglect, only 44 are known to remain today.

Now, we have an opportunity to weave the story of land protection into their cultural legacy. Protecting these buildings, their stories, and the lands they rest on represents a new way of looking at conservation and those it impacts. CVSCEF is working with stakeholders and community groups to create a Rosenwald School State Park Network to highlight the rich history of these places and protect land in rural communities.

Communities across South Carolina–especially low-wealth communities and rural communities–must ask themselves daily if their water is safe to drink. As scientists and regulators learn more about various chemicals found in the environment and drinking water sources, South Carolinians are discovering that they have more and more of these new, toxic ‘forever chemicals’ in their drinking water.

One such chemical that has received significant attention is PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which have been a primary focus for CVSCEF in recent years. CVSCEF has worked with stakeholders across the state to enable our state agencies to identify areas of concern and get relief for those who are drinking water contaminated with these and other toxic chemicals.

Power companies have a big impact on the health and well-being of our communities, so it’s important to hold them accountable. The Public Service Commission (PSC) is the state agency responsible for regulating power companies. The PSC approves increases to customer bills and power companies’ long-term resource plans, which determine how power is generated in our state.

Holding the PSC accountable to protect ratepayers and work towards a clean energy future requires institutional knowledge and strategic communications due to the PSC’s strict rules of engagement. CVSCEF is able to navigate this difficult landscape and increase public participation by educating the public and sharing opportunities to participate in decision-making through petitions and testimony.

South Carolina has some of the highest energy bills in the nation yet we rank towards the bottom when it comes to median income. This is a dangerous combination that has left families having to forgo electricity to pay for housing, food, or medicine–while utilities are only continuing to raise rates.

To address this, CVSCEF is focused on supporting communities experiencing high energy burdens, persistent energy inefficiency, and other inequities in the South Carolina energy system. We believe in a just transition to clean energy which means that as legacy coal plants are closed, we must ensure that frontline communities aren’t left behind. We are currently working with the Georgetown community and Santee Cooper to help facilitate the development of an economic transition plan for workers and communities ahead of the Winyah Coal Plant closure.

Appointed and elected leaders make countless decisions across South Carolina that affect our environment and communities. Yet local boards and commissions all over the state are in desperate need of skilled, knowledgeable, and passionate public servants. In response to this need, we developed the SC Palmetto Leadership Academy (PLA) to focus on recruiting, training, growing, and supporting tomorrow’s conservation leaders.

The goal of the PLA is to ensure that local boards and commissions reflect South Carolina’s diversity and core conservation values by helping community members step into leadership roles. The program will foster the necessary skills for seeking and serving in these positions through intense training and mentorship, setting fellows up to impact their communities and grow into strong and effective conservation champions.

Electric cooperatives are self-governing utility companies that operate in all 46 counties, serve over 2 million South Carolinians, and build and maintain more power lines than any other utility in the state. With 19 separate boards, each with its own set of bylaws, determining everything from electricity rates to energy efficiency programs within their territories, ensuring equity and accountability in the interest of their member-owner base is critical yet challenging.

CVSCEF developed the South Carolina Electric Cooperative Engagement Program (SCECEP) to begin shining the spotlight on electric cooperatives and connecting communities to the cooperatives’ actions. With community engagement as a top priority, SCECEP works to engage customers in conversations about their influence on cooperative decision-making as member-owners. Community members and customers also learn about the importance of annual meeting participation, collective action to call for changes in utility operation, and supporting reflective board representation as key ways to ensure their electric cooperative meets the needs of the community.