'Be Noble, Buy Green'

By Rose Hooper

Noble Green founder Stan Veraark, left, tries out the new embosser that will be used on books at City Lights to designate them as part of a new environmental project. Each time you purchase a book at City Lights, you will have the opportunity to donate 25 cents towards reforestation right here in Jackson County. Noble Green board member and book store employee Chris Wilcox, right, and Veraark will implement the project, whose slogan is "Be Noble, Buy Green," at the end of the month.

That plan, called Noble Green, will help reduce the negative effects in our eco-system caused by the lumber industry.

Veraart, a native of the Netherlands who now lives in Jackson County, describes his plan as a simple one, based on a simple concept. "It's a very simple concept - we can't live without nature," said this Western Carolina University student working on his master's degree in project management.

Veraart proposes that each time you buy a book you can choose to donate 25 cents to replant a tree.

"When you buy a book, you know that a tree has been cut down to make the paper. So your donation goes to help replant a tree to take its place," the young man explained.

Here's how it would work. Each time you purchase a book at City Lights, you will have the opportunity to donate 25 cents towards reforestation. Your book will be embossed with a stamp designating it as a Noble Green book.

As a non-profit, Noble Green will collect the donations and purchase the trees recommended by the community, who will also designate where the trees should be planted.

"One hundred percent of the money collected here stays here," said Veraart.

"Nobody at City Lights is going to pressure you into donating," said City Lights employee Chris Wilcox, also an officer of Noble Green's board of directors. "It's simply available if you want to, but you certainly don't have to."

Noble Green's concept is based on individual power, said Veraart. "You personally can donate and know exactly where the money is going. No government or industry has a hand in it."

An environmentally-conscious individual, Veraart believes "our generation needs to take responsibility for the environment. We can't continue with this use and abuse attitude; we need to think about conserving and replenishing."

Mayor Oliver and the City Lights staff like Noble Green's community involvement aspect, as well as the environmental aspect. Already Southwestern Community College has been involved. One of Roger Stephens' graphic arts students, Sherry Peek, designed the logo. Noble Green falls right in line with WCU Chancellor John Bardo's strong push for university-community interaction.

In this new world of electronic media, some have speculated that print books may eventually disappear. Noble Green would be a way to help make sure that doesn't happen.

"The concept can expand to all print media," said Veraart, who couldn't believe all the work involved in securing Articles of Incorporation and a non-profit status.

"At first, people here were skeptical. I'm young, a college student and a foreigner, so I know I had that going against me. But Noble Green is greater than me, and it's not tied to my name. Even if I'm not here, Noble Green will stay. I think that stability helps convince people," he said.

Author Daniel Quinn is convinced. "More than any government or business, hundreds of millions of ordinary people are concerned about the future of the world, for themselves, and their children. Noble Green offers them an easy, painless way to register their concern every time they buy a book, by making a minuscule Śrepayment' to the forests whose bounty was depleted to provide the book. This brilliant grass-roots program has the potential to contribute significantly to the reforestation of the earth, and I look forward to being able to make every book purchase one that is Noble Green," said Quinn, author of "Ishmael."

Visit Noble Green's web page or send an email to Veraart

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