People Get Ready: A Social Impact Model

NON DEBIT CUI PLUS LICET QUOD MINUS EST NON LICERE

God;
Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference
Thy will, not mine, be done
- Reinhold Niebuhr -

Give me whereon [to] stand and [I will] move the earth
- Archimedes -
For what shall it profit a man
if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul
- Jesus’ Mark 8:36 -
A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses,
it is an idea that possesses the mind
- Robert Oxton Bolt -
When we change the way, we look at things,
the things we look at, change
- Dr. Wayne W. Dyer -
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery,
none but ourselves can free our minds
- Bob Marley –
- How can I change the world, when I can’t even change myself
Try again tomorrow
- Todd Rundgren -
The test of a first rate intelligence
is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time
and still retain the ability to function
One should, for example, be able to see things as hopeless
and yet be determined to make them otherwise
- F. Scott Fitzgerald -
Our cities, our technology and our architecture
give us the illusion of controlling nature when, in fact, it is nature that controls us
- Anthony Brown –
There is no wealth like knowledge, no poverty like ignorance
There is no fire like lust, no crime like hate,
There is no ill like the body, no bliss higher than Peace
- Siddhartha Gautama -

in.san’i.ty n. (L. insanitas (-atis), from insanus, unsound, insane)
Trying to solve problems; expecting different results; using the exact same methods

Why can’t we all just get along?

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key
- Winston Churchill –

When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace
— Jimi Hendrix –

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream,
not only plan, but also believe
- Anatole France -

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world
- Harriet Tubman -
Table of Contents

The Bricks of Our Walls … iii
Mission Control v
I. Executive Summary x
II. Products and Services xiv
III. Market Analysis with Statistical Abstract xvii
IV. Facilities and Operations Plan xxii
V. Marketing Strategy xxix
VI. Management Structure xxxiii
VII. Financial Needs Assessment xl
VIII. Closing Prayer xlii
IX. Resources and Supporting Page Links xliv

X. Supporting Documents xlvii

Mission Control:
Our mission here is to make a difference:
• In our society
• In our environment
• In our didactic edification

All while deftly employing our own distinguishing amalgamation of
 Recreation
 Realization
 Rehabilitation
o and

• Hope

Our vision here is to create a sustainable community as a comprehensive living experience, an intelligently designed creation fashioned from diverse culture, concept, wisdom and truth as an exercise, an example, a model and as a goal for all:

Our successors
Our descendents
Our children
~ Whom are:
• The recipients
• The inheritors
• The beneficiaries
• Of – Our - World

The whole of our efforts here shall be based on and upon the foundation of sustainable design, where we as a society must begin to prepare, in order that we be prepared, for a world to be one day again, devoid of fossil fuels and the modern day conveniences that they afford us.
Notwithstanding a minor allusion or two toward the major inconveniences that our addiction to petroleum products has effected upon our lives like stress, global warming, terrorism and seemingly insurmountable waste produced by our own overconsumptionism.
In these United States, clearly, we did enjoy the cheapest food in the world, with also the most expensive health care. Although it costs our planet, about ten calories of what was once buried hydrocarbon energy, now being released into the atmosphere by combustion as carbon oxides and gaseous acids, in order to produce about one calorie of food for us.
According to recent estimates, we will have used up about half of the world’s fossil fuels by the year 2020 as our population doubles to about thirteen billion by the year 2050.
That being said then, it is not that much of a stretch to see the end of the oil era now is it. Where then, would we go from there, or, where could we go from here?
Sustainable philosophy education, in architecture and permaculture, conservation and reclamation, today, in both the animate and the inanimate are necessities, in order to ensure our smooth transition into and continued existence in, this new world, when that day comes.
Successful preparation requires extensive consideration of our past and present environment, conservative planning for our future and the application of our findings. Our survival depends on it. We are an endangered species of our own design, unless we do something about it and now is as good a time as any for us to be doing something about it.
Our objectives here are to meld solutions to basic problems inherent within our society by setting an example with character, cooperative effort, in living peacefully and in harmony with our environment and in the application of these solutions in the form of a viable, sustainable, community based cooperative effort. Some of these solutions have been around for quite a while, actually, from the beginning, however, we are only an emissary charged with their present voice.
Our mission, our intention, our end, in league with the ultimate intelligent designer; To make a difference in our society and in our environment for the benefit of all of society and our environment.
Our mission; To offer spiritual principles and practices in work, conscience, humanity, character, principle, morality and sacrifice, will be by setting an example as a part of our daily operating routine, with our education and rehabilitation programs for our club members and for charitable purposes, available to everyone open and willing to be students of life.
Our mission; To promote the greater good with our recreation services as a primary funding source for our education and rehabilitation offerings; To develop our community sustainably and in harmony with nature; To be the best we can be at everything we do, one day at a time with perpetuity is to be an example, a model and a goal for all.
~ How can outreach help change behavior?
~ Changing behavior through education and developing responsible attitudes among citizens and communities is not a simple task, but experience has demonstrated that it can be done.
~ Think of times when you've changed your own attitude or behavior, perhaps when you finally realized that it really isn't so hard to separate the recyclables from the trash or decided to get serious about a diet or exercise program.
~ A few things happened before the behavior change took place.
~ First, you received information on the ramifications of your current behavior-specific data on the problem.
~ Then you linked your actions to something you cared about — your health or your pocketbook.
~ Finally, you decided to do something about it.
~ Sustainable Development:
~ Development which seeks to produce sustainable economic growth while ensuring future generations' ability to do the same by not exceeding the regenerative capacity of nature.
~ To meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
~ Sustainability is a state of mind and way of life:
~ Incorporating sustainability principles, concepts and approaches in both formal and informal education processes will help institutionalize these concepts and encourage their widespread adoption.
~ Individuals contribute to local and global sustainability when they adopt more responsible patterns of buying and consumption, thereby consuming less energy and fewer resources.
~ Good physical and mental health throughout the community is essential to allow citizens to participate fully in community life.
~ Home design and maintenance can promote and model more sustainable lifestyles.
~ Healthful, non-polluting approaches at home and throughout the community can contribute to sustainability and support the local ecosystem.
~ Affordability may actually be a key element of sustainability.
~ A sustainable community is one that has a stable mix of residents and workers, living and working in the community rather than the model of distant suburbs for housing that is affordable, with commuters going to work nodes that are deserted and dangerous at night.
~ Information on this topic should focus on those aspects that make the communities great places to live. Great livability should be the one over-riding impression that consumers are left with regarding these communities.
~ Specifically, the information materials should stress the human dimension of sustainable communities and the potential personal benefits that resonate most strongly with consumers - community interaction and dialogue with neighbors, access, convenience, safety, affordability, recreational opportunities and so forth.
~ While the twin themes of environmental stewardship and legacy should be clearly addressed in the information materials, they should not be overly emphasized, rather, they should be woven into and build on this overall message of great livability.
~ This paper is written with the intention that it will induce each and every one of us that makes the effort to carefully consider all of these words, all the quotations and all of this thinking as a whole, having been delicately crafted into this composition in order that we would, should, view this concept as the direction our existence on earth should progress.
~ The universe, in whole, is sustainable, as it is recyclable and this concept should be our focus for living as we are, they, whom are responsible for the world we leave behind us.
~ Proceeds, from the implementation and accomplishment of this manner of thinking, this system of living, this philosophy and way of life, are a byproduct of responsibly doing what you love to do and in doing what you believe in, not the sole purpose in doing it.
~ Please, enjoy this creation responsibly and as always, lead by example.
~ Permaculture is a sustainable approach to designing human settlements, in particular the development of perennial agricultural systems that mimic the structure and interrelationship found in natural ecologies. It is an ecological design system for sustainability in all aspects of human endeavor that teaches us how to build natural homes, grow our own food, restore diminished landscapes and ecosystems, catch rainwater, build communities and much more.
~ Aquaculture is the sustainable cultivation of the natural produce of water (fish, shellfish, algae and other aquatic organisms). Also known as aquafarming, the term distinguished from fishing by the idea of active human effort in maintaining or increasing the number of organisms involved, as opposed to simply taking them from the wild.
~ Low Impact Development (LID) is a sustainable landscaping approach that can be used to replicate or restore natural watershed functions and/or address targeted watershed goals and objectives.
~ Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of tourism, which appeals to the ecologically and socially conscious. Ecotourism focuses on local culture, wilderness adventures, volunteering, personal growth and learning new ways to live on the planet; typically involving travel to destinations where flora, fauna and cultural heritage are the primary attractions.
~ Off-the-Grid: The term off-the-grid or off-grid refers to a way of living that relies on renewable energy and on-site water sources rather than traditional public utility sources provided by the utility "grid." Off-grid homes are autonomous — i.e. do not rely on municipal water supply, sewer, gas, electrical or similar utility services. A true "off the grid" house is able to operate completely independently of traditional public utility services. The idea has proved to be of enduring interest to architects as well as environmentalists.
~ Going off-grid can be done for altruist reasons, or to lower the environmental impact of living. As the typically limited amount of on-site renewable energy available is an incentive to reduce its use, it is often utilized in residential buildings only occasionally occupied, such as vacation cabins, to avoid high initial costs of traditional utility connections. Others may choose to live in these alternatively equipped dwellings where the cost of outside utilities is prohibitive, or such a distance away as to be completely impractical.
~ In his book "How to live off-grid”, Nick Rosen lists seven reasons for going off-grid. The top two are saving money, and reducing the carbon footprint. Others include survivalism, preparing for the era of peak oil and bringing life back to the countryside to name a few.
~ Dynamic Equilibrium: The state of existence in which ecological communities persist through time, are modified by and adapt to, disturbance.
~ Environmental architecture: A holistic approach to designing around and with the natural elements to create a building that is both healthy inside and is integrated into the site and the local vernacular.
~ Social Enterprise: A social mission driven organization that trades in goods or services for a social purpose; An organization or venture that advances its social mission through entrepreneurial, earned income strategies.
~ Social Entrepreneur: Society’s change agent; Pioneer of innovations that benefit humanity.
I. Executive Summary
A. Business Description
Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club, is as proposed, the 501(c)7 part of our social enterprise to be operated here as a recreation, vacation and education - an ecotourism oriented cooperative, providing outdoor recreation with sustainable development and environmental education, planned ecotourism activities and amenities of the more pastoral, campgroundesque atmosphere, for locals and visitors to our own Horry County, South Carolina’s, Grand Strand, recreation and vacation, tourism industry.
Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club, will be engineered and constructed within the ecologically efficient, environmentally friendly, sustainable design - philosophy -throughout the entire project, which will hopefully carry on into our local communities and beyond with its principles and practices.
Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club, will hold on a regular basis as one of our many amenities, sustainable design philosophy, hands on educational workshops covering the complete scope of sustainable design practices from simple structures engineering and construction through environmental education, conservation and reclamation, recycling and permaculture engineering through to their implementation.
Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club, is a sister corporation of, prime revenue source and funding mechanism for, the works of Southern Salvage, the 501(c)3 part of our social enterprise offering mentoring, life coaching and assistance programs available to specially qualified disadvantaged individuals from our locale and beyond, open and willing to reassess, readdress and redirect, life.
Southern Salvage, will be charged with operating the recycling, realization and rehabilitation side of our proposal with revenues generated from the recreation, vacation and sustainable education side that will be used to cover development of and operating expenses for, programs and services that we feel are necessary and appropriate to accomplish our goals of community extension services in hopes of mitigating the mounting human consequence of our society.
B. Services
Club offerings – countrified recreation and vacation activities, outdoor hospitality industry accommodations, amenities and services in our unique rustic setting will be the mainstay of our business, with also much open spaces reserved for outdoor special events hosting and other club amenities such as environmental and sustainable education workshops, public parks and recreation facilities, planned outdoor activities and ecotourism guided tours.
C. Market
Our market is to be established globally, with our targets mainly visitors to Horry County’s camping, recreation and vacation, ecotourism industry, with also appeal to local and regional outdoor lifestyle enthusiasts, sustainable education students and practitioners.
D. Competition
Our competition is from ~ area campgrounds and declining as current trends prompt premier camping location owners along the Grand Strand’s sixty miles of beaches to liquidate their parks to developers for more lucrative higher density multi use planned development districts such as high and low-rise condominiums, town homes and apartments with entertainment, dining and retail shopping complexes. Thus, causing ever more shrinking outdoor recreation resources available for a now briskly expanding retirement age, baby-boomer generation fueled market.
E. Location
Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club, is strategically positioned on fifty acres in the Red Bluff Community of Horry County, SC, less than one mile from the interchange of the Conway Bypass, Hwy 22 at Hwy 905, on Daphane Drive.
We are easily accessible, located central to Horry County’s road network and only ten minutes west of the Grand Strand’s entertainment and beach lifestyle draw.
Demographic shifts for Horry County can only be westward due to the ominous presence of the Atlantic Ocean to the east, our neighbors in North Carolina at our northernmost and Georgetown County at our southernmost borderline.
Residential and retail developments are already appearing along Hwy 905 and other secondary highways in every direction from us and all around us, as population shifts in this direction are inevitable.
Our bordering counties are not experiencing the sustained growth that Horry County has been, nor will they due to their roots not being in the tourism industry.
Horry County is now, has been and will be, with no end in sight, one of the fastest growing counties and tourism industry economies in this country.
F. Staffing
Permanent staff positions will be available year round for housekeeping, grounds and park keeping, maintenance and management. Special positions will also be available for supervised activities such as ecotours, riverboat tours and guided trail rides with also a few educationalist positions available for interested sustainable philosophy professors, docents and their assistants.
G. Financial Needs
Immediate financial needs for this endeavor will be for marketing planning development and implementation services after our site evaluation and consultation involving civil, architectural and permacultural engineering. Legal and accounting services will be necessary for proper corporate structuring and asset management, with expenditures for site development, facilities construction, capital equipment and operating costs in line as our project’s development progresses towards accommodating our member’s interests and addressing the needs of our at-risk populace to include the homeless, disabled and otherwise economically disadvantaged.
H. Earnings/ Projection
Our reach, in terms of earnings, which will directly affect the programs we offer, will be based primarily on the area of land we can improve, the number of quality sites, units, facilities and offerings we can develop, for our members recreation and vacation uses.
The success of our recreation end will dictate the reach of our social impact.
Phase One, on seventeen acres, is to incorporate one hundred fifty full hookup campsites of which one hundred are designated park model sites, with the remaining fifty designated to be pull through sites for RV owners. Other improvements of this phase are to include the check-in-office/ management building, club dining facilities and amenities offerings.
Phase Two, on twenty-nine acres, is proposed to include up to a six-acre recreational use pond, six plus acres of pine forest for primitive camping use only and thirteen or so acres for cabins of diverse and sometimes experimental sustainable designs wrapping around and through our woods.
Phase Three, on three and a half acres designated for management, staff and student housing, along with meeting spaces for our community outreach, self-help, life coaching and mentoring facilities that will be utilized by Southern Salvage.

Success is the intelligent use of mistakes in self-renewing schools.
The moral imperative of the school is for its members to move into their areas of incompetence: if we already knew exactly how to do this work, we would not have the purposeless cycles of educational reform that schools are endlessly caught in.
We all need to learn new roles and relationships.
Carl Glickman

II. Products and Services
A. Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club will be geared toward the outdoor recreation, primitive camping through recreational vehicle owner and cabin renter variety visitor, vacationer and ecotourist service industry offering our members:
1. The use of club:
a. RV’s for offsite use and our own custom built park model RV’s on our sites
b. Full hookup and dry sites for our nomadic RV owning member types
2. Expanding beyond the recreational vehicle club offerings to include:
a. Primitive camping facilities, for those who prefer tents, or not
b. Cabins, for those of us who like cabins
c. Beds and Breakfast for those so inclined
3. With future reserved uses to include:
a. Condo style deeded RV sites
b. Time Share Town Home style units
c. Private Residence Club Fractionals
4. Other offerings will also include:
a. A large special events outdoor gathering area with stage for music festivals
b. Outdoor sporting areas w/equipment for club and public use
c. A general store stocked with eco-products that support our vision of sustainability
d. A miniature golf course somehow based on our philosophy
e. A recreational outfitters rental and retail goods store befitting of our rural lifestyle
5. Club owned buildings and out-parcels can be built to suit and/ or available for rent or lease to:
a. Vendors of food, beverages, entertainment and etcetera
b. Public and private social gatherings such as wedding receptions and graduations, community meetings, self help and support groups and etcetera
6. Club amenities and planned activities will be:
a. An equestrian boarding facility with pasture and riding area
b. Red Bluff Back Roads Country Trail and Hay Rides for future transportation clues
c. A six acre recreational use pond stocked with local species for catch and release bank, bridge and non motorized small craft fishing and pleasure boating to include a one acre beach area reserved for sunbathing, swimming and snorkeling
d. Waccamaw River Floating, Scenic, Fishing and Historical Guided Ecotours
e. A Club House with WiFi, PBS/ ETV, DVD and other media sources of moral value and educational programming content towards meeting our curriculum
f. Swimming pool, sauna, spa and a fitness center to keep our tips in top shape
g. Luxury Roman bath and showers for our relaxationing after our recreationing
7. Sustainable philosophy ongoing educational workshops in:

a. Permaculture
b. Aquaculture
c. Earthen Architecture
d. Recycling
e. Conservation Reclamation
f. and Ecological Education
B. Southern Salvage, Mentoring, Life Coaching and Assistance programs will be geared toward reclaiming, reeducating, in turn, recycling, the human consequence of our society.
1. Individual and group oriented mentoring and life teachings in character trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, honesty, courage, diligence and integrity.
2. Vocational mentoring programs in the automotive industries and construction industries will be available for those inclined to take up work in those fields.
3. Academic programs will be in conjunction with strategic alliances.
4. Life Coaching in character education along with basic life concepts, including problem solving principles and practices will be offered to all and as best of our ability.
5. Assistance for our graduating students will be in the form of employment on our staff if they so choose, transportation from our stock of recycled vehicles and home ownership programs from our inventory of our sustainably designed and built home offerings.
6. Enrollment requirements for our services and programs will be taken first, from applicant need, capability, capacity and motivation.
C. Proprietary Position
1. This plan is a proprietary intellectual property belonging to this writer and our Creator.
2. The appendices and supporting documents are properties that belong to the writers so referenced.
3. This plan is a work in progress and as such is updated regularly in order to accurately reflect the current position and direction this writer is growing.
4. All readers are welcomed to submit for consideration any relevant question, comment, insight, experience, inspiration or information that can be incorporated into and toward fostering good in and of the spirit of this plan.
D. Strategic Alliances
1. Southern Salvage Where the River Flows is open to and currently negotiating strategic alliances with agencies and services toward meeting our objectives.
2. Our objectives are to receive qualified clients from primary rehabilitation agency alliances for extended after care and pre reentry into society.
3. We will also work with the local school boards toward mitigating the dropout student rate by interesting them in our mentoring programs as an alternative learning venue.
4. Others, interested in our programs, though not fitting the above criteria are also welcome on an availability basis that we will always work toward accommodating.
III. Market Analysis with Statistical Abstract
A. Description of Market
1. Home to the famous Myrtle Beach, Horry County, South Carolina has a permanent local population of approximately 217,608.
2. Myrtle Beach’s many titles include:
a. “The Seaside Golf Capital of the World”
b. “The Campground Capital of the World”
c. “The Miniature Golf Capital of the World”
3. And more recently dubbed:
a. “Sportstown USA”
4. Considered one of the nation’s top vacation destinations, and ranked No. 2 of the top 10 beaches by National Geographic Traveler Magazine, the Grand Strand hosts about thirteen million visitors annually.
5. Earning 18 out of a possible 20 stars, Myrtle Beach was singled out as the Best Family Beach.
6. A review on the Travel Channel’s Web site, discovery.com, states, “Myrtle Beach is the East Coast’s ultimate vacation hub.”
7. The Myrtle Beach area was named one of the nation’s top vacation spots for retired American age 55 and older, according to a study by tourism researchers D.K. Shifflet & Associates.
8. They also ranked the M.B. area #5 in the nation for leisure destinations.
• Source: Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, Appendix “A”
9. As we develop, mature and progress here at Southern Salvage Where the River Flows we will always be looking to further our community outreach programs when and where appropriate.
10. Local Issues that need addressing are usually the same in every city although we are feeling the impact as more of a growing pain, before unnoticed now less than ignorable.
11. Homelessness in Horry County is at an all time high as we grow in popularity with workers migrating here from all over the southeast in hopes of finding prosperity.
12. Affordable housing, now at an all time low as developers target retirees for a higher profit margin forgetting their labor force’ needs and their American dream.
13. Education is believed to be fair by most respondents, although SC as a whole has the worst or one of the worst public school systems in the nation.
14. Employment, better known as unemployment, sustained here at around five percent, although the majority of the jobs available are at or below a living wage.
15. Crime is rising as with any growing metro area although the issue it seems is being handled appropriately by the local law enforcement agencies.
16. Drugs are always a problem and our local judicial branch has enacted a drug court designed to help alleviate some of the overcrowding at the detention center.
17. We will be keeping an eye on these issues and towards mitigating the ones we can.
B. Target Market
1. Where the River Flows, target market will be drawn from:
a. Visitors to Horry County for outdoor recreation, vacation and ecotourism
b. Sustainable education students, practitioners, professors and alumni from anywhere and everywhere in the world with thinking and learning to share with us
c. Local and regional outdoor sports, recreation and entertainment aficionados
C. Industry Trends
1. Internet Postings of Industry Specific Trends:
a. 17 percent of summer travelers plan to use an RV, while 16 percent intend to enjoy an all-inclusive resort. 16 percent plan to travel outside the U.S. and ten percent say they plan to take a cruise.
b. Many trips will include children this summer, with 37 percent of travelers taking kids on their longest trip. Six percent will include a grandchild.
c. Traveling with one's spouse is also popular (55%), as is traveling with other family members (19%) and traveling with friends (13%). 7 percent will travel with their parents and 8 percent will travel solo.
d. The top three planned activities are visiting friends and relatives (75%), going to a beach or lake (70%) and visiting small towns or rural areas (64%).
e. Rounding out the top ten summer traveler activities are: visiting cities/urban areas (54%), visiting national or state parks (47%), visiting historic sites (41%), camping, hiking or climbing (38%), fishing (36%), attending a family reunion (35%), or attending performing arts events (34%)
f. What else will summer travelers be doing? One-third plan on visiting museums (33%), theme parks (31%), gambling casinos (26%) or attending cultural events such as ethnic festivals (24%).
• Source: Yatesny.com/ Mike Linehan
g. Meanwhile, the 2005 edition of Woodall's North American Campground Directory lists 6,942 private campgrounds and 4,249 public parks in the U.S. for a grand total of 11,191 parks.
h. By Woodall's count, these parks provided 890,749 commercial campsites and 376,157 public campsites. And Woodall's does not pretend to have included absolutely every single park.
i. Last year's Woodall's directory, by the way, listed an additional 2,347 parks in Canada — 899 public and 1,448 private - with a combined total of 271,151 campsites in addition to 395 public and private parks in Mexico consisting of 18,383 sites.
j. Curiously, the number of campgrounds appears to be declining by most accounts, particularly in places like Florida, South Carolina and British Columbia, where real estate values are prompting RV park owners to sell off their parks to developers. Beyond Florida, however, we really do not know if the number of campsites is rising, falling or holding steady.
• Source: Woodalls.biz/ Jeff Crider
2. These resources, destination parks, available for family outdoor recreation and camping are steadily shrinking as campground owners sell their properties to developers for other uses.
3. The outdoor recreation, camping and tourism industry is expanding as around 11,500 baby boomers are retiring daily.
4. This being said, we stand to fill a growing void between the market and the resources available for this industry in this area.
D. Competition
1. Our competition is based loosely on 12 Horry County campgrounds
i. Apache Family Campground & Pier
ii. Briarcliffe RV Resort
iii. Lakewood Camping Resort
iv. Little Pee Dee River Heritage Preserve Camping
v. Myrtle Beach KOA Kampground
vi. Myrtle Beach RV Resort
vii. Myrtle Beach State Park Campground
viii. Myrtle Beach Travel Park
ix. Ocean Lakes Family Campground
x. Pirateland Family Campground
xi. Williamson RV Resort
xii. Willowtree RV Resort
2. There are zero Horry County campgrounds based on club membership.
3. There are zero Horry County campgrounds based on sustainable design.
4. There are zero Horry County campgrounds with the extent of offerings proposed here.
5. There are zero Horry County campgrounds with the community extension, education and assistance efforts comparable to those that we have proposed.
6. In conclusion, there are no Horry County campgrounds or resorts anything quite like what we propose: Therefore, Where the River Flows, Recreation and Vacation Club is a unique application of sustainable philosophy as a foundation for recreation and education and as such has no competition.

The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write,
but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
Alvin Toffler

I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles, which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
Booker T. Washington

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi

IV. Facilities and Operations Plan
A. Location
1. Where the River Flows, Recreation and Vacation Club is located in the Red Bluff Community of Horry County, one mile from the interchange of the Conway Bypass, Hwy 22 at Hwy 905, we are central to Horry County’s road network.
a. Ten minutes east to Hwy 17 via Hwy 22 and the Grand Strand’s draw;
b. Twenty-five minutes to Hwy 501 via Hwy 22 and westward outbound;
c. Our easy access to Hwy 17N, outbound is via Hwy 22E to 31N to 9E to 17N taking the main roads though a shortcut is to use Hwy 22E to 90N to 57N and through to 17N in Brunswick County North Carolina;
d. Our easy access to Hwy 17S, outbound is via Hwy 22E to 31S to 544S to 17S taking the main roads though a shortcut is to use 905S to 701S through Conway to Georgetown.
2. We are in one of the most accessible, least congested areas of Horry County and are now a prime location to develop a new recreation and vacation, campground resort.
3. As Horry County’s sustained growth progresses, congestion is imminent.
4. The Grand Strand’s traffic is now and has been a burden for RV owners.
5. The only logical course for development is to progress west along Horry County’s westbound arteries and north/south connectors.
6. The Conway Bypass, Hwy 22, is a newer four-lane road built to federal interstate specifications and is as yet, a not very congested thoroughfare.
7. Interstate 73 will connect into Hwy 22 to the west of us in the very near future.
B. Facilities
1. Southern Salvage Where the River Flows, Recreation for Education Club compounds, facilities, dwellings and infrastructure will be based completely on low impact development and sustainable design practices.
2. Construction materials utilized shall be harvested from our grounds when and where appropriate. Materials not harvested from our grounds will be from reused, repaired or recycled when available. New materials will be purchased only where and when necessary shifting the bulk of our construction dollars spent to the laborers’ payroll.
3. Specialized equipment such as for HVAC and refrigeration will be from old technology designs such as wood fired, steam boiler systems for heating and ammonia based absorptive and thermal convective, cooling technologies.
4. Electricity used onsite will be produced and managed by active solar, wind and other mechanical generating systems as appropriate coupled with battery backup storage arrays. Excess electricity will be routed and returned to the local electric cooperative.
5. Electrical devices and appliances utilized here will be mainly of a low voltage DC design based on availability, capability and feasibility.
6. Water will be supplied from wells with wind powered and human powered technology such as fitness and playground equipment energies diverted to mechanical pumping equipment with tower type storage units to supply gravitational pressure.
7. Organic waste management methods will be handled by the latest in technologically advanced recycling practices such as:
a. Gray water waste in conjunction with rainwater collected by our roofs and stored in cisterns will be utilized for our grounds and gardens irrigation needs.
b. Organic yard trimmings in conjunction with composting toilets will be used to produce composts utilized as fertilizers for our grounds and gardens needs.
c. Food waste generated by our café and other eateries will be utilized as sustenance to help support our livestock.
8. Inorganic waste products will be collected and donated or sold to the appropriate waste management and/or recycling agencies.
9. Specific site built structures utilizing earthen and other sustainable building methods such as Cob, Adobe, Pressed Earth Block, Rammed Earth, Earthship, Tire Bale and variations of these using stabilized earths for use as club facilities, operations, amenities, dwellings and other buildings to include:
a. Over the Rainbow Check-In/ Administration Offices;
b. Last Chance General Store;
c. Long Tail Cat Fitness and Health Center;
d. The Silver Cup Café;
e. Lick-e-tee Split My Ice Cream Parlor;
f. The Hurricane Arts and Entertainment Club;
g. Critical Mass Gathering Hall;
h. Long Hard Ride Recreational Outfitters;
i. The Road Less Traveled Bed and Breakfast;
j. Romanski Luxurious Bath House;
k. Member accommodations;
l. Staff accommodations;
m. Saunas, spas, picnic and play enclosures;
n. Maintenance and grounds equipment storage buildings;
o. Housekeeping and member laundering facilities;
p. Equine boarding, tack and congregation facilities;
10. Recreational vehicles sites in phase one will be clustered in multiples of units, grouped in named localities each offering a different tropical essence:
a. Key Largo, max 18 units, three rows of six;
b. Islamorada, max 12 units, two rows of six;
c. Marathon, max 21 units, one row six, one seven, one eight;
d. Big Pine Key, max 17 units, one row of eight, one of nine;
e. The Lower Keys, max 50 spaces designed specifically as pull through sites;
f. Key West, max 31 units, four rows one of each, six, eight, eight and nine;
11. Southern Salvage‘ very own vocational mentoring facilities will include:
a. Vocational automotive industries mechanical and restorative services shops with attached bone yard.
b. Vocational construction industries, tradesman, handy man, home maintenance and improvement skills shops supporting a charity senior, low-income community home repair and maintenance assistance program accomplished in concert with student labor and donated materials.
C. Capital Equipment
1. Grounds keeping equipment will be:
a. Aerators, Blowers, Chain Saws;
b. Edger’s, Hand Mowers, Reel Type Lawn Mowers;
c. High Wheeled Mowers & Wheeled Brush cutters;
d. Riding Mowers/Tractors, Power Pruners, Pressure Washers;
e. Sprayers, String Trimmers, Wheeled String Trimmers;
2. House keeping equipment will consist of:
a. Washing machines, dryers, folding tables and golf carts;
3. Maintenance equipment will start with:
a. Lifts, benches, diagnostic and hand tools;
4. Administrative office equipment will be a few:
a. Computers, printers, office furniture, paperclips, toner, pencils etcetera;
5. Recreational vehicles as equipment:
a. Park models for on site use only;
b. Buses and RV’s for on and off site use;
6. Basic earth moving equipment for site construction:
a. Loader, backhoe, track hoe, excavator, dozier, skid steer, dump truck;
7. Specialized sustainable construction equipment such as:
a. Pressed earth block manufacturing machine;
b. Earth grinder/ mixer and conveyor for pressed earth block manufacturing supply chain;
D. Sources of Supply
1. Products utilized here will be from recycled, reused or refurbished first, where appropriate and available.
2. New products will be used only where and when necessary from vendors for:
a. Recreational vehicles and RV supplies
• RVtoyoutlet.com/ 800.RVOUTLET
• Brownsrvsuperstore.com/ 877.805.3658
b. Manufactured cabins/cottages/gazebos/sheds/garden fixtures:
• SpiritElements.com/ Scarlett Joy
c. Cabin furnishings:
• BlackForestDecor.com/ 800-605-0915
d. Fitness equipment
• ProForm.com/ 888.742.0128
e. Pools, saunas and spas:
• Nationalpoolwholesalers.com/ 866.455.POOL
f. Sustainable goods and supplies:
• RealGoods.com/ 800.919.2400
• GAIAM .com/
• Motherearthnews.com/
• FWHorch.com/ 207.729.4050
g. Photovoltaic equipment
• SiliconSolar.com/ 800.653.8540
• COSolar.com/800.766.7644
• PlanetarySystems.com/ 406.682.5646
h. Grounds keeping equipment:
• NorwalkPowerEquipment.com/ npeco.com
i. House keeping equipment:
• ImperialCoinLaundry.com/ 866.260.7900
j. Pressed earth block building equipment:
• Adobeblock.com
k. Maintenance equipment and tools:
• NorthernTool.com
• HarborFreight.com
l. Administrative equipment:
• OfficeDepot.com
• OfficeMax.com
m. Administrative software:
• ManagerPlus asset management software
• CampgroundManager campground management software
• QuickBooksPro accounting software by Intuit
E. Availability of Labor
1. Immediate labor needs for our doors to open will be from the pool of hospitality industry workers that predominate this area. The majority of jobs in Horry County are related to the services necessary for successful tourism based businesses. Approximately 65 to 70 percent of Horry County’s employment is tourism related.
2. Eventually and within a certain timeliness, labor for this endeavor shall be drawn from Southern Salvage, our sister corporation, after its implementation. Southern Salvage is a mentoring, life-coaching and assistance program that will be administered to specially qualified individuals and families. Graduates will only then be permitted to relocate to club facilities and employed in staff positions intermediate to their reentering the public work force, if they so choose.

Help your children understand that excellence in education cannot be achieved without intellectual and moral integrity coupled by hard work and commitment.
National Commission on Excellence in Education.

Poverty is caused by the choices of the poor, the lack of human and social capital, exploitation of the poor and political/economic structures.
There is good research in all four areas and therefore our communities must address all four areas when developing sustainable communities.
Phillip De Vol

V. Marketing Strategy
A. Marketing
1. Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, services, organizations and events to create and maintain relationships that will satisfy individual and organizational objectives.
B. Pricing
1. Club memberships will be implemented accordingly:
a. Lifetime memberships will be available at a preconstruction discount only until our Grand Opening.
b. Lifetime memberships will only be available at full price after our Grand Opening.
c. Annual memberships will only be available after our Grand Opening.
d. Non-monetary donations towards membership fees will be accepted in lieu of cash based on our current need of specific donation such as goods, services etc.
e. Dues will be assessed in weekly increments based on accommodations usage.
f. Floating week’s memberships include usage of two consecutive weeks per month with a two-week interim between usages, subject to availability by advance reservation.
g. Fixed week memberships also include one or more fixed weeks per year in addition to the usual usages floating week’s memberships allow.
2. Club ownerships will be as follows:
a. Owners can occupy sites for no more than one hundred eighty days out of any three hundred sixty five day period.
b. Sites can be sublet with normal dues and additional subletting fees arranged for and paid for by owner in advance of occupancy.
c. Cabins can be owned and occupied under the same rules as sites.
C. Promotion
1. Marketing and Promotion services will be handled by:
a. Locally
• Area Chambers of Commerce
b. Regionally
• Area Chambers of Commerce
• Navigant Marketing/ Ignacio Ponce de Leon
c. Internet presence
• Vacationsbuyowner.com/Jennifer
• Timesharesonly.com/Jimmy
D. Plan
1. Our marketing objectives are to rollout introduction of our project in hopes of attracting our target audience to become members, throughout a storyline format, graphical rendering with written narrative, advertising campaign located on our internet site with traffic to our website generated by conventional marketing methods.
2. Our marketing strategy will be to begin by securing viable conceptual electronic renderings with a comprehensive written narrative depicting our community concept suitable for internet posting and conventional publishing in bound paper fashion.
a. Once in place conventional marketing techniques can be implemented attracting visitors to our website in order to view our project and proposition.
b. An onsite membership promotion and acquisition office will handle all phone and foot traffic generated with also a satellite office at a premier location on the beach.
3. Our goals toward opening day of operation are twofold:
a. Tentatively, we are aiming to have our Grand Opening festivities in the summer of ’08 with our facilities accommodating member’s recreation and vacation needs and our workshops accommodating our sustainable education students.
b. We also are aiming for several fundraising events to be scheduled throughout the months prior to the summer of ’08 in the form of outdoor music events, shows and festivals.
4. Our markets will be fivefold:
a. Local market campaigns will be the most effectual for special events, shows and outdoor music festivals with public announcements reserved for area billboards, radio and television spots.
b. Regional campaigns will be oriented toward specific long weekends and holidays with area wide special events and festivals via radio and television spots with some specific periodical advertising.
c. National and International campaigns will be coordinated with the local area Chambers of Commerce via their advertising policies and procedures with specific audiences targeted in conjunction with area wide events towards attracting a longer staying recreation and vacation oriented tourist.
d. Internet presence will be handled by various industry-marketing agents charged with attracting traffic in interested parties and assisting them through the process of membership acquisition after assimilating the marketing materials we have posted.
5. Our targets shall be threefold:
a. Baby boomers, nationwide, with recreation and vacation interests, which will be a steadily growing market for our tourism industry for years to come
b. Sustainable design students and practitioners will be attracted as we build our facilities, implement our workshops and collaborate with accomplished members
c. Regional visitors and our “locals” with like interests in both weekend recreation, entertainment and/or education
6. Our competitors will be of no concern to us as there are none at this level.
7. Our budget will be dictated by consumer demand generated in and through membership sales, donations and support with also any government and private assistance towards the creation and maintenance toward purposes of our endeavor.

Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think.
Benjamin Disraeli

Take the obvious, add a cupful of brains, a generous pinch of imagination, a bucketful of courage and daring, stir well and bring to a boil.
Bernard Baruch

It is change, continuing change, inevitable change,
that is the dominant factor in society today.
No sensible decision can be made any longer,
without taking into account not only the world as it is,
but the world as it will be…
Isaac Asimov
VI. Management Structure
A. Principals
1. Developer/ Director/ Social Entrepreneur: Jeffrey Strelioff
B. Experientia
1. Academic experiences include but are in no way limited to:
a. High School: Riverdale HS, Class of ’76, Fort Myers, FL
b. University: University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
c. Community College: Edison CC, Fort Myers, FL
d. Correspondence College, various schools
• All the above majors focused on business/ management/ law
2. Vocational experiences include but are in no way limited to:
a. Welding fabrication and repair
b. Reinforcing steel placement
c. Concrete placement
d. Carpentry – form, frame and trim
e. Plumbing – water and gas
f. Electrical home wiring
g. Automotive mechanics
h. Mechanical and structural applied engineering
• All of the above both traditional and on the job training
3. Life occupational experiences include but are in no way limited to:
a. Single family home construction in most trades
b. Structural steel fabrication and erection involving commercial projects
c. Lead and labor positions for reinforcing steel placement subcontractors contracted to build:
i. Privately owned high and low rise condominiums projects
ii. Government bridges, water and wastewater treatment facilities
iii. Other many and diverse commercial construction projects
d. Contracting businesses in single-family home construction:
i. Garage Door, Fireplace and Shelving Installation
ii. Home Improvements and Services
e. Contractor experiences in cable TV, and satellite TV installation
f. Managerial, supervisory and labor positions in the foodservice industry
i. Short order and dinner dining establishments
B. Duties
1. Duties as Executive Director of Operations will be:
a. Administration, delegation and accountability of managerial responsibilities for both Southern Salvage and Where the River Flows
• Shall be the Chief Executive officer of the organization and will be charged with the general oversight, care and management of the day-to-day affairs of the organization
• Shall perform public relations functions as necessary
• Shall preside over all meetings and events
• Shall be responsible for all official contacts, contracts and correspondence and the delegation of duties thereof
b. Knowledge of the following Theories, Principles, Practices and/or Content:
• Principles, theories, and practices of business administration
• Principles, theories, and practices of administrative rulemaking
• Principles, theories, and practices of budget management
• Principles, theories, and practices of performance management
• Principles, theories, and practices of leadership
• Applicable laws, rules, regulations and/or policies and procedures
• Application of negotiation techniques and methods
c. Skills/ Abilities:
• Sets goals, objectives, policies and procedures
• Ensure compliance with contract terms, policies and procedures, etc
• Communicate information and ideas clearly and concisely
• Read and understand information presented in communications
• Build mutual trust, respect and cooperation
• Coordinate the activities of people, groups and/or organization(s)
• Supervise others by assigning and/or directing work
• Conduct employee evaluations, staff training and development
• Take appropriate disciplinary/corrective actions
• Make hiring/termination recommendations, etc
• Exercise authority and influence diplomatically
• Speak before a group of people
• Develop approaches for implementation of any idea, program or change in operations for the good of the whole organization
• Identify developmental needs of others and coach, mentor, or otherwise help others to improve their knowledge, skills and abilities
• Develop an image of how a system should work under ideal conditions and implement an exercise of this image to the best of ability
C. Staff
1. Proposed personnel necessary for staffing Where the River Flows will be:
a. Manager (1)
b. Assistant Managers (2)
c. Lead Personnel (6)
d. Housekeepers (3)
e. Grounds Keepers (3)
f. Stable Keepers (3)
g. Lake Keepers (3)
h. Pool Keepers (3)
i. Equipment and Maintenance Technicians (3)
D. Duties
1. Managerial duties and responsibilities will be:
a. Manage all campground operations and personnel including
• Ability to act in the place of and in the absence of the director
• Ensure compliance with all applicable policies and guidelines
• Audit and review activities/ programs under his/ her operation
• Serve as liaison with regional, concession and contract agencies
• Manage the work force and ensure fair employment practices
• Performs tasks as a supervisor of field personnel
b. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Comprehensive knowledge of policies and procedures with the ability to interpret, disseminate and ensure compliance with the same
• Ability to gather and analyze data and apply results to management of recreation activities and programs
• Knowledge of related membership agreements and club policies that apply to specific campground registration and reservation systems
• Knowledge of contracting policies and procedures
2. Managers Assistants, Reservations and Check In Office personnel duties and responsibilities will be:
a. Act in place of and in the absence of their superiors
b. Responsible for auditing personnel, preparing remittances and deposits and other specific fee collection reports
c. Responsible for fee collection and reservation equipment procurement, operation, maintenance and replacement
d. Responsible for overall protection of resources within area of responsibility
• Provide supervision of personnel
• Performs audits and analysis, follows-up with solutions to problems
• Operates campground registration system
• Performs campground fee collection duties
• Resolves conflicts and complaints
e. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
• Knowledge of all supervisory principles and practices
• Ability to perform audits, identify fiscal discrepancies and take resulting appropriate corrective action
• Ability to perform fee collection duties
• Knowledge of campground registration systems, and ability to utilize associated electronic equipment
• Knowledge of specific campground registration system, including skill to perform basic computer operations (if applicable)
• Knowledge of club fees, collection policies and procedures
• Knowledge and understanding of park resources and regulations, member services and facilities, park geography and local features
• Ability to communicate orally
• Ability to deal with a high volume of personal, often stressful, contacts and to resolve conflicts
3. Housekeeping personnel duties will be:
a. Daily monitoring and maintenance of all site housekeeping needs
4. Grounds keeping personnel duties will be:
a. Daily monitoring and maintenance of all onsite grounds keeping needs
5. Stable keeping personnel duties will be:
a. Daily monitoring and maintenance of our stable, stable users and stable usage
6. Lake keeping personnel duties will be:
a. Daily monitoring and maintenance of our lake, lake users and lake usage needs
7. Pool keeping personnel duties will be:
a. Daily monitoring and maintenance of our pool, pool users and pool usage needs
8. Maintenance personnel duties will be:
a. Daily monitoring and maintenance of all site and equipment maintenance needs
E. Compensation
1. Compensation as Director will be:
• Salary based on ten percent of gross proceeds
2. Compensation as Manager will be:
• Salary based on ability, attitude and motivation @ 25 ~ 55k/ yr
3. Compensation as Assistants will be:
• Salary based on ability, attitude and motivation @ 20 ~ 50k/ yr
4. Compensation as Desk Clerks or Park Keepers will be:
• Hourly wages from 10 to 15 dollars per hour
5. Compensation as House and Grounds Keepers will be:
• Hourly wages from 10 to 15 dollars per hour
6. Compensation as Maintenance Technicians will be:
• Hourly wages from 10 to 15 dollars per hour
F. Leases
1. Lessees will be sought out for full time on site support businesses
a. The Silver Cup Café
b. The Hurricane Arts and Entertainment Club
c. Last Chance General Store
d. Long Hard Ride, Recreational Outfitters
e. Dust in the Wind Equine Activity Facilities
f. The Road Less Traveled Bed and Breakfast
G. Outsourcing Professionals
1. Outsourcing to Professionals will be for:
a. Certified accounting services
b. Legal services
c. Corporate services

VII. Financial Needs Assessment
A. Application of Projected Cash-Loan-Grant-Subsidy Proceeds
1. Sustainable engineering, planning and consultation services include:
a. Civil engineering, planning and consultation:
• Earthworks/ Steve Annese
b. Architectural engineering, planning and consultation:
• Dennis Holloway, Architect
c. Permaculture engineering, planning and consultation:
• Exos Design/ Douglas Bullock
2. Marketing planning, branding, development and implementation:
• Navigant Marketing/ Ignacio Ponce De Leon
3. Internet and conventional marketing and closing services:
• Vacationsbuyowner.com/ Jennifer Wilson
• Timesharesonly.com/ Jimmy
4. Pro forma profit/ loss projections and cost analyses:
• Deep South Enterprises/ Jeffrey Strelioff
5. Corporate legal and accounting services:
• Corporate Service Center/ Wayne
6. Perpetual land lease:
• Landowner/ Joy Strelioff
7. Site work to include clearing, grading, pond excavation and spoil relocation to make the land environmentally safe and suitable for our uses:
• Deep South Enterprises/ Jeffrey Strelioff
8. Watershed management - improvements under Low Impact Development standards
9. Facilities and operations buildings construction utilizing earthen building methods and sustainable techniques:
a. Deep South Enterprises/ Jeffrey Strelioff
10. Manufactured park model units for member accommodations:
a. Park Models Manufacturers/
11. Standard construction tools and equipment will be as for contemporary heavy concrete construction consisting of forms, shores and other applicable pouring and finishing tools such as pumps and troweling machines.
12. Sustainably designed construction equipment as appropriate for our needs:
a. Powell & Sons Pressed Earth Block Manufacturing Equipment
• Block Maker
• Earth Mixer
13. Heavy equipment needed for site work and facilities construction

• Backhoe
• Excavator
• Dozer
• Dump Truck

Many of the problems of our modern world, ranging from disease to drugs to crime to terrorism, derive from the inequalities between the rich and the poor … be they rich nation versus poor nation or rich community versus poor community. It is in the best interests of the well-off to help empower those who are not as well-off to improve their lives.
- Jeff Skoll -
VIII. Closing Prayer
In the light of knowledge attained, the happy achievement seems almost a matter of course, and any intelligent student can grasp it without too much trouble. But the years of anxious searching in the dark, with their intense longing, their alterations of confidence and exhaustion, and the final emergence into the light—only those who have themselves experienced it can understand that.
- Albert Einstein –
Mohandas Karamachand Gandhi, one of the most influential figures in modern social and political activism, considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to humanity.

• Wealth without Work
• Pleasure without Conscience
• Science without Humanity
• Knowledge without Character
• Politics without Principle
• Commerce without Morality
• Worship without Sacrifice

Sen. Hubert Humphrey, quoting President Franklin D. Roosevelt, uttered these words:
A society is to be judged by how they care for those who live in the dawn of life,
those who live in the dusk of life and those who live in the shadows of life.
Those who live in the dawn of life are children.
Those who live in the dusk of life are the elderly.
Those who live in the shadows of life are the helpless, whether due to poverty, race, ((read prejudice and discrimination)) addiction or other debilitating circumstances.
We, as men, every one of us, all have the duty and the responsibility, to contribute to the proliferation of, the greater good of humanity, not only towards our own stack.
Our human nature, our selfishness, our greed has left potholes in our society that we are not willing to, do not know how to, or much less even care to, fill.
Here, at Deep South Enterprises Southern Salvage Where the River Flows,
we have the opportunity, the determination and the resourcefulness,
that it takes for us to be the leader in this business.
Our goal here is to create an economically and ecologically self-sustaining community by rethinking, reclaiming and recreating every brick, brick by brick, one-brick-at-a-time.
This, Southern Salvage Where the River Flows is commissioned with undertaking,
under which and by no means, shall this task be taken lightly.
We know we will face adversity, resistance and opposition from those who do not understand us, or our mission, which shall not deter us from our goals.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also
Moreover and as we prepare for our future, the future for us is prepared.

Some men see things as they are and ask why
Others dream things that never were and ask why not
-George Bernard Shaw -
This is the Key
It is important to have in mind that evil is essential to the order of the world
and the birth of the good
- Jesred –
The true measure of a man
is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good
- Benjamin Franklin -
Know a man not by how he treats his superiors or equals,
but know a man by how he treats his inferiors
— Leonardo Da Vinci -
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you
- Matthew 6:33 –
Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things
that escape those who dream only by night.
- Edgar Allen Poe -
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,
to them who are the called according to his purpose
- Romans 8:28 -
Life is eternal and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon
And a horizon is nothing, save the limit of our sight
- Carly Simon -
It is in vain to expect our prayers to be heard,
if we do not strive as well as pray.
- Aesop -
But God, Grant me also the courage and
the persistence not to give up on what I think is right, Even though I think it is hopeless
- Gill Brown -

Come on people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another
Right now

Wise men talk because they think they have something to say,
Fools talk because they have to say something.
- Plato -
IX. References, Resources, Definitions, Supporting Documents and Otherwise Pertinent Reading Material Amassed for Your Perusal:
A. Habit is a Cable
1. http://www.habits-of-mind.net/quotcover.htm
B. Using the Hidden Rules of Class
1. http://www.ahaprocess.com/files/DeVol_UsingtheHiddenRulesofClass.pdf
C. Social Entrepreneurship
1. http://www.fuqua.duke.edu/centers/case/documents/dees_SE.pdf
2. http://www.skollfoundation.org/aboutsocialentrepreneurship/index.asp
3. http://www.skollfoundation.org/aboutsocialentrepreneurship/whatis.asp
4. http://www.skollfoundation.org/media/skoll_docs/2007SP_feature_martinosberg.pdf
D. The Future for Social Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise
1. http://www.cobwebinfo.com/pdfs/The%20future%20for%20social%20entrepreneurship%20and%20social%20enterprise.pdf
E. Social Justice Overview
1. http://www.synergos.org/knowledge/02/socialjusticeoverview.pdf
F. Philanthropy and Social Change
1. http://www.resourcegeneration.org/Resources/giving_soc_change.html
G. Social Enterprise
1. http://www.smallbusinessnotes.com/interests/socialenterprise.html
H. The Index of Social Health
1. http://iisp.vassar.edu/ish.html
I. Philosophy as defined by Wikipedia.org
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Philosophy
J. Energy Descent Action Plan
1. http://www.eatthesuburbs.org/edap-primer/
K. Is Sustainable Agriculture an Oxymoron?
1. http://www.patternliteracy.com/sustag.html
L. Low Impact Development
1. http://www.wbdg.org/design/lidsitedesign.php?print=1
M. Strengthening Non-Profits: Capacity Building and Philanthropy
1. http://www.humaninteract.org/images/hiri_capacity.pdf
N. Conservation by Design
1. http://www.nature.org/aboutus/howwework/files/cbd_en.pdf
O. Affordable Housing Environments
1. http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.org/resources/why_ecosystem.html
2. http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.org/resources/ah_reasons.html
3. http://www.affordablehousinginstitute.org/resources/6dimensions.html
P. Greywater Irrigation - grey waste treatment
1. http://greywater.com/
Q. Alternative Construction Methods
1. http://www.reddawn.com/constructfaq.html
R. How Rammed Earth Construction is Made
1. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Rammed-Earth-Construction.html
S. Pressed Earth Block Manufacturing and Construction Demo Video
1. http://www.adobemachine.com/midland3.wmv
T. Building With Tire Bales - Addressing Some Engineering Concerns
1. http://www.buildwithearth.com/tirebale4c.pdf
U. Solar Energy Industries Association
1. Our Solar Power Future
a. http://www.seia.org/roadmap.pdf
V. Thermal Mass
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_mass
W. Pise de Terra (Rammed Earth)
1. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Rammed-Earth-Construction.html
2. http://webs.ashlandctc.org/jnapora/hum-faculty/syllabi/trad.html
X. USDA Recreation, Tourism and Rural Well Being
1. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err7/err7.pdf
Y. Character Education Partnership
1. CEP’s Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education
a. http://www.character.org/atf/cf/%7B77B36AC3-5057-4795-8A8F-9B2FCB86F3EB%7D/ElevenPrinciples.pdf
2. Cep’s Character Education Quality Standards
a. http://www.character.org/atf/cf/%7B77B36AC3-5057-4795-8A8F-9B2FCB86F3EB%7D/2006qualitystandards.pdf
Z. South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism
1. The Economic Impact of Domestic Travel Expenditures on South Carolina Counties, 2004
a. http://www.scprt.com/files/Research/2004%20SC%20Report.pdf
b. http://www.scprt.com/files/Research/Travel,%20Tourism%20&%20SC%20Economy.pdf
AA. Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce
1. Statistical Abstract for the Myrtle Beach Area of South Carolina
a. http://www.mbchamber.com/chamber/stats/17thstatabstract.pdf
BB. United States Chamber of Commerce
1. Impact of Travel & Tourism on the United States and State Economies
a. http://www.uschamber.com/NR/rdonlyres/es3tgmgouevti7txsi2hrx5jvtmkupuadgmyuwetot7otshsarvfsxunfezbejqqzbtpaf6jvlibbn53xlqowogcxub/05travel_tourism_summary.pdf
CC. National Park Service
1. Principles of Sustainable Design
a. http://www.nps.gov/dsc/dsgncnstr/gpsd/toc.html
DD. ECOSA Curriculum Philosophy
1. Education for Sustainability
a. http://ecosainstitute.org/Education.pdf
EE. Horry’s Homeless Walk the Streets of Myrtle Beach
1. http://hpn.asu.edu/archives/2005-July/009313.html
FF. Horry County Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee
1. http://www.horrycounty.org/envision/docs/min-011206.pdf
2. http://www.horrycounty.org/envision/docs/Housing%20Element%20Draft.pdf
GG. City of Conway Housing and Community Development Action Plan
1. http://www.cityofconway.com/departments/administration/grant%20procurement/Year%203%20Action%20Plan.pdf
2. http://www.cityofconway.com/departments/administration/grant%20procurement/CAPER%20Year%202.pdf
HH. Myrtle Beach Housing Authority Consolidated Plan
1. http://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/PDF%20Forms/Myrtle%20Beach%20Consolidated%20Plan%206.pdf

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen
Hebrews 11:1

X. Supporting Documents
A. Sustainable Philosophy
By Jason McLennan
As the concept of sustainable design moves into the mainstream of architectural practice, it will evolve in how it is perceived and understood. Already the idea has moved in from the fringes of practice and has shed most of its original, inappropriate reputation as a fad. In light of its growing acceptance, sustainable design is now worthwhile fodder for philosophical speculation. — Editor
Sustainable Design is a design philosophy that seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment while minimizing or eliminating negative impact to the natural environment. This definition is useful because it highlights several important elements.
First, it establishes sustainable design as a philosophy. This is important because one of the earliest barriers arose because people viewed sustainable design as a stylistic endeavor, which it most emphatically is not. Sustainable design is an approach to design and not an aesthetic exercise and thus it can never go out of style or be discussed as a fad, as some critics have described it.
Second, because it offers a philosophical approach to design, the definition can be applied to any building type at any scale; indeed, it can transcend the design of buildings to include any object or project under design. There are no physical scale barriers to its adoption.
By "quality," we mean creating better buildings for people, better products for our use, and better places to inhabit. Early on, some people were concerned that the movement meant lowering quality and reducing comfort and well-being, when in fact the opposite was true. Sustainable design starts with the understanding that the purpose of our designs is to create physical artifacts that benefit people. This movement seeks to enhance that goal with a wider, more holistic approach.
The final part of the definition is the most obvious one. Clearly, one of the major goals of the movement is to reduce impact on the natural environment. What is not as obvious is that the ultimate goal, indeed, a necessity, as we grow from six to seven billion people and beyond, is not only to reduce impact to the natural environment, but also to eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive design.
A project perhaps should not even be called sustainable or green until it reaches a high level of performance. The most serious adherents of the sustainable design movement are not content with merely limiting damage. From project to project, they continually try to up the ante, finding ways to enhance comfort while further raising the bar in environmental performance.
As Sim Van Der Ryn discusses in his important book Ecological Design: "In many ways, the environmental crisis is a design crisis.” It is a consequence of how things are made, buildings are constructed and landscapes are used."
Sustainable design is an approach that looks to the design process to heal as effectively as it has damaged. Bill Browning and Dianna Lopez Barnett also describe it accurately in their Sustainable Design Primer, by reminding us "it represents a revolution in how we think about, design, construct and operate buildings”.
Sustainable design implies responsibility and it implies a far-reaching respect for natural systems and resources, respect for people and respect for the cycle of life.

Learning to Respect Nature
It is helpful to think about sustainable design in terms of the word respect. The opposite of respect is contempt. Our current system of construction, materials manufacturing and design are done in such a way that it may as well be contemptuous of natural systems. If you respect something you honor it, you act as its protector, as a steward or parent. It is in this vein that we describe sustainable design. When you have contempt for something, you abuse it, neglect it, ignore it and use it up.
Of course, the truth is that it is not really contempt for the natural world or any big conspiracy that is behind most environmental degradation but rather it is a by-product of ignorance and the inertia of progress and politics. Nature, in most cases, is just in the way. In the 21st century, we can no longer plead ignorance and innocence for our actions. Because we know that our buildings are a big part of the current crisis, inaction and resistance to the sustainable design movement can only be viewed now as contempt.
Sustainable design also implies intention — to seek the best solution that balances environmental concerns with comfort, aesthetics, cost, and a host of traditional architectural or design concerns.
While it implies intention, sometimes-sustainable design can be an intuitive process among skillful designers who have successfully integrated the principles into their design process. Sustainable design should be thought of as a verb, not a noun, meaning that the act or process of sustainable design must clearly be separated from the product.
Almost no buildings being built today are, in the truest sense, sustainable. This is not so much the failing of the movement, but the reality of changing the incredibly complex system that is the building industry. The sustainable design movement today has produced a lot of better, less damaging, more efficient buildings, but the buildings themselves cannot be called sustainable.
It may be fine to label them as "green" buildings if necessary, but the word sustainable should be reserved for buildings that truly have no negative operational impacts on the environment and few embodied ones.

It is Only Good Architecture
In many ways, sustainable design is simply expanding the definition of good design to include a wider set of issues. Traditionally, architecture dealt with several factors, but cost, schedule, functionality, and aesthetics drove the decision-making process, or as the ancient architectural theoretician, Vitruvius discussed — firmness, commodity, and delight.
But sustainable architecture adds more layers and asks more questions. Is it good? Is it the responsible choice? What effect will these design decisions have on the environment? On human health? It reminds us of a wider set of issues that for too long have been ignored in the design process or, if not ignored, given a very minor role in shaping the designs of our buildings and communities — afterthoughts.
As William McDonough, one of the pioneers in the green design movement asks, "Was Auschwitz a good design?” It certainly was efficient at what it was designed to do, but was it good? Of course not! While this is an extreme example, we can think of many others with similar implications.
If a building wins, design awards but suffers from sick-building syndrome due to poor detailing and specifications, is it a good design? If a building was built on budget and on, schedule and meets all programmatic requirements but does so by imposing an enormous ecological burden, is it a good design?
Sustainable design helps instill a sense of responsibility and higher purpose back into design. Designers who adhere to the philosophy are not merely providing a product or commodity, but they are providing a service that goes beyond the immediate client to other people, to other species, and even to future generations.
McDonough eloquently describes this as "intergenerational tyranny" because the decisions and consequences we make today will be inherited by the innocents of the future. Sustainable design seeks to provide solutions that are "good for all species for all times”.
Jason McLennan is founder and director of Elements, the sustainable design consulting division of BNIM Architects, one of the pioneers in the green architecture movement. He is also the founder and CEO of Ecotone, a company dedicated to educating design professionals and the impact of the construction industry on the environment. Ecotone has just become the first publisher in United States to go "carbon neutral”.
This article is excerpted from The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, copyright © 2004, available from Ecotone Publishing Company LLC and at Amazon.com.

B. ETHICS AND PRINCIPLES OF PERMACULTURE
• Care for the Earth
• Care for People
• Return the Surplus
Primary Principles for Functional Design:
a. Observe. Use protracted and thoughtful observation rather than prolonged and thoughtless action. Observe the site and its elements in all seasons. Design for specific sites, clients and climates.
b. Connect. Use relative location: Place elements in ways that create useful relationships and timesaving connections among all parts. The number of connections among elements creates a healthy, diverse ecosystem, not the number of elements.
c. Catch and store energy and materials. Identify, collect, and hold the useful flows moving through the site. By saving and re-investing resources, we maintain the system and capture still more resources.
d. Each element performs multiple functions. Choose and place each element in a system to perform as many functions as possible. Increasing beneficial connections between diverse components creates a stable whole. Stack elements in both space and time.
e. Each function is supported by multiple elements. Use multiple methods to achieve important functions and to create synergies. Redundancy protects when one or more elements fail.
f. Make the least change for the greatest effect. Find the “leverage points” in the system and intervene there, where the least work accomplishes the most change.
g. Use small scale, intensive systems. Start at your doorstep with the smallest systems that will do the job, and build on your successes, with variations. Grow by chunking.
Principles for Living and Energy Systems
h. Use the edge effect. The edge—the intersection of two environments—is the most diverse place in a system, and is where energies and materials accumulate. Optimize the amount of edge.
i. Accelerate succession. Mature ecosystems are more diverse and productive than young ones, so use design to jump-start succession.
j. Use biological and renewable resources. Renewable resources (usually plants and animals) reproduce and build up over time, store energy, assist yield, and interact with other elements.
k. Recycle energy. Supply local and on-site needs with energy from the system, and reuse this energy as many times as possible. Every cycle is an opportunity for yield.
l. Attitudes
m. Turn problems into solutions. Constraints can inspire creative design. “We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunities.” — Bill Mollison
n. Get a yield. Design for both immediate and long-term returns from your efforts: “You can’t work on an empty stomach.” Set up positive feedback loops to build the system and repay your investment.
o. Abundance is unlimited. The designer’s imagination and skill is a bigger limit to yield than any physical limit.
p. Mistakes are tools for learning. Evaluate your trials. Making mistakes is a sign you’re trying to do things better.
Rules for resource use:
Ranked from regenerative to degenerative, different resources can:
1) Increase with use
2) Be lost when not used
3) Be unaffected by use
4) Be lost by use
5) Pollute or degrade systems with use.

C. Recreational Vehicle (RV) Camping
South Carolina 2001 Tourism Report Series
An overview of the demographics, economics and trends of recreational vehicle (RV) camping activities in South Carolina and the United States.
Published by the Marketing Office of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Columbia, SC, in order to support the development and operation of tourism and recreation businesses.
1. Economics of RV Camping
A recreational vehicle, or RV, combines transportation and temporary living quarters for travel, recreation and camping. The annual retail value of RV and conversion vehicle shipments is $15.4 billion. There are 16,000 public and private campgrounds throughout the United States to accommodate them. One out of ten vehicle-owning households in the US, or 8.6 million households, owns an RV. Counting rentals, there are over 9.3 million RVs on the road.
In South Carolina alone, camping brings in $82 million in direct revenue to the state, even before the overall economic impact of related employment and taxes is factored in.
2. South Carolina Resident Participation
According to the 1999 South Carolina Recreation Participation and Preference Study, 24.7 percent of South Carolina’s residents age 12 and older enjoyed some form of camping in 1999, making it the 31st most preferred recreational activity out of 46 activities. Over 13% of the state’s residents reported that they camped in a trailer or camper. Almost 8% of these RV campers camped in a South Carolina State Park. While 78% reported camping inside the state, almost 22% camped in other states. Over 76% of the campers camp over 25 miles from home, 55% stay 2-3 nights (28% camp four or more nights), and they report their average camping party size as 7. The Appalachian region attracts nearly one-third of the South Carolina residential campers, followed by 15% in the Myrtle Beach (Waccamaw) region. The Central Midlands and Upper Savannah regions also each attract over 10% of the residential campers.
South Carolina campers tend to be ages 12-45. Thirty-two percent of the white residents enjoy camping, while less than 9% of African-Americans do. Approximately one out of three families with incomes of $35,000 and above enjoys camping. Thirty percent of the male residents enjoy camping, compared to 19.5% of the females. Camping is almost evenly split among various educational levels—less than high school, high school degree, some college and college degree. Camping is most popular with rural residents, followed by suburban and urban.
3. Tourism Camping in South Carolina
TravelScope, the national travel survey coordinated by the U.S. Travel Data Center, collects data on tourists who travel for outdoor recreation and other purposes, including RV and tent camping. According to TravelScope, over 1 million visitors camp in South Carolina annually, spending a total of over $82 million in the state. The top destination is Myrtle Beach, reflecting a high concentration of RV campgrounds. The average length of stay is 5 days, and the average party size is 2-3 persons. The top five states of camper visitor origin are South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Florida. There has been a substantial increase in camping tourists from Ohio since 1998.
Also according to TravelScope, April is the most popular camping month in the state, attracting 18% of overall participation, followed by August, September, June and July. Over 60% of the camping tourists travel to South Carolina primarily for the recreation experience, followed by 18% who are also visiting friends and relatives. Only 1% of the campers are African-American. Ninety-four percent arrive by car. In addition to camping, these tourists enjoy hunting, fishing and hiking (38%), lakes and beaches (38%), shopping (27%), and national and state parks (25%).
In camping parties, the median age of the head of household is 46, according to TravelScope. The median household income is $40,000-$42,499.
4. National Demographics for Hiking and Outdoor Camping
A study by the University of Michigan for the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) found that one out of 10 vehicle-owning households in the US owns an RV. A record 8.6 million households own an RV, and in all, there are 9.3 million RVs on the road. By 2010, research from the University of Michigan projects the number of RV-owning households will top 10.4 million. About 45% of today's RV owners are ages 35-54, outnumbering the 55+ age group. The average RV owner is 48, owns a home, is married and has a household income of $47,000.
Surveys in 2000 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) show that RV camping is the 20th most popular recreational activity of the U.S. population age 6 and older. According to the SGMA, 19 million Americans camped in RVs. RV camping also ranks as one of the most popular sports for seniors, according to the SGMA. Over 2,186,000 Americans age 55 and older RV-camp at least 15 days a year, ranking it as the sixth most popular recreation for seniors.
RVs appeal to travelers for their flexibility, convenience, comfort, family togetherness, affordability, outdoor lure and versatility. Louis Harris research reports that 92% of parents who own an RV say they are the best way to travel with family and children.
Recreational vehicles include motor homes, conversion vehicles, travel trailers, folding camping trailers and truck camperssome of which are motorized and some towable. Costs range from $3,300 for folding camper trailers to $64,000 for motor homes. Shipments to RV dealers hit a 21-year record in 1999.
In the United States, there are 8,500 privately owned campgrounds, including 550 campgrounds belonging to the largest campground chain (Kampgrounds of North America, or KOA). There are also 7,500 publicly owned campgrounds, including 440 campgrounds and 29,000 campsites in America's 370 national parks, 4,000 campgrounds in 151 USDA Forest Service areas, 53,000 campsites in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, and 504 National Wildlife Refuges, along with thousands of state and local parks.
Many RV campers get their first RV experience by renting from one of the over 400 national rental chain outlets and local dealerships in the U.S. Cruise America Inc. and El Monte RV are two major rental chains. The rental RV segment experienced approximately 21% growth in 2000, according to the Recreation Vehicle Rental Association. Rates vary according to the season, region and size of RV$90-$200 per day for motor homes, $35-$65 per day for travel trailers. According to the RV Rental Association, more than 80% of rental outlets are now open 10 months a year or longer.
Recent RV trends include traveling more but over shorter distances, traveling on weekends, and traveling with less planning.
Participation in camping generates considerable side benefits for the outdoor equipment industries. The SGMA estimates that shipments of tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, coolers and cooking equipment grew 6% in 2000 to a $1.755 billion industry and is on track to expand a further 5% in 2001. In a similar study, the NPD Group found that consumers spent $259 million in 2000 for camping and hiking clothing and shoes.
5. Building an RV Camping Industry
RV campers want these priorities from their local hosts:
• Information, including campgrounds, parks, trails, guides to special formations, site histories and up-to-date checklists with wildlife abundance information.
• Access via rights-of-way, roads, trails, boardwalks, boats and so on.
• Value
Suggestions for making communities more “RV friendly” include:
• Provide detailed maps of local campgrounds.
• Enlist local RVers as host contacts to visitors.
• Post current information on the Internet.
• Support local RV operations.
• Support local recreation equipment and vehicle retailers.
• Publish a list of places that are open early and late, where gas, coffee, box lunches, breakfast, film, sunscreen, bug repellent, hats, waterproof clothing, footgear and camping equipment can be bought and where equipment repairs can be made.
• Also, publish a list of places where RVs can be repaired.
• Welcome RVers with street signs, banners and festivals.
• Host information sessions and field trips for local officials on the importance of RV camping and show them local campgrounds of interest.
6. Recommended Resources
• Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA), 1896 Preston White Dr., PO Box 2999, Reston, VA 20195, 703/620-6003, www.rvia.org/
• National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds, www.gocampingamerica.com
• South Carolina Recreation Participation & Preference, 1999 Summary of Major Findings, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, 2000, 18 pp
• South Carolina Recreation Participation & Preference Study, 1999 Technical Report, Institute of Public Affairs, 2000, approx. 200 pp
• Various market reports and press releases, Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, 2001, www.sgma.com/press/2001/
7. Sources and Methodology
In addition to the above sources, selected South Carolina and United States visitation, demographic and travel characteristics were obtained from profiles of visitors compiled by South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism's Office of Tourism Marketing from TravelScope, a national travel survey coordinated by the U.S. Travel Data Center. TravelScope is based on a monthly sample of 20,000 U.S. households selected from NFO Research Inc.'s consumer mail panel of 450,000 households. Respondents record details of up to three trips of 50 miles or more one-way or overnight in the previous month. Responses are sample-balanced to match the US population. To enhance the sample size, analysis is based on two years of data, and there is a margin of error associated with the reported statistics due to sampling variability.

D. Hiking and Tent Camping
South Carolina 2001 Tourism Report Series
An overview of the demographics, economics and trends of hiking, tent and primitive camping and related adventure tourism activities in South Carolina and the United States.
Published by the Marketing Office of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, Columbia, SC, in order to support the development and operation of tourism and recreation businesses.
1. Economics of Hiking and Outdoor Camping
Tent camping is the seventh most popular recreation activity of the U.S. population age 6 and older, according to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA). Similarly, day hiking is the ninth most popular recreation. According to the SGMA, 42.2 million Americans camped in tents and 39 million enjoyed day hikes. According to another study, the 2000 Nationwide Survey on Recreation and the Environment, a total of 73.1 million people participated in hiking, and 23.4 million went backpacking at least once during the year 2000.
Regardless of the estimated number of participants, what is indisputable is that the popularity of these activities has grown throughout the 1980s, 1990s and now 2000s, and the amount of expenditures on these activities has rapidly increased as well. Equipment for camping and hiking is a $1.755 billion industry in the United States, while camping and hiking apparel ring up an additional $259 million in sales annually.
There are over 200,000 miles of trails in the United States, with more being added all the time. Well-managed trails running through communities can foster sustainable economic activity through business development and tourism. Trail users need food, lodging, campgrounds, special clothes, shoes and equipment. Many also buy souvenirs and other items during the trip. Catering to hiking tourism supports various “clean” industries and businesses, such as cafes, bike shops, rental stores and bed and breakfasts. Studies related to various trails have found that they created $300,000-$1.9 million in new money for the adjacent communities.
2. South Carolina Resident Participation
According to the 1999 South Carolina Recreation Participation and Preference Study, 18.9 percent of South Carolina’s residents age 12 and older enjoyed hiking in 1999, making it the 31st most preferred recreational activity out of 46 activities. Nearly 25% participated in camping, which ranks 25th among 46 activities. In addition, 28.5% of South Carolina’s residents enjoy visiting an unusual natural feature, 24.5% enjoy guide nature trails and studies, 38.8% enjoy cycling, 8% enjoy horseback riding and 3.9% enjoy the more strenuous outdoor activities of rappelling and rock climbing (42nd ranking out of 46). Camping, hiking and guided nature trails all show substantial gains in participation since the previous 1994 survey.
Also according to the 1999 South Carolina Recreation Participation and Preference Study, over 15% of the state’s residents reported that they camped in a tent in a developed campground and 11% reported using a primitive campsite. Almost 15% camped in a South Carolina State Park. While 78% reported camping inside the state, almost 22% camped in other states. Over 76% of the campers camp over 25 miles from home, 55% stay 2-3 nights (28% camp four or more nights), and they report their average camping party size as 7. The Appalachian region attracts nearly one-third of the South Carolina residential campers, followed by 15% in the Myrtle Beach (Waccamaw) region. The Central Midlands and Upper Savannah regions also each attract over 10% of the residential campers.
South Carolina campers tend to be ages 12-45. Thirty-two percent of the white residents enjoy camping, while less than 9% of African-Americans do. Approximately one out of three families with incomes of $35,000 and above enjoys camping. Thirty percent of the male residents enjoy camping, compared to 19.5% of the females. Camping is almost evenly split among various educational levels—less than high school, high school degree, some college and college degree. Camping is most popular with rural residents, followed by suburban and urban.
The Participation and Preference Study shows that nearly 17% of South Carolina’s residents participate in day hikes, while less than 3% go on overnight hikes. Over 65% hiked inside the state, while over 34% hiked in other states. The Appalachian region attracts nearly half of the state’s residential hikers, followed by the Central Midlands with 13.5%. The study also found that nearly half the hikers hike in the region they live in, meaning that hiking enthusiasts in South Carolina are clustered in the upstate area.
Hiking is most popular with South Carolina residents ages 12-17 and 30-45 (parents and their teenage children). Twenty-four percent of white residents enjoy the activity, while less than 6% of African-Americans do. Hiking tends to appeal to upper income families; approximately one out of three making $50,000 or more enjoys hiking. Interest among males stands at 21%, compared to nearly 17% for females. Thirty percent of campers have a college degree. Hiking appeals most to suburban residents.
3. Tourism Camping in South Carolina
TravelScope, the national travel survey coordinated by the U.S. Travel Data Center, collects data on tourists who travel for outdoor recreation, including RV and tent camping. According to TravelScope, over 1 million visitors camp in South Carolina annually (compared to 900,000 in 1998), spending a total of over $82 million in the state. The average length of stay is 5 days, and the average party size is 2-3 persons. The top five states of camper visitor origin are South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Florida. There has been a substantial increase in camping tourists from Ohio since 1998.
Also according to TravelScope, April is the most popular camping month in the state, attracting 18% of overall participation, followed by August, September, June and July. Over 60% of the camping tourists travel to South Carolina primarily for the recreation experience, followed by 18% who are also visiting friends and relatives. Only 1% of the campers are African-American. Ninety-four percent arrive by car. In addition to camping, these tourists enjoy hunting, fishing and hiking (38%), lakes and beaches (38%), shopping (27%), and national and state parks (25%).
In camping parties, the median age of the head of household is 46, according to TravelScope. The median household income is $40,000-$42,499.
4. National Demographics for Hiking and Outdoor Camping
Surveys in 2000 by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) show that tent camping is the 7th most popular recreational activity of the U.S. population age 6 and older and day hiking the 9th most popular activity. According to the SGMA, 42.2 million Americans camped in tents and 39 million enjoyed day hikes. Day hiking also ranks as one of the most popular sports for seniors, according to the SGMA. Over 1,524,000 Americans age 55 and older hike at least 15 days a year.
Research in 2000 by Roper Starch Worldwide Inc. for the Outdoor Recreation in America 2000 report published by the Recreation Roundtable found that 19% of Americans hiked in the previous 12 months, 17% camped in tents in campgrounds, 9% backpacked, and 8% camped in the wilderness. Since 1994, the participation in campground camping has ranged from 12% to 21%, increasing some years, decreasing others. Backpacking has followed similar up and down patterns, ranging from 7% to 13% participation.
Participation in hiking and camping generates considerable side benefits for the outdoor equipment industries. The SGMA estimates that shipments of tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, coolers and cooking equipment grew 6% in 2000 to a $1.755 billion industry and is on track to expand a further 5% in 2001. In a similar study, the NPD Group found that consumers spent $259 million in 2000 for camping and hiking clothing and shoes.
The SGMA also reports that both hiking and camping are clearly family affairs, with fairly even participation from all age groups under age 55. Females comprise 44% of tent campers and 50% of day campers.
One of the premier backpacking-camping experiences is the Appalachian Trail. The American Recreation Coalition reports that each year approximately 2,500 hikers attempt to backpack the entire 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail in one continuous journey. It takes 5-6 months, and most hikers start from the Southern end in the early spring.
5. The South Carolina Trails Program
The South Carolina State Trails Program is working to create a network of trails and greenways so extensive that all South Carolinians can reach a trail or greenway within 15 minutes of their home, school or workplace for pleasure-walking, cycling or horseback riding. One major trail, the Palmetto Trail, has been designated as a Millennium Legacy Trail. It begins at Oconee State Park in the Blue Ridge Mountains and traverses 15 counties and 425 miles to end north of Charleston, SC, on the coast. It includes several connecting passages that showcase the unique history, culture and geography of the state. The South Carolina State Trails Program maintains an extensive Internet site with county trails information, site maps and directions (www.sctrails.net).
6. The Organized Summer Camp Market
Organized summer camps are a special niche of the recreation camping market, which employ more than 500,000 adult workers. The American Camping Association is the major professional body for the camp profession and includes members who work with youths, adults, independent camps, religious camps, fraternal camps and public/municipal camps. The ACA is a partner in Secretary of State Colin Powell's America's Promise—The Alliance for Youth program.
ACA estimates that over 9 million young people had summer camping experiences in 2000. The number of summer camps in the United States is estimated at 8,500-10,000. Approximately 60% of the camps are resident overnight camps, 24% are day camps, and 16% offer both day and resident programs. Three-fourths of the camps are operated by nonprofit organizations such as churches, Scouts, the YMCA and YWCA. The other 25% are privately owned and operated, often by multiple generations of individual families. Recent new programming trends at camps include adventure programming (such as rock climbing and kayaking), fine arts (performing arts, photography), in line skating, and travel camp. For instance, travel camps often transport campers by car or bus to geographic and topographic places of interest.
Summer camps are presently running at about 91% capacity. For eight years, annual nationwide camp enrollment has increased 8-10%. Surveys show that parents enroll their children in camps to build self-confidence and self-esteem, provide a safe environment, and build social skills and make friends. Camp enrollment, overall, is 55% female, 45% male. Camp fees vary widely, from $15 to $100 per day for resident camps and $10 to $50 per day for day camps
7. Building a Hiking & Outdoor Camping Industry
Hikers and campers want these priorities from their local hosts:
• Information, including parks, campsites, trails, guides to special formations, site histories and up-to-date checklists with wildlife abundance information.
• Access via rights-of-way, roads, trails, boardwalks, boats and so on.
• Value
Suggestions for making communities more “camper and hiker friendly” include:
• Establish hiking and camping corridors, or greenbelts, with local community help.
• Provide detailed maps of trails and local campgrounds.
• Enlist local hikers/campers as host contacts to visitors.
• Post current information on the Internet.
• Support local summer day camp operations.
• Support local recreation equipment stores.
• Publish a list of places that are open early and late, where gas, coffee, box lunches, breakfast, film, sunscreen, bug repellent, hats, waterproof clothing, footgear and camping equipment can be bought and where equipment repairs can be made.
• Welcome hikers and campers with street signs, banners and festivals.
• Host information sessions and field trips for local officials on the importance of hiking and camping and show them local nature attractions of interest.
8. Recommended Resources
• South Carolina Recreation Participation & Preference, 1999 Summary of Major Findings, South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, 2000, 18 pp
• South Carolina Recreation Participation & Preference Study, 1999 Technical Report, Institute of Public Affairs, 2000, approx. 200 pp
• Outdoor Recreation in America 2000: Addressing Key Societal Concerns, The Recreation Roundtable and Roper Starch, September 2000, 50 pp
• ACA Fact Sheet and various news media releases, American Camping Association, 1999-2000, approx. 20 pp, www.acacamps.org/
• Various market reports and press releases, Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, 2001, www.sgma.com/press/2001/
• “The Economic Benefits of Hiking” Fact Sheet, American Hiking Society, www.americanhiking.org
• South Carolina State Trails Program, www.sctrails.net
• Hiking South Carolina, John Clark and John Dantzler, 1998, 301 pp.
9. Sources and Methodology
In addition to the above sources, selected South Carolina and United States visitation, demographic and travel characteristics were obtained from profiles of visitors compiled by South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism's Office of Tourism Marketing from TravelScope, a national travel survey coordinated by the U.S. Travel Data Center. TravelScope is based on a monthly sample of 20,000 U.S. households selected from NFO Research Inc.'s consumer mail panel of 450,000 households. Respondents record details of up to three trips of 50 miles or more one-way or overnight in the previous month. Responses are sample-balanced to match the US population. To enhance the sample size, analysis is based on two years of data, and there is a margin of error associated with the reported statistics due to sampling variability.

E. Woodalls.biz/ Jeff Crider, Industry Specific Internet Excerpts
1. Counts Vary on Number of U.S Campgrounds
Jeff Crider
April 21, 2006
Woodalls.biz
Ever wonder just exactly how many U.S. parks and campsites there are?
It is a good question, one many in the RV Park and campground business have often pondered. "I suspect there are 12,000 to 15,000" speculates Ken Hamill, who produces the Big Rigs Best Bets campground directory, regarding the total number of U.S. public and private parks.
"There are roughly 14,000 (public and private) campgrounds in North America, but I don't know the total inventory of campsites as they all vary so greatly," said John McDonald, senior manager of marketing and communications for ReserveAmerica, which handles reservations for state and national parks across North America."
"I have always heard the estimate of 8,000 commercial parks and 7,000 public (campgrounds)," observers Linda Profaizer, president and CEO of the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC). "Our members average 133 sites. So, if you take that times 8,000, you get 1,064,000 commercial campsites."
Mike Gast, KOA's director of communications, said the 8,000 figure for commercial campsites has been used by the campground sector for many years. "I couldn't hazard a guess as to how many sites this would be," he noted" and this does not include the state and national park facilities."
Meanwhile, the 2005 edition of Woodall's North American Campground Directory lists 6,942 private campgrounds and 4,249 public parks in the U.S. for a grand total of 11,191 parks. By Woodall's count, these parks provided 890,749 commercial campsites and 376,157 public campsites. And Woodall's does not pretend to have included absolutely every single park.
(Last year's Woodall's directory, by the way, listed an additional 2,347 parks in Canada — 899 public and 1,448 private - with a combined total of 271,151 campsites in addition to 395 public and private parks in Mexico consisting of 18,383 sites.)
Curiously, the number of campgrounds appears to be declining by most accounts, particularly in places like Florida, South Carolina and British Columbia, where real estate values are prompting RV park owners to sell off their parks to developers. Beyond Florida, however, we really do not know if the number of campsites is rising, falling or holding steady.
2. Campgrounds Filling up For Memorial Day
May 26, 2005
Woodalls.biz
With most of the country's commercial RV parks and campgrounds now open, the Memorial Day weekend – the traditional beginning of the summer vacation season – is seeing upward trends in reservations.
According to estimates from the Woodall's/ARVC RV Park and Campground Survey, more than $3.8 billion was spent last year by RVers and campers in local communities as they visited the nation's commercial RV parks and campgrounds from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The Woodall's/ARVC RV Park and Campground Survey are an ongoing research program conducted by Michigan State University. First rolled out in spring 2004, the survey collects weekly occupancy numbers and economic spending patterns from participating parks and campgrounds. According to the survey, the highest overall average occupancy rate throughout the U.S. last year was reported for the July Fourth weekend – nearly 80% – and the highest occupancy rates were Friday and Saturday nights.
The survey predicts a similar pattern for this Memorial Day weekend, with the expectation that Sunday will be another high occupancy night.
"We are just beginning to experience peak RV and camper travel," said Linda Profaizer, ARVC president and CEO. "Easter weekend alone saw occupancy levels rise to an average of 51%. Last year occupancy approached 77% over Memorial Day and we can expect the same for this holiday weekend."
There are 124,865,541 site nights available for occupancy in commercial RV parks and campgrounds, according to the Michigan State University survey and there are more than 1 million sites available in 8,000 commercial RV parks and campgrounds throughout the U.S.
With an average occupancy of 77% last Memorial Day across all campgrounds participating in the survey, that translates to 96,146,466 occupied site nights.
The survey also estimates that the average spending per party per campsite in local communities near the campgrounds, not including campsite fees, is $324 for the holiday weekend.

F. Excerpt of Unknown Internet Origin with Local Area Statistics and Trivia
1. “What’s in a Name?”
Myrtle Beach has been known by several different names throughout its long history. Its first name, "Chicora," was dubbed by the area's Native Americans, meaning "the land." Later, when white settlers discovered the area, it became known as New Town. Eventually, the settlement was named Myrtle Beach, after the wax myrtle trees common to the area. Today, this stretch of beach is aptly referred to as the Grand Strand, a moniker bestowed in 1945 by a local newspaper columnist, owing to the 60-mile stretch of beach between Little River and Georgetown.
2. Facts and Figures
Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, has a population of 22,759. Hosting over 13 million visitors every year, travelers are drawn by the area's hot entertainment, unique shopping, family attractions, sports teams and events, beach activities and wide range of restaurants and lodging. Weather in Myrtle Beach is temperate year-round, with over 215 sunny days per year! Average daily temperatures in January are 47 degrees, while July averages reach 75 degrees. Even during 90-degree summer days, cool ocean breezes make the weather manageable.
3. Southern Hospitality
Diners in Myrtle Beach will never go hungry! With 1,650 full-service restaurants, many of which are buffet-style, there is something tasty for everyone. Regional specialties include fresh seafood, chicken bog (a seasoned concoction of chicken, rice and sausage), shoe-crab soup, alligator stew, crawfish and hushpuppies.
Myrtle Beach, also known as The Grand Strand, houses an impressive array of parks for all personalities who visit the area. A multitude of adventure and sports parks, beautiful state parks, and an elegant sculpture garden are all part of The Grand Strand's park resources.
4. Golf Courses and Sporting Events in Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach knows how to have a good time, which is evident in the number of thrill and sports parks in "Sportstown USA." With over 120 regulation golf courses and nearly 50 miniature golf courses, Myrtle Beach is also called the "golf capital of the world." If you are up for death-defying speed demons and burning rubber, visit the NASCAR Speed Park, on the Highway 17 Bypass, for stock car racing, racing games and racing simulators. Myrtle Waves Water Park is another place for thrills and spills, with over 30 water rides. Pavilion Amusement Park also offers 40 rides in addition to a haunted house, games and shops.
5. State Parks and Outdoor Recreation in Myrtle Beach
For adventures of another kind, spend a day or two in one of Myrtle Beach's nearby state parks. Myrtle Beach State Park, four miles south on Highway 17, has 312 acres of beaches and oceanfront land. Activities include camping, renting a cabin, picnicking, fishing and visiting the nature center, not to mention all the swimming, beachcombing and other water activities you can enjoy on the one-mile stretch of beach. Take a hike on the 4.4-mile Sculptured Oak Nature Trail for a close-up look at native foliage and wildlife. Huntington Beach is the other nearby state park, three miles south of Murrells Inlet on Highway 17. Activities include some of the state's best bird watching, embarking on Coastal Exploration "field trips" to see alligators and marshes and touring the Atalaya castle (the winter home and studio of American sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington).

G. Vacationsmadeeasy.com
1. Vacation and Tourism Information for Myrtle Beach, SC
Current Rating: 8.5
Myrtle Beach is a major tourist destination along the South Atlantic seaboard of the United States, widely known for its wide beaches, large selection of challenging golf links, excellent seafood restaurants and outlet-style shopping activities. It is set at the center of a 60-mile long chain of tranquil, sandy beaches known as the "Grand Strand,” and is only a couple hours' drive from such historical day-trip destinations as Charleston, SC and Wilmington, NC.
Myrtle Beach City Info
* Land Area: 16.8 miles
* Elevation: 33 feet
* Parks: 3 (Chapman Memorial Park, Myrtle Beach State Park, Midway Park)
* Golf Courses: 120
* Media: 1 newspaper (The Sun News), 1 TV (WFXB), 1 Radio (Surf 94.9 FM)
* Transportation: Myrtle Beach International Airport
Myrtle Beach Weather and Climate:
* Average daily temperature — 64? F
* Average water temperature - 66 F
* Average rainfall — 55 inches
Distances to other Metropolitan Areas from Myrtle Beach (in miles):
* Atlanta, GA — 318
* Boston, MA — 735
* Branson, MO - 834
* Charlotte, NC — 152
* Chicago, IL - 739
* Dallas, TX — 1,033
* Jacksonville, FL — 283
* Las Vegas, NV — 2,050
* Los Angeles — 2,246
* Knoxville, TN — 327
* Memphis, TN — 638
* Miami, FL — 554
* Montreal, Quebec, CN — 1,040
* Nashville, TN — 594
* New Orleans, LA — 828
* New York — 558
* Orlando, FL — 376
* Philadelphia — 584
* Richmond, VA — 276
* Salt Lake City, UH — 1,867
* San Diego — 2,200
* San Francisco — 2,236
* Seattle, WA — 2,434
* Washington, DC — 375
Myrtle Beach Top Tourism Draws and Seasons:
* Season: Spring
* Myrtle Beach Bike Week
* Atlanta Beach Memorial Day Weekend Bike Festival
* Marline Quay Marina Billfishing Tournament
* Grand Strand Fishing Rodeo
* Dupont Coolmax World Amateur Championship
* National Shag Dance Championships
* Myrtle Beach Marathon
* Can-Am Festival
* Hydra-Sports Frantic Atlanta Summer Fun Festival
* Myrtle Beach Fourth of July Concert
* Annual N. Myrtle Beach Winter Run
* Carolina Craftsmen's Summer Classic
* Carolina Heritage Festival
* Annual Premier Shag Contest
* Annual Myrtle Beach Wildlife Expo
* Cherry Grove Fishing Pier
* Barefoot Landing
* Dixie Stampede
* Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
* IMAX Discovery Theater
* Caledonia Golf/Fish Club
* The Carolina Opry
* True Blue
* Dunes Golf and Beach Club
* Pavilion Amusement Park
* Ripley's Aquarium
* Ripley's Believe it or Not
* Family Kingdom Amusement Park
* Grand Strand
* Myrtle Waves Water Park
* NASCAR Speed Park
* Brookgreen Gardens
* Alligator Adventure
* Legends in Concert.br> * Sea Thunder
* Hawaiian Rumble Golf
* Children's Museum of South Carolina
* Fanta-Sea Wheels
* North Myrtle Beach
* South Beach Adventure
* Planet Hollywood
* Hard Rock Cafe
Myrtle Beach Major Shopping Areas:
* Myrtle Beach Factory Stores
* Waccamaw Factory Shoppes
* Barefoot Landing
* Hammocks Shops at Pawleys Island
* Mall at Shelter Cove
Myrtle Beach Major Dining Areas:
* Murrell's Inlet (collection of fish restaurants)
* North Myrtle Beach
* Sea Captain's House
* Nick's on 61st
* Croissants Bakery/Cafe'
* Joe's Bar/Grill
* House of Blues
* Greg Norma's Australian Grill
* Collector's Cafe' & Gallery
* Library Restaurant
* Bummz on the Beach
* Victoria's Country Cooking
Myrtle Beach Famous Landmarks & Historic Places:
* Hopsewee Plantation
Myrtle Beach Famous Natives and Residents:
* Vanna White (Wheel of Fortune)
Notable Moments in Myrtle Beach History:
* Kings Highway began as an Indian trail long before Europeans settled along the Grand Strand. Later, this trail became the route from the northern states to Charleston and Savannah.
* The area's first inhabitants were the Waccamaw and Winyah Indians, who named the region Chicora meaning "the land."
* Early attempts by European explorers to settle the Grand Strand were disastrous. Spaniard Lucas Vasquez de Allyson founded the first colony in North America here in 1526, but the settlement was ravaged by disease, and the inhabitants perished within a year.
* English colonists formed Prince George Parish and laid out plans for Georgetown, the state's third oldest city, in 1730. Surrounded by rivers and marshlands, Georgetown became the center of America's colonial rice empire.
* Before the Civil War, plantation owners turned Pawleys Island into one of the first summer resorts on the Atlantic coast. Historic beach cottages and other landmarks still stand.
* Until the 1900s, the beaches of Horry County were virtually uninhabited due to the county's geographical inaccessibility and poor economy.
* Near the turn of the century, the Burroughs & Collins Company, a timber/turpentine firm with extensive beachfront holdings, began developing the resort potential of the Strand. In 1901, the company built the beach's first hotel, the Seaside Inn. At that time, oceanfront lots sold for $25, and buyers received an extra lot if they built a house valued at $500 or more. The beach community was called New Town until the Horry Herald newspaper held a contest to name the area. Mrs. F.E. Burroughs, wife of the founder of Burroughs & Collins, won with the name Myrtle Beach, which she chose for the many wax myrtle trees growing wild along the shore.
* In the 1920s, a group of businesspersons began building an upscale resort called Arcady at the north end of the community. Arcady featured the present Pine Lakes International Country Club (home of the Strand's first golf club and birthplace of Sports Illustrated) and the legendary Ocean Forest Hotel.
* In 1936, the Intracoastal Waterway was opened to pleasure boats and commercial shipping. During the 1940s, the Air Force Base was established and used for training and coastal patrols during World War II. The base was closed in 1993. The Myrtle Beach Pavilion was built in 1949, followed closely by the installation of the historic band organ and carousel at that site.
* Myrtle Beach was incorporated in 1938 and became a city in 1957.
* Hurricane Hazel demolished buildings and trees along the Strand in 1954, clearing the way for new hotels and homes. During the rebuilding phase of the 1960s, a golf boom began, with new courses being built each year. The number of golf courses along the Grand Strand now totals around 120.
* In the 1970s and '80s, construction of attractions, homes, retail shops, and other amenities increased steadily, paving the way for another boom in the early '90s. The Myrtle Beach Metropolitan Statistical Area is the 13th fastest growing area in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics released in April 2001. The area grew 36.5 percent over the past decade.
Interesting Facts about Myrtle Beach:
* Birth place of Wheel of Fortune hostess, Vanna White.
* Received its name after the Sweet Myrtle tree native to the area.
* The "Grand Strand" was coined by newspaper columnist Claude Dunnagan on 12/3/49.
* Intra-coastal waterway was originally built in order to be used as a secret passageway during WWII.
* The dance called, 'The Shag" was thought to have originated on Ocean Drive in the 40's. It began as an attempt to do the Jitterbug but the Jitterbuggers had drunk too much so the slowed-down version of this became know as "The Shag.”
* Oceanfront lots in Myrtle Beach were $25 in 1905. If you built a property for at least $500, you received a second lot free.
* The first people to arrive in Myrtle Beach were a group of Spaniards from Hispaniola in 1526 who established the first European settlement 30 miles south of the beach town called San Miguel de Cauldape; however, it was abandoned one year later when the settlers returned to their homeland.
* Listed among the top five golf values in the United States in the November 2002 edition of Money magazine.
* Is the second most popular beach in the United States.
* Restaurant Business magazine ranks the area No. 1 in the U.S. for growth potential.
* One of the 100 Best Retirement Towns in America according to "Where to Retire" magazine.
Myrtle Beach's many titles include, "The Seaside Golf Capital of the World," "Branson by the Sea," "The Campground Capital of the World," and "The Miniature Golf Capital of the World."
Myrtle Beach Population and Demographics:
* City of Myrtle Beach Population — 22.859 (increases to over 350,000 in summer)
* White — 81%
* Black — 13%
* Hispanic/Latino — 6%
* Asian - 1%
* Less than 1% - Native American, Pacific Islander and other races
* Population 18 and under — 18%
* 65 and over — 15%
* Median age — 37 years
* Average family size: 2.

H. Yatesny.com/Mike Linehan Industry Specific Forecast
For Immediate Release (released 05/25/05)
Subject: June Chamberlink
By: Mike Linehan (moc.ynsetay|ekim#moc.ynsetay|ekim)
JUNE 2005 CHAMBER LINK
SUMMER FORECAST
~Our Annual “Look Ahead”
The busy summer visitor season is nearly upon us and nearly all of our partners are asking the question, “Will gas prices affect our revenues this year?” Well we have done a lot of research, reading and phone calling and have come up with the following summary of what the national experts are expecting.
Despite rising prices, Americans will be traveling in record numbers this summer with Florida, California, Nevada and New York the top preferred destinations. “Every sector of the travel industry will be up, up, up,” according to Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research for the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA). “The momentum in travel recovery that began in earnest last year is continuing into the summer with a 2.3 percent increase in leisure travel. That means that Americans will take 328 million leisure person-trips during June, July and August 2005.” A person-trip is one person traveling 50+ miles, one-way, away from home.
While travel prices are up in the first three months of 2005, this will not discourage Americans from taking trips, but they will be looking for deals and ways to economize without giving up their summer vacations.
Despite high gas prices, RV travel is expected to remain very strong this summer having enjoyed double-digit increases year after year since 9/11.
Here are some highlights, as outlined by TIA.
Many trips will include children this summer, with 37 percent of travelers taking kids on their longest trip. Six percent will include a grandchild.
Traveling with one’s spouse is also popular (55%), as is traveling with other family members (19%) and traveling with friends (13%). Seven percent will travel with their parents and 8 percent will travel solo.
The top three planned activities are visiting friends and relatives (75%), going to a beach or lake (70%) and visiting small towns or rural areas (64%).
Rounding out the top ten summer traveler activities are: visiting cities/urban areas (54%), visiting national or state parks (47%), visiting historic sites (41%), camping, hiking or climbing (38%), fishing (36%), attending a family reunion (35%), or attending performing arts events (34%)
What else will summer travelers be doing? One-third plan on visiting museums (33%), theme parks (31%), gambling casinos (26%) or attending cultural events such as ethnic festivals (24%).
Seventeen percent of summer travelers plan to use an RV, while 16 percent intend to enjoy an all-inclusive resort. Sixteen percent plan to travel outside the U.S. and 10 percent say they plan to take a cruise.
For Immediate Release (released 05/26/06)
Subject: June Chamberlink
By: Mike Linehan (moc.ynsetay|ekim#moc.ynsetay|ekim)
JUNE 2006 CHAMBER LINK
SUMMER FORECAST
~Our Annual “Look Ahead”
Both the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the Tourism Industry Association of America (TIA) believe that growth from summer leisure travel will only be 1%, which means that things will be flat, as compared to last year.
Researchers at TIA explained that gasoline prices of $3.00 per gallon could be the “tipping point” for many Americans. For example, it is the point at which 10 percent of travelers say they would seriously consider canceling a trip. Between $3.00 and $3.24 per gallon, an additional 26 percent would seriously consider canceling a trip. While the higher cost of gasoline this year will add only about $30 - $50 to the cost of the typical vacation, that alone does not account for the possible impacts on travel spending decisions from the week-to-week costs of keeping their gas tanks full prior to a vacation. Cook added that gas prices further complicate the picture because they threaten to fuel inflation and undermine economic growth and consumer confidence more generally.
Americans expect to stay away an average of 6 nights on their longest pleasure trip. Travelers plan to spend an average of $1,033 on their longest pleasure trip this summer, essentially unchanged from the summer of 2005 ($1,019). However, they will have to economize in some areas to compensate for higher hotel room rates and airline fares in addition to higher gas costs.
Here are some other highlights, as outlined by TIA.
Expect a reverse of last summer’s travel pattern—Gas prices should cause weaker demand early this summer but demand will grow stronger as the summer wears on and travelers get used to high gasoline prices. (This assumes that gas prices have stabilized and may even decline over the summer and that there are no more gas price surprises, or other events.)
Continuing past trends, air travel and hotel demand will rise even as hotel room rates and airfares go up.
Forty percent of travelers plan to take children or grandchildren on their longest trip
The top three activities planned by summer travelers are visiting friends and relatives (55%), going to a beach or lake (38%) and visiting small towns or rural areas (27%).
Rounding out the top planned summer travel activities are: visiting cities/urban areas (21%), visiting national or state parks (20%), visiting historic sites (20%), camping, hiking or climbing (16%), fishing (15%), attending a family reunion (14%), visiting a theme/amusement park (15%), visiting a museum (14%), and going to a casino (14%).
Five percent of summer travelers plan to use a RV, while 6 percent intend to enjoy an all-inclusive resort. In addition, 6 percent say they plan to take a cruise.

I. Bargain hunters doomed to frustration - hot resorts nationwide “Going Gourmet.”
By Jan Chilton, Myrtle Beach Web Design
Myrtle Beach, SC (PRWEB) February 25, 2006 — As budget hotels give way to luxury condominium resorts in Myrtle Beach; pricey themed restaurants are becoming the new trend in the Grand Strand. The upscale chains like Bonefish Grill, Carrabbas and 5 star steak houses such as “New York Prime” are nudging out the small local hideaways.
Nationwide, the wealthy baby boomers are changing the landscape and the typical vacationer in the major resort areas looks for the gourmet dining experience instead of country buffets, fast food and inexpensive family diners. High-end fresh seafood and steaks grilled and prepared with unique sauces and salads, make restaurants like “Bonefish Grill” fill to capacity nearly 7 days a week. Italian classics with only the best ingredients pile hungry diners into “Carrabbas” and “Olive Garden,” while the smaller places find it hard to compete.
With the many new Myrtle Beach condominiums causing an increase in lodging prices, there are concerns about the area becoming less of a family beach and catering to the affluent, such as the towns like Sarasota and South Beach have done. Retirees and large families on a budget are likely to find a week at the beach more costly than ever.
A typical meal at any of these Myrtle Beach restaurants can run anywhere from $20 to $30 a person. A family group will end up with a bill equal to a night's stay in the budget hotels in Myrtle Beach just a few years ago. Locally, luxury resort sales show few signs of a slow-down. Indeed, this month, CNN Money predicted home prices in Myrtle Beach to increase more than 7% in 2006.
David O’Connell of New Resorts.com, the area preconstruction marketing expert, maintains that Myrtle Beach condominium sales are as strong as ever, and expects this year’s numbers to exceed 2005.
Joe Russo, a broker with Exit Grand Strand Realty says states, "In 2005, Myrtle Beach, Orlando and Naples, FL were touted as the three top areas for income producing real estate. When you consider the lifestyle diversity offered by the many coastal towns on the Grand Strand, it is no wonder that real estate values have increased substantially. With no end in sight, Myrtle Beach real estate is still an excellent investment.”

J. South Carolina Energy Office, Industry Specific Intelligence
1. Sustainable Development and Renewable Energy:
Activities in this section are geared to offset and replace traditional methods of energy generation and consumption throughout South Carolina. By implementing successful programs in this area, SCEO can have a direct impact on South Carolina's economic development and quality of life.
Last year SC spent nearly $10.2 billion on energy, 98 percent of which was imported from outside SC. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that 70-80 cents of every dollar spent on energy immediately exits our economy and is never regained by the consumer. This is not only a drain on the state's economy, but also detrimental to the environment.
South Carolinians consume approximately 62 billion kWh of electricity and 1.4 billion therms of natural gas a year, producing a combined total of 35 million pounds of carbon monoxide and 150 billion pounds of carbon dioxide. Both are primary greenhouse gases and components of smog and cause untold damage to our environment. Problems linked with these pollutants include global warming, acid rain and depletion of the ozone layer.
To mitigate environmental degradation and the loss of economic investment, the Energy Office works to promote the use of renewable energies and sustainable development practices throughout SC. Renewable technologies such as solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources can help SC depend less and spend less on imported energy while sustainable practices emphasize energy efficiency, green building, recycling, responsible community planning, and the use of renewable resources.
The SCEO recently completed a partial list of facilities in South Carolina that utilize renewable energy sources for steam and power generation, entitled Renewable Energy Combustion Facilities in South Carolina. The fuel sources used are wood, wood waste, wood by-products, used tires, used motor oil, municipal solid waste (msw) and landfill gas. Similarly, the Energy Office has produced Solar Installations in South Carolina, an inventory of solar installations throughout the state.
2. Residential Sector:
The residential sector consists of all private residences whether occupied or vacant, owned or rented. It includes single-family homes, multi-family housing units, manufactured homes and secondary residences such as summer homes. Institutional housing, such as school dormitories, hospitals and military barracks, are generally included in the commercial sector. The residential sector uses 18.6 percent of the total energy consumed in South Carolina.
The SCEO helps residential users minimize utility bills while maintaining comfortable living conditions. SCEO concentrates on educating residential builders, inspectors and homeowners about building practices and behavioral changes that will lead to greater energy efficiency.
Special Campaign from U.S. Department of Energy and the Alliance to Save Energy: “Energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, cleanest way to extend our nation's tight energy supplies and decrease pollution simultaneously ” -Alliance President, Alliance President Kateri Callahan
The Department of Energy and Alliance to Save Energy continue to partner in their Powerful Savings campaign which raises public awareness of energy conservation and smart energy practices. The program involves an extensive media campaign, including free consumer booklets and efficiency tips from the Energy Savers and Alliance’s Power$mart websites.
3. Commercial/ Industrial Sector:
The commercial sector consists mainly of hotels, motels, restaurants, wholesale businesses, retail stores, laundries and other service enterprises, as well as religious and nonprofit organizations. The industrial sector is composed of manufacturing industries (the largest part of the sector), mining companies, construction companies, and agricultural, fishery and forestry operations. Taken together, these two sectors use 58 percent of the state's annual energy (44.9 percent from industrial and 13.1 percent from commercial).
By promoting energy efficient technologies, SCEO hopes to increase energy efficiency and promote economic development in the two sectors. Industrial and commercial customers benefit from savings on energy bills, and producers can expect to see an increase in productivity stemming from improvements in production process monitoring and reductions in machine downtime, in addition to energy savings. All of these factors improve a business's ability to compete in the marketplace, leading to job retention and increasing the viability of South Carolina businesses.

Until you do what you believe in, how do you know whether you believe it or not…
Leo Tolstoy

"There is nothing so confining as the prisons of our own perceptions."
William Shakespeare, King Lear

Shame on Us If We Don’t Try Something New