Foraging new growth: Sustainable Carolina’s social media outreach
From posts about zero emission vehicles to sustainable tampon sourcing, the Sustainable Carolina social media pages have information on just about every way students can implement eco-friendly practices. With nearly 2,000 followers and over 750 posts, the @sustainablecaro Instagram page works to reach students in all corners of campus.
Located just a few blocks down from the University of South Carolina Horseshoe, USC’s Office of Sustainability is making USC more environmentally conscious one student at a time. Using social media, Sustainable Carolina, the office’s student led environmentalist organization, is able to bring this mission into fruition.
“Social media makes Sustainable Carolina more accessible for students on campus because not everybody goes through this part of campus. It’s a huge campus, there’s 30,000 students that go here,” sophomore Noah Raganschmalz, a Sustainable Carolina program member, said. “The chances of you knowing about every event that’s going on is slim.”
With multiple ways of getting involved — from Sustainable Carolina Garden, their K-12 program, zero waste composting program, and green certification initiatives — Sustainable Carolina is consistently busy.
“Our K-12 program goes to local schools in the area and they’ll bring kids into the garden or to different events to try to promote all this,” Raganschmalz said.
Senior Char Moorison has been working in the Sustainable Carolina Garden since their sophomore year and has grown to learn the large impact their campus’ tiny garden can have on their surrounding community.
“Technically speaking, if you look at USC and where it is, most of campus is actually in a food desert, which is where you’re not near any grocery stores within walking distance,” Moorison said. “For a lot of students without a car it’s hard for them to get off campus to buy healthy food that isn’t at a dining hall or fast food place.”
Map showing location of Garden and Market.
SUSTAINABLE STUDENTS: Junior Mai Dinh, sophomore Noah Raganschmalz and senior Char Moorison are pictured throughout the Sustainable Carolina Garden. The University of South Carolina students volunteer their time in various roles throughout the office of sustainability. “We do garden workshops and we have a newsletter that we do,” Raganschmalz said. “In the past we’ve done sustainable dyes, we’ve done making your own tea bags. We’ve done all sorts of really interesting sustainable garden related endeavors. Photos by Zaya Roberson.
Starting the week after Spring break, the garden members will return to set up a produce stand under USC’s tower for the Healthy Carolina Farmers Market. This year, Morrison will take on the position of market coordinator.
“Every Tuesday, we set up a stand and we have fresh produce. Next week we’ll probably have kale, carrots, maybe some flowers and herbs,” Morrison said. “In the past we’ve donated our excess proceeds to the Game Cock food pantry that goes to students in need.”
None of this would be possible without the commitment of student volunteers.
“We probably have between 20 and 30 dedicated garden guides, and we have anywhere between 15 and 50 volunteers a week that come help us with tasks in the garden,” Raganschmalz said. “Today, we moved a bunch of mulch that we’ve got in the garden. We lifted and divided some native irises that we have planted in here. It’s a really good opportunity for them (students) to learn about sustainable horticultural practice while still being able to volunteer and get the hours that they need for their service organizations.”
Regardless of whether it is rain or shine, the Sustainable Carolina organization feels their loyal students wouldn’t be there without their ability to reach their large student body through social media.
GROWING GREEN: A collection of photographs show parts of the Sustainable Carolina Garden. The garden aims to foster student development while also promoting healthier and sustainable food. “It’s really exciting seeing your participants make connections with the wider Columbia community, knowing how they make their food and meet with our farmers, and having this whole network,” senior Char Moorison said. Photos by Zaya Roberson.
“We use Instagram in order to promote all the stuff that we’re selling, how we sustainably harvest and donate all of our excess proceeds,” Raganschmalz said.
Sustainable Carolina’s outreach pays off when USC’s growing student body becomes more conscious about the organization’s efforts.
“I’m friends with the Gamecock Sustainability President, so he tells me all about his stuff. I know they always have the recycling bins and it says landfill if you put stuff in the trash, so that’s a good way to shame people into making conscious decisions,” freshman Madeleine McBride said. “I think they try their hardest to make it (social media) something that people can easily use.”
For other USC students like Allyn Gillam, although they don’t follow the organization on Instagram, they are aware of Sustainable Carolina’s work through other ways the organization does outreach.
“We have organization fairs, usually just once a semester, and they are typically at those. They have a GroupMe that you can be on, and you can follow them on Instagram,” Gillam said.
Even though Moorison will be graduating at the end of the semester, they know that the practices they’ve learned from the Sustainable Carolina Garden will stay with them off campus.
“I really have learned how to take care of plants, be a steward for the land and grow stuff on my own. I want to take that and make it into a hobby of my own and grow my own garden at some point,” Morrison said.
Junior Mai Dinh and fellow Sustainable Carolina Garden member has had a unique focus in her gardening experience that she hopes to continue as well.
“I definitely want to continue indoor gardening because I’m primarily in charge of the hydroponic stuff, so I’m going to be bringing that with me in the future,” Dinh said.
Raganschmalz uses his time in the garden to escape the stresses of college life and abstain from screens, but also appreciates how extensively social media has helped Sustainable Carolina reach prospective volunteers.
“I think social media also helps people realize that there is a place for social media in a place like a garden like we wouldn’t (normally) think of those two things going together,” Raganschmalz said. “You can learn how to use this as a platform for teaching and changing your community.”
