Carlisle Revitalization & Development Initiative
For generations, the Black community of Carlisle, SC has farmed this land, built this town, and endured what was taken from them. CRDI exists to restore what belongs to them — clean water, fertile soil, and an economic future built on their own roots.
The PFAS crisis
Since 1955, the Carlisle Finishing Plant — operated by Cone Mills — has contaminated the Broad River, Carlisle's sole drinking water source, with toxic PFAS "forever chemicals." The community was never told.
PFAS — known as "forever chemicals" — do not break down in the environment or the human body. They are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, immune suppression, and developmental harm in children. In Carlisle, a 92% Black community with no political protection, this contamination was allowed to persist for decades without accountability.
CRDI is working to conduct an independent PFAS water testing campaign. We are actively seeking to build a coalition with the Congaree Riverkeeper, USC Environmental Health, and EPA Region 4 to establish the evidentiary foundation for legal action — and we are not stopping until Carlisle gets answers.
Our roots
Community roots
Carlisle is home to multi-generational Black families with deep ties to this land — descendants of those who farmed it, built it, and have never left.
CRDI was not born in a boardroom. It was born from a deep connection to this community — inspired by the elders who farmed this land, fed their neighbors, and embodied the resilience that Carlisle has always carried.
The families of Carlisle have roots that stretch back generations — through the surrounding farmlands and the indigenous communities who stewarded this land long before. That history is worth protecting.
The contamination of the Broad River is not just an environmental injustice. It is an assault on a community with deep roots — people who farmed this soil, drank from this river, and built their lives here across generations. CRDI exists to fight for what this community deserves.
This work is driven by love for Carlisle and a commitment to ensure its people have a healthy, prosperous future.
The roads of Carlisle carry generations of memory.
We are here to ensure they carry a future too.
Regenerative vision
While we pursue legal accountability, CRDI is building something real on the ground — a regenerative farming initiative rooted in the family acres our ancestors tended. Economic sovereignty begins with the land beneath your feet. These are solutions the community can use right now, not after a lawsuit resolves.
Family land as a living classroom — regenerative practices proven on ancestral acres and shared openly with the community.
Rainwater harvesting systems, raised bed gardens with clean soil, and water filtration education — immediate solutions while the lawsuit proceeds.
A farmer cooperative model to share resources, reduce costs, and build collective economic power rooted in the community.
Reviving the crops and practices our grandmothers knew — seed saving as an act of cultural preservation and food sovereignty.
CSA memberships, farmers markets, and USDA BIPOC farming grants — building real, sustainable income for Carlisle families.
Protecting Black-owned land in Carlisle from sale or loss — ensuring these acres stay in community hands for generations to come.
Roadmap — what we are building
Now
Independent PFAS testing and identifying clean, usable family acres for the first demonstration plots.
Near term
Regenerative farming workshops on the family land, first raised bed installations, rainwater systems.
Building
Formally organizing the community cooperative, securing USDA grants, launching the CSA program.
Long term
A self-sustaining agricultural economy in Carlisle, anchored by a community land trust and legal accountability.
Get involved
There are many ways to stand with Carlisle. Every action — large or small — moves us closer to clean water, healthy land, and a community restored.
Fund independent water testing, the legal coalition, and the regenerative farming initiative. Every dollar goes directly to work in Carlisle.
Give now →Share the Carlisle story on social media. Tag us. Write to your representatives. Environmental justice needs witnesses.
Share our site →We are seeking legal, environmental, and agricultural partners. If your organization aligns with our mission, we want to hear from you.
Partner with us →If you live in or near Carlisle and want to be part of the farming initiative or water testing campaign, we want to connect.
Connect →Clean water. Healthy soil. Economic dignity. Your gift funds the independent testing, legal coalition, and regenerative farming work happening right now in Carlisle.
CRDI is a registered nonprofit. Contributions may be tax deductible. Contact us to arrange your gift.
© 2025 Carlisle Revitalization & Development Initiative. All rights reserved.
Carlisle, SC · crdisc.org