It’s impossible to truly love something if there is never any tension there. If it doesn’t have the ability to make you hopping mad, you just don’t really care about it that much, do you? That’s how I’ve come to understand my relationship with the state I live in. I’ve been in South Carolina (with the exception of my brief stint at Marquette University) for enough years that it makes me feel a bit old to be able to say that I’ve been anywhere that long. There is so much to love about South Carolina… the sense of community, the love of food, the lively arts scene… and there are some things that can be frustrating, which lately has been placed on stage for the world to see.

One thing that I have always loved about the Palmetto State, is the way everyone appreciates it’s beauty and natural resources.  There is so much to appreciate! Gorgeous beaches, impossibly fresh springs that help yield the most delicious peaches, endless miles to trawl through in a kayak… if you like to be outdoors, you will be quite at home here.

I was so thrilled to hear from my friend, Bruce Lawrence that the Conservation Voters of South Carolina will be hosting it’s first annual Green Tie Luncheon this week.  This event, which is set to be CVSC’s major annual fundraiser, will feature one of my favorite public figures as a special guest, The Honorable Richard W. Riley.

During lunch, honors will also go to Representative James Smith of Columbia, Senator John Courson of Columbia, Senator Phil Leventis of Sumter, Representative Bill Herbkersman of Beaufort, and Senator John Drummond of Ninety-Six.  These formidable public figures have fought the good fight to keep South Carolina’s natural resources pristine and protected.

Today and Tuesday, I will be profiling the honorees.  It is a fantastic group of dedicated individuals!

Senator Phil Levintis; image from leventisforsenate.com

Senator Phil Leventis (D) has been a member of the South Carolina Senate for 29 years. He served as a fighter pilot and retired as brigadier general in the SC Air Force National Guard. During his service he flew 21 Gulf War combat missions, flew 3,600 hours, most in single engine jet fighters, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross.  As a member of the South Carolina General Assembly, Senator Leventis has chaired the Senate Agriculture and Natural resources committee, where he is still a senior member.  Under his leadership, a public campaign was launched to expose the dangers of the Pinewood hazardous waste dump near Lake Marion and succeeded in requiring the company to post a substantial sum for future monitoring of the site after closing.   In 2004, he served on the Senate Finance Committee, during which time the committee voted unanimously to restore funding to the Conservation Bank.  He has worked on essential bills such as Energy Efficiency Resource Standards and the 2008 legislation that allows citizens to appeal permits within a timely fashion.

Always one to think outside of the box, Leventis flew to eastern North Carolina in 1996 to visit the flooded hog farms after Hurricane Fran tore through the area. This visit showed Leventis the detrimental effects of hog farming firsthand, and resulted in Senator Leventis’ leadership in passing one of the toughest bills regulating the hog farming industry in the country.  ”He isn’t afraid to look past our own boarders to get ideas,” says Patricia Pierce, who worked with him for eight years.

Throughout the years, Senator Leventis has taken an approach that reaches across the aisle for environmental policy.  He has worked closely with many officials, and is currently partnering with fellow Green Tie honoree Senator John Courson to co-sponsor legislation to increase accountability at the Department of Health and Environmental Control and to enact a landfill moratorium. As a result of such willingness to work across party lines, South Carolina has become so unified in protecting the environment that we have one of the strongest environmental coalitions in the country.

Representative James Smith with his lovely wife, Kirkland; image from jamessmith.org

Representative James Smith (D) is the kind of person who truly wants to know what the people of South Carolina are thinking.  It is obvious when he is at a function that he enjoys every single conversation and cares about what each person has to say.  This shows in his public work, as well, as he has been a key voice in legislation which has kept South Carolina’s natural resources safe.

Rep. Smith graduated from my alma mater, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, where community service is a key part of the curriculum.  He has used that education well as he has gone on to become a successful attorney and public servant. He served in the South Carolina Army National Guard for eight years before re-enlisting in 2007, then was deployed to Afghanistan as an infantry officer in the 218^th Brigade Combat Team. He was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Smith is presently a Captain and Commander of Bravo Company 1-118^th Infantry.  He has been a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives since 1996 where he quickly earned the respect of his peers.  In 2002 he was elected Minority Leader, during which time he played a key role to launch and protect the funding for the Conservation Bank.  He has also stood up at critical times to advance the Common Agenda – notably defeating a “wetlands destruction act,” and fighting to increase solar tax credit.  He was also a sponsor of this year’s Turtle Export bill, which prohibits the capture and mass transport of turtles in South Carolina.

Representative Smith and his wife, Kirkland, not only show their dedication to environmental causes in the political arena, but in how they live their lives.  It is clear when you see them biking through their neighborhood with their four children or when you see Kirkland’s art comprised of recycled materials that Representative Smith does not promote environmental policy because it is en vogue, but rather because it is something personal to him and his family.

Senator John Courson

Senator John Courson is a conservative who served President Ronald Reagan as a delegate to three Republican National Conventions.  He was a member of the Electoral College in 1980 and 1984 and he was State Chairman and Treasurer for three of Senator Strom Thurmond’s statewide political campaigns. Over the years he has initiated critical discussions that led to the protection of Daniel Island, was an early proponent of the Conservation Bank, and supported ordinances to protect local communities.

Senator Courson is a fantastic pioneer in the world of South Carolina environmental policy.  One day he was sitting on the floor of the Senate listening to Senator Leventis give a speech about harmful waste in Barnwell, SC.  His children were very young at the time and it angered him so much to think that the environment that they were growing up in was being abused.  It was then that he started “pestering the other Rebublicans,” says his wife, Lisa. “He told them that nothing could be more conservative than preserving the environment for our children.”  It did not take long for other South Carolina Republicans to jump on board with responsible environmental policy. In 2005, Senator Courson initiated  the tradition of hosting an annual “Conversation with Conservationists” for members of the South Carolina Senate, making sure that environmental issues stayed fresh on the minds of policy makers.  Later, in 2007, he helped to gather bi-partisan support to uphold the Atlantic Compact, which he helped promulgate, ending unlimited nuclear waste dumping at Barnwell, SC.

Working with the idea that there was a lot of time between then and the time his children would become adults, Senator Courson set to work convincing other officials, corporations, and small businesses that it was financially in their best interest to be responsible with their waste sites, materials, and policies.  His love for his family crosses into his love for his state easily, as he realizes that that to take care of one means to take care of both.

Tomorrow I will post profiles of the other three nominees, Senator John Drummond, and Representative Bill Herbkersman.  This is an amazing group of people who know the importance of coming together to make a better future for our state.  If you are in the Columbia area, I hope to see you Wednesday at the Green Tie Luncheon!