City of Charleston details Climate Action Plan progress as sustainability director Katie McCain announces departure

Katie McCain, the City of Charleston’s director of sustainability, told the Resilience Committee that she is leaving the city and moving to Denver, and that this meeting would be her last. “I am actually, leaving the city. I'm moving to Denver to be closer to my family, so this will be my last meeting, so very bittersweet for me,” McCain said.

McCain led the committee through a progress report on the city’s five‑year Climate Action Plan, adopted in May 2021 and scheduled for full implementation by the end of 2026. She said outreach has been a major focus: the city reached “over 10,000 residents” in 2024 through more than 39 events and expanded youth‑focused work with libraries, including a recent “train the trainer” session attended by 30 librarians.

On waste and composting, McCain reported the city exceeded its annual goal: “We crushed our goal of 200 tons. We got to 228,” and said the program now serves about 3,000 households. The regional eCompost program expanded into North Charleston this year; the city and partners are up to eight regional partners and 23 drop sites, with three new drop sites added (North Charleston opened the day of the meeting and an Eastside…