by Erin Wiltgen

chh@heraldsun.com; 918-1035

CHAPEL HILL -- The sky may still be Carolina blue, but events down on campus seek to become Carolina Green, complete with their own logo.

Carolina Green, a group that began about a year ago to unite the various green programs across campus, has just finished developing its own logo: a tar heel with a leaf. The logo has been used on items such as Carolina Green water bottles, magnets made from recycled content and bookmarks, as well as on fliers and promotional materials for various green events.

"We're hoping that people will learn to see that logo, hear that brand Carolina Green, and immediately recognize that it's a sustainable program on campus," said Brian Cain, research and outreach manager for the UNC Sustainability Office.

"We want to make the requirements obtainable but not too easily obtainable," said Kenneth Bryan, green events intern with the UNC Office of Waste Reduction and Recycling, who works with event planners to create green events. "We want to make them work for it."

The idea of a logo to label what Carolina Green dubs sustainable will hopefully alert students to environmentally conscious events in the same way a mascot signals athletics.

"We all know when we see Ramses the mascot running around that we're getting ready for some sporting event," Cain said. "Hopefully this logo or identity of being Carolina Green will become something that the individual on campus can see and can use to make these decisions."

This kind of instantaneous signal is important because it takes the burden of investigation off the general population's shoulders, Cain said.

"With sustainability or anything that's 'green,' traditionally much of the work is on the consumer or the individual to figure out what are those sustainable options," he said. "Traditionally that's been a hurdle that many folks have a difficult time getting over."

With the Carolina Green logo, events are labeled as sustainable much like produce in the grocery store is labeled certified organic.

"All they need to do is look for the logo, and they know the event is sustainable," Cain said.

Sustainability and the green movement have gained popularity over the past few years.

Part of that push in Orange County is a landfill near capacity and no approval of a new option. On a more global scale, there are the warnings about running out of natural resources.

While these events may seem outside the hands of the individual, the best way to make a difference is to fix a few things on a personal scale, said Bob Winston, chairman of the UNC Board of Trustees.

"The way we're going to make a difference, all of us, to promote sustainability, is we practice it in our own lives," he said.

Winston and the Board of Trustees have taken on some new green initiatives this fall, such as using laptops during meetings instead of having presenters print out hard copies.

"This was part of our way of doing something to try to be a part of the green movement," he said. "And we as a university are practicing and promoting that movement. I felt that it was important for the Board of Trustees to be a part of that."

While a lot of people remained skeptical at the start, Winston said he thinks the transition will make the BOT's job easier in the long run, not only saving in labor but also in paper costs.

"This isn't going to move the needle, what we're doing, but it shows people what can be done," Winston said. "And it shows people that we're willing to do more than just talk."

Other campus groups have caught the Carolina Green fever. The Kenan-Flagler Business School will begin using the Carolina Green logo soon and is one of the biggest green event sponsors, Bryan said.

Sport Clubs has also put on a few green events, such as Race for a Reason back in October, which was a zero waste event.

"It's something we've done for other things in years past," said Rob Sayre-McCord, Sport Clubs intern. "It's something that's really important to us."

Cain said he's seen a passion for all things green at events throughout campus, and hopes this passion will help spur the growth of the Carolina Green logo and sustainable events.

"I think, really, the challenge and the opportunity of trying to do a campus-wide awareness-raising campaign such as this is it all depends on how enthusiastic the campus community is about it," Cain said. "If individuals and departments are very enthusiastic about promoting what they do to be more green and more sustainable, then the opportunities are limitless."