The Ten at the Top Sustainable Growth Task Force recently met to hear presentations on the theory of the Southern Megalopolis and the issues that the Upstate should be addressing in regards to land use and conservation.

Dr. Adam Terando, researcher with North Carolina State University, presented "The Southern Megalopolis and the Challenge to Conservation in the 21st Century". Dr. Terando presented research which theorized a Southern, or Piedmont, Megalopolis would form from Raleigh to Atlanta by the year 2060 if current development patterns continue at the same pace. Click here to download Dr. Terando's presentation.

Hilary Morris, with South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative, presented "The South Atlantic LCC Conservation Blueprint: From Planning to Action". Mrs. Morris provided an overview of the work being done by South Atlantic LCC and provided an overview of the services and online tools available for use in conservation and urban planning efforts. Click here to download Mrs. Morris' presentation.

Access to healthy, local food is essential in ensuring quality of life for every Upstate resident. The Upstate Regional Food System is working to address short term goals to improve production, processing, and market.

The production work group is working on the goals of connecting farmers to open land that could be farmed, creating a schema for a DIY cooler on wheels, implementing a farmer education campaign, and addressing the lack of non GMO feed in the Upstate.

The processing work group is working to create a guide to assist an individual opening a processing facility. The group is looking at issues such as utilities, zoning, and waste removal and what is needed for a processing facility.

The market work group is currently creating an inventory of Farmer's Markets in the Upstate to determine what is available and collecting guidelines or rules that each Farmer's Market has in effect. The group will then compare the guidelines to look for discrepancies. The group hopes to help Farmer's Markets become consistent and efficient to benefit farmers and vendors.

For more information on The Upstate Regional Food System, visit

Ten  at the Top (TATT), through a funding commitment from Phil Hughes and Hughes Investments Inc., is now accepting applications for the 2015 Hughes Investments ELEVATE UPSTATE (EU) Community Vibrancy Grants. 

The purpose of the ELEVATE UPSTATE Grants is to identify and provide initial funding support for community based programs that promote community and economic vibrancy in local areas across the Upstate. 

The initiative started in 2013 and annually awards two grants of up to $5,000 each to entities including neighborhood associations, civic or community based organizations, non-profit organizations or local governments that are committed to developing and implementing programs designed to increase local vibrancy in communities within the Upstate.

2015 Applications are due September 15th