Sustainability Institute, along with City of North Charleston, wins national Award of Excellence and grant from the Home Depot Foundation. about us... Sustainability Institute ( SI ) is an award-winning, nonprofit, 501c ( 3 ) organization with a mission of empowering South Carolina communities to transform our homes and workplaces to conserve energy and reduce our overall environmental impact. We accomplish this in three ways: Sustainability Institute brings a unique nonprofit mission, mindset and community-oriented focus to South Carolinas sustainability movement. While most environmental groups focus on land or water conservation, the Institute focuses on empowering South Carolina communities - people - to transform where and how we work and live. The Sustainability Institutes philosophy is about teaching and transferring skills, building expertise and being a cutting-edge resource to development more people to help lead this movement. The Institute is guided by an active thirteen member Board of Directors that represents businesses and leaders in the sustainability movement in the Lowcountry. The Board meets monthly and has several active committees that meet regularly. Meet the Board Our daily work is currently led by a staff of four professionally-certified sustainability and energy experts - two are LEED Accredited Professionals ( APs ) and one is a certified Home Energy Rater ( HERS ). All staff have extensive education in environmental policy and practical experience in implementing initiatives in South Carolina communities. Meet the Staff