City of Charleston launches the first-ever environmental corridor in Southeast

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – The City of Charleston is taking a major step towards sustainability with the launch of a new initiative focused on improving the environment and enhancing the quality of life for its residents.

Mika Gadsden, Director of Sustainability for the City of Charleston, said the environmental corridor project is called The Just Corridor– named in honor of pioneering African American biologist and Charleston-native Ernest Everett Just.

She said what makes the project so exciting is that it will be the first-ever ecological corridor in the Southeast.

“I think it’s important for coastal cities like Charleston that have tons of visitors and enjoy this amazing distinction as a historic city. It’s important for the rest of the country to see that we’re leading the way in this field and that we’re protecting the very things we hold near and dear, which are our residents and, of course, our beautiful city,” she said.

Gadsden said the city’s initiative aims to enhance natural spaces, strengthen green infrastructure, and boost resilience against environmental challenges. This includes helping to deliver cleaner air, fresh water, and more green public space to all Charleston residents, regardless of their zip code.

She said The Just Corridor initiative is part of a larger effort to adapt to climate change by integrating nature into everyday life and creating solutions that benefit both the environment and the community.

“Hopefully, what this does is address some of the issues that have persisted for years here in Charleston. It won’t solve it, but it will definitely help to remedy some of those things and bring about more beautiful open spaces, invite pollinators, get the community out to do things like adopt a drain or start their own rain gardens in their lawn,” Gadsden said.

Gadsden also shared other ideas like planting more trees to increase shade and cool down certain areas, expanding public parks and improving access to recreational spaces- all in the name of coexisting with nature.

“I hope folks understand that it’s not some unrealistic method or approach to solving the challenges that come with climate change. It really is learning how to live with water and live with our environment better. And so, it complements a lot of the larger scale, more traditional building and planning and growth by making sure that we hold space for natural environment or features, making sure that we hold space for our natural environment. So, yeah, it’s not as complicated as it might sound, it really is a way of working with nature,” she said.

She emphasized that the initiative goes beyond environmental improvements and also aims to inspire residents to adopt eco-friendly habits in their everyday lives.

“What our ecological corridor does is help implement more green infrastructure solutions to help with things like flood mitigation or even solving some of the peskier problems that come with the challenges of climate. What we hope to do is empower residents and teach them how they themselves can be stewards of the environment, but also bring about more green infrastructure projects that help complement the gray infrastructure,” Gadsden said.

She said green infrastructure encompasses ideas such as designed innovative tree wells, creative living shorelines, attracting pollinators to the area, or encouraging locals to start their own rain gardens.

Gadsden said while the corridor won’t immediately solve problems like flooding, it addresses persistent issues and will help create remedies to long-term solutions.

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