I went to the Alliance for Planet Earth documentary viewing and panel discussion about plastic bags and similar containers. The event began with accounts from three local leaders, the first being Lia Colabello of Five Gyres. She discussed how plastic materials that are not properly disposed of and contained ultimately find there way into the Earth’s oceans. She showed pictures of “garbage patches” made of conglomerated pieces of plastic that form in all of the oceans around the world. She also talked about how plastic never really disappears from the Earth, rather, it continues to break down into smaller and smaller pieces. These small pieces of plastic and microplastic can then be ingested by marine life and sea birds, where it bioaccumulates up the food chain until it eventually gets to us. Current actions are being taken to reduce the amount of plastics being put into the ocean through governmental regulations and the actions of concerned citizens. The next speaker, Katie Zimmerman of the Coastal Conservation League, put a more local focus on the effects of plastic in our environment by showing pictures and sharing stories about plastic that has been found in Charleston’s water ways. She also discussed how the South Carolina government was viewing the issue of bans on plastic bags and other disposable containers. She mentioned that the South Carolina government did not really like imposing statewide laws, and that, as of now, the state legislature has decided to let local governmental bodies make their own decisions about what to do regarding these containers; however, they have said that they support bans and taxes on them. She also mentioned how some lobbyists and other powerful people have been resisting these kind of movements by trying to impose laws that make the ban of plastic bags and similar items illegal. Many of the people doing this are in some way affiliated with the large plastic manufacturing companies located in South Carolina. The final speaker was Tim Goodwin, the mayor of Folly Beach. Mayor Goodwin discussed how the city of Folly Beach has taken action within the last year to completely ban all plastic bags, plastic and styrofoam containers, and styrofoam coolers from being sold, distributed, or even allowed to enter the city as of January 2017. He said that the movement was overwhelmingly supported by citizens and local businesses, and that it received very little resistance from any of the local business owners. In fact, he said that the local Harris Teeter grocery store in Folly Beach has already begun to phase out plastic bags and other plastic-product containers in it. Finally, the event ended with some questions from the audience, mainly regarding further actions to be taken, and the screening of the documentary “Bag It.” The documentary focused on a man who stopped using plastic bags in his life, and the changes he had observed from it. It only further enforced the idea that plastic bags and other products should be phased out of use as soon as possible, because their benefits are few if any, but their problems are widespread and catastrophic.

Annie Neyle Steadman
I went the event called “Bag It” where there were three speakers that discussed the plastic bag issue and how plastic affects our environment. The first speaker was Lia Colabello who is the Director of Global Partnership and Community Engagement at the 5 Gyres Institute. Lia talked about the problems of plastic bags and what they are doing to our environment, as well as what they are doing to marine mammals. She showed us pictures of sea turtles and birds that had suffered injuries from eating plastic. The plastic had broken down into tiny pieces that the marine mammals ingested. The plastic got stuck in their digestive systems causing health issues. The sea turtle was found lethargic and was rescued by the sea turtle Hospital from the South Carolina Aquarium. After the doctors removed all the plastic that was stuck in the turtle’s digestive tract, he was restored back to health, he was released back into the ocean. The bird had died due to the same issue and when its body decomposed you could see all the plastic that the bird had ingested. The most surprising picture was of a large mass of plastic bags that a camel had swallowed and had gotten lodged in its digestive system. The camel ultimately died from starvation from ingesting plastic instead of food. The next surprising fact that Lia shared was that on a global basis, we produce a garbage truck full of plastic per minute! The next speaker was Katie Zimmerman who is the Program Director of Air, Water, and Public Health at the Coastal Conservation League. Katie talked about the places that have put in “bag bans” or some times of ordinance towards plastic usage. She also showed us pictures from our local lakes and rivers that have been impacted from all the plastic that eventually ends up in our lakes, rivers, and oceans. She said that if we can reduce the amount of plastic we use, we can make our state beautiful again. Trash on the sides of the roads are another big issue and she talked about this and about how we need to be advocates for picking up trash and teaching people what plastic is doing to our environment. The last speaker was the mayor of Folly Beach named, Tim Goodwin. He spoke about the political aspect of passing laws to get “bag bans” and how Folly Beach has turned into a plastic free city starting in January 2017. That means that no person in the city of Folly Beach is allowed to use plastic at the time of purchase. This means that all stores, restaurants, and business are not allowed to use plastic containers, cups, or bags. This is an amazing move in the right direction for the rest of the cities in South Carolina to follow because plastic is so detrimental to our environment and to our health. Plastic contains a lot of toxins that can hurt us and we need to help support this growing “bag ban” that is started to grow in popularity. We can do these this by not using plastic and picking up plastic that you see around our city.

Beginning this past May, I have been lucky enough to intern for the Restorative Agriculture Program through the Grounds Department here at the College of Charleston. The main goal of this program is to maintain our four on-campus gardens using sustainable techniques in the downtown urban environment. We also run the on-campus compost system located at 45 Coming Street. My specific role this semester is to not only maintain the gardens, but to be in charge of our social media. As the social media intern, one of my responsibilities is to promote our events and then post photos of them. Our most recent event was the Halloween Herbalism Workshop.

One of our on-campus gardens is designated as an herbal medicinal garden, containing sage, rosemary, lavender, lemon basil, lemon balm, and borage. These herbs were used in our Herbalism Workshop. As students, faculty, and community members were sipping on sage, lavender, rosemary tea made right there, my boss, Lexa Keane, went through a detailed slideshow about various herbal remedies and the importance of herbal medicine opposed to scientific medicine. We learned that the “wise-woman”, or herbal, method is more proactive and nourishing than scientific methods. We were also taught about what specific herbs can be used for. A lot of herbs have many functions and can act as: carminatives, which aid digestion; anti-inflammatorys, which help inflammation; circulatory stimulants, which get the blood flowing; emmenagogues, which promote menstrual cycles; astringents, which clears or dries things out; adaptogens, which aid the immune system; nervines, which tone and repair the nervous system; and bitters, which enhance digestion. For example, ginger is an anti-inflammatory as well as a circulatory stimulant and an emmenagogue. The different types of herbal remedies that were discussed included: infusions, which are made from leaves, water, oil, and alcohol; tinctures, which are concentrated liquids extracted from the herb; salves, which are made with infused herbal oil, beewax, and essential oil (note however, that essential oil is not sustainable, yet all of the other practices and ingredients are); decoctions, which are made from roots, bark, seeds, and can be used in teas; syrups, which are a mix of sweetener and a decoction; elixirs, which can help with long term issues; poulstices, which contain chopped herb mixed with boiling water to create a pulp; and finally compresses, which help injuries, fevers, and headaches. For a cold or the flu, an infusion would be the best remedy, yet for a liver issue, a decoction would work best.

The lesson on herbal practices was followed by the opportunity to create your own teabag or smudge stick (used to burn as incense) using the herbs harvested from our herbal medicinal garden! We harvested the herbs weeks prior and hung them around our office so that they would dry in time for this event. There was a pretty large turn-out, which I was pleasantly surprised by. People seemed to really enjoy the lecture and then were able to apply that information to make their very own tea. The workshop accomplished so much: teaching the community about sustainable practices specifically with herbs, and bringing the community together to enjoy the herbs they walk past each and every day! Overall, I think the workshop went better than expected and I am excited for our next event- the Kimchi Workshop. Interning with the Restorative Agriculture Program has taught me so much about sustainable techniques that are so easy to apply to everyday life. I would say that my lifestyle has definitely changed for the better as I continue to become more knowledgeable about urban farming and restorative agriculture practices. Feel free to “like” our Facebook Page: College of Charleston Restorative Agriculture Department, and follow our Instagram account: cofcrestorativeag.