BERKELEY BRIEFS

Sustainability awards Tuesday

The Sustainability Institute presents the 4th annual Sustainable Community Awards 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the South Carolina Aquarium. The event honors local environmental heroes in the private and public sectors as well as individuals from the community. The event serves both as a fundraiser to support the Institute's program efforts recognizes the contributions toward environmental stewardship.

Tickets are $35 at the door or $30 online, must be 21 or older to attend. The ticket includes the awards ceremony, live entertainment by Calvin Taylor, food and beverages

This year the recipients include The Charleston Battery, Lowcountry Local First and Nikki Seibert.

The GREENS Fund Grant will also presented at the event to Wando High School for their winning submission of a sustainable campus project. The GREENS Fund is a competitive grant awarded yearly by The Sustainability Institute and Lowcountry EarthForce for the best idea for a sustainable project from a Charleston County high school. The grant is designed to foster a stronger environmental consciousness among young adults. Wando High School plans to use the grant funding to build a greenhouse and implement a seedling program that will improve air quality one tree at a time. The Sustainability Institute was created to educate community residents about the benefits of environmental sustainability efforts.

For more information, visit www.sustainabilityinstituteSC.org or call 529-3421.

Goose Creeks gets AAA honor

AAA Carolinas' Foundation recently named Goose Creek in Berkeley County one of the three safest communities in the 2008 Traffic Safe Community of the Year. Cities were awarded in several population categories.

Goose Creek (population greater than 30,000) won for the third year in a row. Sgt. J. Shawn Crafton with Goose Creek said the police department looks at hot spots for collisions and works with individuals for selective enforcement.

The other two cities that received top honors were Newberry (10,000-30,000) and Lynchburg (fewer than 10,000).

Other communities honored included Summerville, Mount Pleasant, Sumter, Spartanburg, Hanahan, Clemson, Bennettsville and Mauldin in the medium category and Varnville, Isle of Palms, Jonesville and Elloree in the smallest division.

Traffic safe communities are selected by looking at crash statistics, number of law enforcement officers per capita, presence of a formal traffic safety program and/or existence of a special traffic division. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte provided the statistical analysis and the Carolina Motor Club Foundation chose winners in each category giving extra emphasis to those communities that are proactive in enhancing traffic safety efforts.

Arbor Day event at Quarterman

Keep North Charleston Beautiful will take part in the Arbor Day Beautification event, Saturday, Nov. 22. The 8 a.m. to noon event will be at Quarterman Park in the Park Circle area of North Charleston. The event is a volunteer effort to clean and beautify the park, with projects to include planting flowers, pruning landscaping materials, weeding the flower beds and general maintenance.

Quarterman Park is a neighborhood park that features a walking path, picnic tables, and landscaping surrounding the center duck pond that serves as a home to several species of ducks and geese.

For more information, on the Arbor Day Beautification event by calling the Keep North Charleston Beautiful office at 745-1073 or by e-mail at chanlon@northcharleston.org.