Businesses, groups keep Earth Day spirit going

Earth Day has come and gone, but that doesn't mean protecting the environment should fall a few pegs on your priority list.

It certainly hasn't for some local businesses and organizations. Some of those listed below offer ways to help you ride the green wave all the way to Earth Day 2009, while others should be noted for their dedication to practices such as "downcycling" or their commitment to educating others about environmental issues.

--A New Leaf Studio: Owner Annie Mueller has introduced two eco-friendly programs to the upscale floral design and container gardening studio's already long list of green practices.

A percentage of all independent flower orders will be donated to The Sustainability Institute, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving South Carolina's natural resources.

Customers who bring a vase or container to the studio at 73 Spring St. to be recycled will receive a 5 percent discount on a future cut-flower order.

--B Squared Purchasing: A Mount Pleasant-based company specializing in sourcing and buying furnishings and equipment for small to midsize properties and designers, B Squared has introduced a mailbox post made from 100 percent recycled milk jugs and plastic containers. The post is designed to offer homeowners and residential developers a sustainable, recycled and green alternative to wood and metal mailbox posts.

--Viridian Day Spa: At 1067 Cliffwood Drive in Mount Pleasant, Viridian is donating trees to the Arbor Day Foundation to be planted in national forests for every treatment booked at the spa between April 18 and today. Treatments must be $85 or more.

--Sylvan Dell Publishing: Volunteers from this Charleston-based children's book publisher and Lowcountry Earth Force, a local nonprofit group that teaches students how to create lasting solutions to local environmental problems, are on a mission to educate nearly 800 students in eight area elementary schools about the importance of protecting the environment.

The school visits began on Earth Day and will continue through Friday.

"Our plan is to get the kids thinking about our environment while still having fun," said Sylvan Dell Publisher Lee German.

--College of Charleston: The college will introduce a new class for the fall semester, Sustainable Business Venturing.

Taught by David J. Hansen, the course approaches environmental problems as entrepreneurial opportunities and sees entrepreneurs as influential in creating social and economic change.

By the end of the course, students will have teamed up to develop a well-defined, sustainable new-business concept.

Reach Abi Nicholas at 937-5524 or anicholas@postandcourier.com.