Blog

Getting Around Campus Sustainably

Coming from a bike-oriented background, steering the Furman University Paladins on Bikes (FUPOB) program seemed like a perfect fit for me. However, taking on the role of Alternative transportation Fellow offered much more than simply...

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Marketing and Sustainability: An Unexpected Duo

  If you asked me a year ago what sustainability looked like, I would have said something about recycling and trees. That is definitely a part of it, but my time at the Shi Institute...

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Introducing Our 25-26 Shi Fellows!

With the fall semester well under way, our 2025-26 Shi Institute Fellows have already been hard at work pursuing diverse projects in alternative transportation, communications, and sustainability culture change. From planting and harvesting on the...

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The impact of a volunteer: My experience at Friends of the Reedy River

It's a humid Wednesday at 7:30 in the morning. Despite the early hour, the South Carolina heat has already begun to sink into the ground and leech onto you. As you walk along the Swamp...

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Finding Strength in Collaboration for Climate Action

Growth comes in different forms and this summer I have grown to be more detail-oriented and collaborative. My name is Vanessa Amasi and I am a rising senior pursuing a B.S. in Sustainability Sciences. After...

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Communications and Outreach at the Shi Institute

Actually, my job… it’s just Canva. Okay there’s more to it, but that’s probably how Ken from the Barbie movie would describe it. My name is Riya Lala, and this summer I am working with...

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From Code to Community: Technology’s Role in Sustainability

“Why are you working at Shi? You’re a computer science major with a minor in data analytics. How will you work at the farm?” That was the question my friend asked when I shared that...

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What is the most effective way to solve the climate crisis?

Companies are disproportionately responsible for the climate crisis. According to the international nonprofit InfluenceMap, from 2016 to 2022, 80% of global carbon dioxide emissions were produced by just 57 companies. I first learned about this...

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Don’t Get in the Water: My Internship with Friends of the Reedy River

Before I began my internship with Friends of the Reedy River, a nonprofit based on protecting our local watershed, I didn’t realize the problems right here in my own backyard. I remember walking around Falls...

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Piecing Together Community Through Creative Reuse

Can a retail store operate solely on donations from the community? The answer is yes, and ReCraft is doing it! I remember visiting ReCraft last summer as a volunteer and was amazed by the amount...

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Environmental Stewardship at Conestee Nature Preserve

There’s a moment at Conestee Nature Preserve when the noise of the city just… fades. Maybe it’s when you’re standing on the boardwalk by West Bay, watching a great blue heron glide across the wetland,...

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Growing Change in Our Local Communities

How often do you question where your next meal will come from? Will it be nutritious? Will the food you eat be culturally relevant to you and sustainably and locally sourced? Not everyone in the...

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