May 22, 2013 | News
Upstate, SC– Ten at the Top (TATT), through a funding commitment from Phil Hughes and Hughes Investments Inc., has established the Hughes Investments Vibrancy Initiative: ELEVATE UPSTATE Grants (EU). The program is being announced in conjunction with the Ten at the Top Community Vibrancy Workshops being held at four locations across the Upstate this week.
The purpose of the ELEVATE UPSTATE Grants is to identify and provide initial funding support for community based programs that promote community and economic vibrancy in local areas across the Upstate. The initiative will award two grants annually with each being for up to $5,000 (total of $10,000 per year for five years) from 2013-2017 to entities including neighborhood associations, civic or community based organizations, non-profit organizations or local governments that are committed to developing and implementing programs designed to increase local vibrancy in communities within the Upstate. The TATT Community Vibrancy Task Force will provide some guidance through the project implementation process if it is needed.
“Communities often have great ideas for things they want to do to increase their local vibrancy,” Hughes said. “However, they often don’t have the seed money that can get an idea moving toward an action. We want ELEVATE UPSTATE to provide that initial support so communities can create new projects and grow the vibrancy within their community and thus within the Upstate region.”
Applicants must be located in and do their work within communities in one of the ten Upstate counties: Abbeville, Anderson, Gaffney, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, or Union. Successful proposals for projects funded by EU should be able to clearly demonstrate how the implementation of the initiative that they propose will benefit and provide vibrancy in the local community. These proposals may seek to produce a physical result, such as a mural, sculpture or signage that will increase the vibrancy and sense of place within a community, or implement the first of a reoccurring or annual event or program that helps grow vibrancy within a community. Examples of projects that have provided vibrancy within communities across South Carolina and the United States are being highlighted as part of the Community Vibrancy Workshops and a list of nearly 50 vibrancy projects is available on the TATT web site (www.tenatthetop.org).
“We are very fortunate to have leaders within our region like Phil Hughes who recognize not only the importance of promoting community vibrancy, but who are also willing to help provide funding support to help communities take projects from idea to action,” said TATT Executive Director Dean Hybl.
The application for the first ELEVATE UPSTATE Grants will be available on the TATT web site by June 1st and the application deadline is September 15th. Recipients will be announced at the final TATT Forum of 2013 to be held in late November or early December.
May 21, 2013 | News
Greenville, SC– During a community presentation held at A.J. Whittenberg Elementary School, the Duke Energy Foundation presented the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee, which is coordinated by Ten at the Top, with a $75,000 grant to support the Clean Air Upstate outreach, education and action strategy in the region.
The grant will be split into two components with a portion used to expand current no-idling programs in the region and the remainder used to develop a public outreach and education initiative. Specifics on each program are highlighted below.
South Carolina’s Upstate currently meets EPA’s minimum ozone attainment levels, but EPA is expected to announce tighter standards later this year (for implementation in 2014) that could potentially put most of the Upstate, as well as Columbia and Charleston, out of attainment and result in tighter regulations on industries looking to locate or grow in the Upstate while also limiting how highway funds are spent and potentially requiring vehicle inspections and other emission reducing measures.
The voluntary actions identified by the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee in the Clean Air Upstate program serve as a proactive regional approach to try and reduce emission levels before the region is potentially impacted by additional EPA regulations.
“Ensuring our air quality levels meet EPA standards is both a public health and an economic development issue,” said Ten at the Top Executive Director Dean Hybl. “This grant from Duke Energy has allowed us to jump start the education and action programs developed by the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee and also to leverage that funding with support from other organizations to maximize the impact of the program.”
CLEAN AIR UPSTATE PROGRAM COMPONENTS: Breath Better No Idling Program: The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) currently coordinates the Breathe Better (B2) No Idling Program in approximately 50 schools across South Carolina. There are currently 14 schools in the Upstate participating in the program. The goal of the Clean Air Upstate initiative is to increase the number of Upstate schools participating to 40 by the end of 2014. The Duke Energy funding will allow for the expansion of the Clean Air Upstate B2 Grant Program, which was started earlier this year in Greenville County through a $10,000 funding grant from the Hollingsworth Funds to the rest of the Upstate. Any school in the Upstate that is currently participating or successfully starts the Breathe Better program will receive a one-time $400 unrestricted funding grant and be eligible to compete for one of five $1,000 sustainability grants that will be awarded across the region during the 2013-2014 school year.
According to DHEC, the 38 schools across South Carolina that participated in the program and provided B2 statistics for 2011- 2012 school year accounted for a combined reduction of 991 tons of CO2 and 121,659 pounds of CO while saving 6,120 gallons of diesel fuel and 95,193 gallons of gasoline. Idling time eliminated through the program totaled 12,240 hours of school bus time and 190,620 hours for personal vehicles. If Clean Air Upstate is able to grow the program to 40 or more schools within this region, it would have a significant impact in reducing emission levels.
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No Idling Parking Lot Program: Expanding on the Breathe Better program, which focuses on schools, Clean Air Upstate is creating the No Idling Parking Lot Program and is encouraging parking lot owners to designate their parking lots as “no idling zones.” Greenville Developer Phil Hughes and Hughes Investments has committed to placing the “no idling zone” signs in his parking lots around downtown Greenville. Hughes Investments will place a total of 12 signs at their parking locations with the signs expected to be placed by mid-June. This is a voluntary program with no specific enforcement, but it is hoped that the signs and awareness of the value of turning off car ignitions when parked (both to the environment and in cost savings for the driver) will encourage people to adhere to the message.
It is hoped that other developers and companies that control parking lots across the Upstate will choose to make their lots “no idling zones” by participating in this program.
Clean Air Upstate Chart and Tips: In partnership with SC DHEC, The Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee has developed an Upstate Air Alert Chart that outlines the various stages of air quality alerts and the potential physical impacts at each level. It also includes actions that can be done on Air Alert Days to reduce emissions. The committee has also developed a set of “Clean Air Tips” that will be highlighted during the upcoming public outreach/education campaign. These tips identify 11 things that all Upstate residents can do to help reduce ozone emissions.
Regional Clean Air Pledge: To date, four counties (Anderson, Greenville, Oconee and Spartanburg) along with more than a dozen businesses and organizations have approved the Clean Air Upstate Pledge. The pledge is part of the Upstate’s participation in the EPA Ozone Advance Program and illustrates a commitment by communities and organizations across the region to implement actions that can reduce emission levels. The pledge and a full list of organizations that have approved the pledge are available at www.cleanairupstate.org.
Clean Air Upstate Outreach and Education Campaign: A portion of the Duke Energy funding is being used to start a public outreach and education campaign around air quality. WSPA-TV has stepped forward to serve as a partner in this effort and is donating more than $35,000 of in-kind support to the effort. Beginning in June, WSPA and CW television stations will run Public Service Announcements featuring their television personalities Jack Roper, Kimberly Kelly and Megan Heidlberg with the messages focusing around the “Clean Air Tips.” The campaign will also feature a presence on the WSPA-TV web site, mobile applications, news programs and weather casts on ozone alert days.
Also serving as a media partner is GSA Business, which is donating print advertising and will be highlighting air quality issues in their publications throughout the summer.
“We hope this combination of focusing on actions and awareness will help grow the impact of the Clean Air Upstate efforts across the region and result in a reduction in emissions,” Hybl said. “While many of the individual actions may not seem significant if done by only one person, if these efforts become common practice for all 1.36 million people in the Upstate the impact would be tremendous.”
In addition to these components of the Clean Air Upstate initiative, the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee will continue to identify additional opportunities to reduce ozone emissions in the region. For more details or to become involved, please check out the Clean Air Upstate web site (www.cleanairupstate.org.)
May 7, 2013 | News
Upstate, SC – Ten at the Top (TATT) will be culminating a year-long initiative to identify examples of communities from across South Carolina and the entire United States that have increased the vibrancy within their local community through specific programs and initiatives by hosting a series of four Community Workshops across the region on May 22-23. Workshops will be held in Spartanburg and Greenwood on May 22nd and Clemson and Greenville on May 23rd.
The initiative represents a partnership between the Ten at the Top Community Vibrancy Task Force and Urban Policy & Planning classes at USC Upstate. For two semesters, classes under the direction of Dr. Abe Goldberg identified communities that have created local vibrancy through initiatives focused on their neighborhoods, downtowns, arts & culture, parks & recreation or programs & events. The result of the project is a Community Vibrancy Great Ideas list of nearly 50 examples that include communities of all population sizes.
At the workshops, representatives from nearly a dozen communities highlighted in the Great Ideas list will share insight on how they were able to increase the local vibrancy within their community. Currently, local leaders representing projects in South Carolina, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Texas and California have committed to participate. The workshops will be very interactive as each community leader will give a brief overview of their project and then attendees will have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with those leaders whose project is of particular interest to them.
“Compiling a list of examples is great,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top, “but rather than just reading about what others have done, we felt like it would be more valuable if we could make the great ideas come alive by bringing to the Upstate some of the people who have created successful community programs.
“Regardless of where you are located, chances are you face some of the same challenges and problems when trying to invigorate a local community. We hope by having the chance to talk directly with others who have faced similar challenges, that folks from our local communities, neighborhoods, governments and planning commissions will get a ‘spark’ that helps them perhaps gain an idea or inspiration for something they can do in their own community. By hosting these workshops across the region, rather just in one central location, we hope that interested residents from all Upstate communities will have an opportunity to attend a session and be inspired to make a difference within their own community,” Hybl said.
There is no cost to attend the workshops, but attendees are asked to register in advance at www.tenatthetop.org. For more information contact Ten at the Top at 864.283.2313.
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COMMUNITY VIBRANCY WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
May 22 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. – USC Upstate Olin Sansbury Jr. Campus Life Center, 800 University Way, Spartanburg, SC
May 22 – 3:30-5:30 p.m. – Greenwood Arts Center (Reception Hall), 120 Main Street, Greenwood, SC
May 23 – 9:00-11:00 a.m. – Clemson City Hall (City Community Room), 1250 Tiger Boulevard Suite One, Clemson, SC
May 23 – 3:00-5:00 p.m. – The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, 424 Westfield Street, Greenville, SC
Mar 25, 2013 | News
Upstate, SC – Taylors Elementary and A.J. Whittenberg School of Engineering have become the first Greenville County Schools to receive a Clean Air Upstate Grant in recognition of their participation in the Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) Breathe Better Anti-Idling Program.
The Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee, which is coordinated by Ten at the Top and consists of stakeholder representatives from both the public and private sectors, has developed the “Clean Air Upstate” initiative to help ensure that the Upstate region is continuing to focus on reducing ozone and other air pollutants in order to remain within EPA attainment levels.
The Upstate region is currently within compliance, but very close to the levels for non-attainment. If the region were to be ruled out of attainment, the additional regulations that industries looking to move to or expand in the Upstate would be significant and likely hamper the economic growth in the region. It would also limit the way communities within the region can use federal transportation funds. Turning off car engines when waiting in vehicles can result in a significant reduction in air pollutants as well as a savings in gasoline usage.
Through a grant from the Hollingsworth Funds, Clean Air Upstate is providing individual schools in Greenville County that are participating in the Breathe Better anti-idling program with a one-time $400 grant. The Breathe Better program encourages school buses and parents to turn off their engines while waiting for students on school premises. It also includes an educational component for students on the importance of clean air and how we can all make a difference.
Taylors Elementary and A.J. Whittenberg School of Engineering have both been participating in the program over the last two years and are the first schools to receive the grants. Any other school in Greenville County that is currently participating in the Breathe Better program is eligible to receive the grant this school year. Schools can also start the program and receive the grant later this fall. The Clean Air Upstate Grant program will be enlarged for the 2013-2014 school year to include schools from across the entire 10-county Upstate region.
Clean Air Upstate is also developing an anti-idling program that encourages no-idling zones in shopping centers, malls and other parking areas across the Upstate.
If your school, business or community is interested in learning more about the Clean Air Upstate program, please contact Alissa Ritzo Duncan at 864-283-2313 or aritzoduncan@tenatthetop.org or check out the website www.cleanairupstate.org.
Jan 22, 2013 | News
Upstate, SC – Ten at the Top, an organization created to foster collaboration and partnerships across the Upstate, will focus the first Our Upstate Vision Forum of 2013 on the topic of Workforce and Skill Development. The forum, which is free and open to the public, is being held from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 31, 2013 at BMW Zentrum (1400 Highway 101 South, Greer, SC 29651). A networking reception will immediately follow the forum.
The overall theme for the 2013 Forum Series is “Destination 2030: Thinking BIG and BOLD About the Future of the Upstate.” Each forum will focus on a different topic and look at short, middle and long term opportunities that can help ensure that the Upstate in 2030 is universally recognized as a leader in that particular area. Workforce and Skill Development has been identified by business, education and economic leaders as one of the most critical issues facing the Upstate region, as well as the entire United States, when looking toward future growth and economic success.
Many organizations are currently engaged in Workforce and Skill Development at some level and the January 31st Forum will include an overview of Workforce and Skill Development in the Upstate; who is working on this issue, what is being done about it, and how it is funded.
Josh Copus, with the National Association of Workforce Boards, will share what innovative ideas are working around the country. Copus will analyze what other areas are doing to become “cutting edge” in the Workforce and Skill Development area. He will dig deeper into specific examples of what is being done and how they have been able to succeed. On a larger scale, Copus will explain how these areas have been able to create community buy-in and political will to help them succeed.
Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top, will lead an interactive discussion where the attendees and “BIG and BOLD subject experts” will be encouraged to suggest and brainstorm ideas they believe will help to push the Upstate to the forefront of Workforce and Skill Development. The open discussion will include ideas on how to enhance current efforts as well as to grow middle and long term opportunities that focus on collaboration and maximizing resources across the Upstate.
The Our Upstate Vision Forum Series began in 2012 with four TATT hosting four forums across the Upstate. The Series continues in 2013 with BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina serving as the Series Premier Sponsor. The Workforce and Skill Development Forum is being hosted by TATT in partnership with the four Workforce Investment Boards in the region.
There is no cost to attend the forum, but attendees are asked to register in advance at www.tenatthetop.org. Registration deadline is January 30th. For more information contact Ten at the Top at 864.283.2313.
Dec 10, 2010 | News
Upstate, SC– Ten at the Top (TATT), an organization created to foster collaboration and planning in the Upstate region, is partnering with the South Carolina Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to host a Spanish speaking community forum on Thursday, January 13, 2010. This special Spanish language forum is being held, in addition to 12 county-specific community forums that were held in October and November, to ensure additional community involvement in the development of the Shared Upstate Growth Vision and implementation strategy for the region. The event will take place at the NEXT Innovation Center in Greenville County from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. and is open to all Upstate residents, though attendees are asked to pre-register to participate by going to www.sharedupstatevision.org.
The Upstate is projected to add more than 250,000 residents and 200,000 new jobs over the next 20 years. In preparation for this growth, leaders and decision makers within the region must have an understanding of what people value about the region today and what they see as priorities for the future in order to maintain and enhance the quality of life that makes the Upstate a wonderful place to live.
“Community involvement is the backbone of creating a Shared Growth Vision for the region,” said Dean Hybl, executive director of TATT. “We are thrilled to partner with the South Carolina Hispanic Chamber to host this forum and reach out specifically to the Hispanic community. We hope that many Hispanic Upstate residents will participate in this and future community outreach because every voice is important.”
Since the beginning of the TATT visioning effort, nearly 9,000 residents across the Upstate have provided input through questionnaires, visioning exercises, community meetings and outreach presentations. A regional forum will be held on April 27,201 where the final Shared Upstate Growth Vision and Implementation Strategy will be unveiled.
