Project Sustainability

Peggy Smedley and Erik Glassen, senior brand manager, Kwikset, talk about the state of security and the state of the smart home. He says door hardware is the first thing people see when they come to your home, and it is the last thing they see and touch when they leave. Security is the No. 1 reason for being, but there is a huge style component to door hardware. They also discuss: The look, feel,...

Peggy Smedley and Erik Glassen, senior brand manager, Kwikset, talk all about home security. He says one of the big trends in home security is you need to trust the brand you are using—and then you can look for a product that works best for your home. They also discuss: Three basic buckets for door locks that can be customized for a homeowner's needs. Some big trends—like aging in place and rental...

Peggy Smedley and Susan Landau, Bridge professor in cybersecurity and policy, Tufts University, discuss connecting a lot of things in our home and what we need to be aware of. She says you first need to think about why you are doing this, what is the benefit you are getting, and who has access to the information. They also discuss: When to use a VPN. Whose responsibility home security is. What dam...

Peggy Smedley and Susan Landau, Bridge professor in cybersecurity and policy, Tufts University, talk about cybersecurity in our homes and in our cities. She says security and privacy are both getting worse and getting better. They also discuss: How much information we are giving away and how it is hard to be private on our devices. An example of how it is hard to protect your privacy. The importan...

Peggy Smedley and Lynda Powers, senior strategy and collaboration manager, Duke Energy for the Carolinas, talk about why electric companies encourage energy efficiency. She explains why utility companies would even want customers to be more energy efficient, saying when they are individually efficient, it makes the entire utility system efficient. They also discuss: How homeowners can better track...

Peggy Smedley and Eddie Cogdill, existing industry manager, South Carolina Dept. of Commerce, talk all about commerce's role in the EV (electric vehicle) space. He says the mission is to create economic opportunities to increase choices for all South Carolinians. They also discuss: The South Carolina Dept. of Commerce's main objectives in the EV space. How this will impact economic development and...

Peggy Smedley and Rob Bedenbaugh, director of engineering support, South Carolina Dept. of Transportation, talk about the South Carolina NEVI (National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure) plan and EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure. He says the NEVI formula program is a federal source of money that is comprised of $5 billion nationally that is going to be doled out to the various state DOTs (depart...

Peggy Smedley and Don Bent, chief operating officer, Oshkosh Defense, talk about how the company has built trucks for more than 100 years. He says while vehicles are the business, it is so much more than that and it has a mission to protect and serve communities around the world. They also discuss: A new facility in South Carolina to produce the next-gen delivery vehicle for the U.S. postal servic...

Peggy Smedley and Adam James, director of transportation, Greenville County Schools, talk about the schools and an electric school bus received on a grant in South Carolina. He tells the story of how a student wrote an essay and the school won an electric school bus. They also discuss: How long they have been using the bus and an initial issue that was quickly overcome. How the infrastructure requ...

Peggy Smedley and Mike Bullman, director of transportation, South Carolina Dept. of Education, talk about electric school buses in South Carolina. He says this might be a good time to go back and talk about infrastructure and the plan is to put charging infrastructure at each location the buses are housed at. They also discuss: Range anxiety and other hurdles that need to be overcome. How many of...

Peggy Smedley and Mike Bullman, director of transportation, South Carolina Dept. of Education, talk about how South Carolina got started in the EV (electric vehicle) bus space. He says there were four school districts that were awarded buses, and those were the first brought into the fleet. They also discuss: What will be delivered in the next 60 days, bringing this to a larger scale. What makes t...

Peggy Smedley and Lisa Lillelund, director of channel sales, Proterra, talk about electric school buses in South Carolina. She says they are very excited about the Dept. of Education going electric and bringing in zero-emission school buses to South Carolina. They also discuss: How Proterra got involved in school buses. Why safety and performance are key in electric school buses. How the program i...

Peggy Smedley and Stacey Washington, senior program manager, and Sara Bazemore, director, South Carolina Energy Office, talk about EVs (electric vehicles) and energy management in South Carolina. They additionally talk about the electric vehicle stakeholder initiative report that was just released, which includes automakers, fleet managers, utilities, the public at large, and anybody that might ha...

Peggy Smedley and Stan Cross, electric transportation policy director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, talk about encouraging consumers who have two vehicles in their family fleet to replace one of them with an electric vehicle. They discuss some of the barriers to getting that done. They also discuss: What the federal government has done in the Inflation Reduction Act and where to go to learn...

Peggy Smedley and Stan Cross, electric transportation policy director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, talk about EVs (electric vehicles) and the big picture of where the state of South Carolina is at in terms of EV adoption. He says the alliance tracks indicators to understand whether a state is leading or lagging in this transition to electric transportation. They also discuss: How much has...

Peggy Smedley and Buz Kloot, research associate professor, University of South Carolina, talk about where to go next with our gardens. He says if you are starting with a garden, he would advise not to go to a store to buy a big machine to dig a ditch. He says to start small and start with the tools you have. They also discuss: To start with a regenerative agriculture practice by thinking about wha...

Peggy Smedley and Buz Kloot, research associate professor, University of South Carolina, talk about his experience of creating a garden in his own yard, that has happened in the last 10-15 years. They talk about his evolution—and how he has changed his practices. They also discuss: Why it is important to share crops with the animals in your yard. What makes unhealthy crops unhealthy—and how to avo...

Peggy Smedley and Buz Kloot, research associate professor, University of South Carolina, continue their conversation, talking about health, eating habits, and gardening at home. He says one of the reasons he changed to a plant-based diet is because he had a heart attack about 18 months ago. They also discuss: The definition of a plant-based diet—and how many calories should come from vegetables. H...

Peggy Smedley and Buz Kloot, research associate professor, University of South Carolina, talk about some of the trends of growing your own garden in response to what is happening in the soil health movement. He says he looks at the data and system a little bit differently. They also discuss: The five principles of soil health. How to make your garden grow better and to make it healthier—and determ...

Peggy Smedley and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about how to entice and motivate consumers to do something about water stewardship now. He says you must have some sort of filtration system in your home for health because there hasn't been an update to the Clean Water Act since 1990. They also discuss: The chemicals that we are exposed to every single day that aren't regulated. How mu...

Peggy Smedley and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about filtration technology and how it is providing a better atmosphere for the consumers at home—and ultimately helps them be a good steward of water. He says there are all sorts of technology out there to consider. They also discuss: How the only way to create pure water is through reverse osmosis. Two specific technologies that will...

Peggy Smedley and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about how to implement water stewardship qualities in our homes. He says 80% of the U.S. is covered in hard water and just an 1/8 inch of scale to a water heater or water bearing appliance can reduce its efficiency by 30%. They also discuss: How hard-water effects personal appearance, health, and dry skin issues. Examples of stewardship...

Peggy and Erik Bernal, CEO, Elite Water Systems, talk about water stewardship. He defines it as we are making efficient use of water, we are protecting the asset, and we are not going to recontaminate our sources in a way that makes life much harder. They also discuss: A historical perspective of water use. How much of the Earth is fresh water. Why water scarcity is at the forefront right now. eli...

Peggy Smedley and Alistair Banham, CEO, pureLiFi, talk all about LiFi and the benefits for the home. He says LiFi (light fidelity) is a high-speed wireless communication that uses the light spectrum as opposed to the RF spectrum. They also discuss: The differences between LiFi and Wi-Fi, how they are complementary, and the maturity curve. How LiFi is secure, can't be detected, and can't be hacked....

Co-hosts Peggy Smedley and Rene Rieck, global product marketing, manager, Alexander Maier, talk about the company and what it is doing. He says the company is providing energy-management solutions and talks about how it can help homeowners. They also discuss: How software can help reduce costs for a homeowner. Integrating AI and demand response into homes. How to be conscious about your energy usa...