The case for going green

When Charles Fraser conceived Sea Pines a little over 50 years ago, the term “green” simply stood for the color green. Charles was way ahead of his time without knowing it. There are three major decisions he made that have stood the test of time and today symbolically represent being green:

• Creating the 605-acre Sea Pines Forest Preserve;
• Recognizing that natural beauty is a major asset;
• And creating a building code that ensures that man-made structures blend into the existing natural surroundings.

The Sea Pines Forest Preserve represents about 12 percent of the 5,000 acres that make up the Sea Pines community. It isn’t just a piece of wild land, but a place where trails and open spaces are mixed into the various habitats consisting of woods, swamps, former rice fields and lakes, making it possible for humans to interact with and observe nature from various angles. It is still a model of what a recreational space in the Lowcountry should be.

Recognizing that the natural beauty is a major asset sounds obvious. But after having traveled the entire seashore from Newport to Miami, I can attest that Hilton Head Island is one of the few places where this motto has been implemented as carefully and as disciplined as it has been here, especially considering the size of the island and the commercial value that has been established on it. (There remains, however, considerable room for improvement, but that’s a topic for another article). Selling the natural beauty is part of every tourist-related advertising campaign and part of every Realtor’s repertoire. It has become embedded in the way we speak and think about living on Hilton Head Island.

The building code — and the core values that stand behind it — is at the center of what distinguishes us from other towns. It’s what attracted us to this resort destination as visitors, and was consciously or unconsciously one of the reasons why we chose to live here.

Over time there have been numerous violations and dilutions of the spirit behind the building code. While Wexford Plantation is a wonderfully planned private community, it stands in stark contrast to the original thinking. Man-made structures were not supposed to be a representation of who we are; they were not supposed to be used to impress the neighbors; gardens were not to look planned and artificial. The real weakness of Hilton Head Island, however, is not what lies behind the gates, but what connects the many distinct neighborhoods. These mostly commercial zones do not form a cohesive and pretty picture. We need an overall plan for the entire town. That will certainly become a central discussion point as we 
recognize the need to rejuvenate our 
infrastructure and make the most of the existing assets and the remaining density units.

As much as Hilton Head Island was green before being green became fashionable, we have not continued to be on the forefront of what would have been the consequent and logical implementation of the term “living in harmony with our natural surroundings.” In fact, we are now way behind the curve when measured against the term “sustainability.”

There is stark evidence that Hilton Head Island cannot be considered an environmentally-
friendly community. For instance:

• We are not conserving water as a precious commodity that will become scarce before too long.
• We have not established a green building code to conserve energy.
• There is no island-wide recycling plan.
• We buy frozen shrimp that has not been caught locally.
• The blow and mow of gardening is taking place.
• Not all of our golf facilities follow the Audubon Society standards for environmentally-safe practices (the ones that do follow that code include Palmetto Hall, and the Ocean Course, Harbour Town and Heron Point courses at Sea Pines).

We have only paid lip services to what makes us unique and intriguing in the first place. That is a real shame, and it is time that we reverse the course. Being green does not end with agreeing not to build any structures that are higher than the tree line. Being green today has to come from the inside out; it is a way of thinking about our environment and respecting nature. Being green is morally the right thing to do. Being green will create a wave of new wealth for our country (think about being energy independent from imported oil). But more to point, being green is one of the determining factors if our island will once again be considered a first-rate place to visit, live and retire. That in return will greatly influence our quality of life and our home values. As an added bonus our grandkids will thank us for leaving this unique place in a better state than when we came here!

Onwards!

Marc Frey, CEO of Frey Media, serves on the Mayor’s Vision Task Force. Share your thoughts with Marc by e-mailing mfrey@freymedia.com or blog with him at hiltonheadmonthly.com/blogs.