Sandhills Community College is in the midst of a two-day Green Summit on its campus to provide area residents with a host of opportunities to "go green."

The event is a collaborative effort between the SCC Health and Wellness Committee, the SCC Green Committee and the Sandhills Horticultural Society. "Eat Smart, Move More," and "Go Green" was scheduled to commemorate Earth Day, which is today.

The summit is the culmination of the college's own green initiative to reduce paper usage, promote electronic communication, and to distribute plastic and aluminum recycling containers throughout campus.

Lori Williams, SCC director of community outreach, scheduled events for Tuesday and today, at numerous locations on the campus. As the title of the summit suggests, the various programs will feature opportunities to experience and learn more about good nutrition, beneficial exercise and green initiatives.

"Special thanks go to Progress Energy for their sponsorship," Williams said. "It is very difficult to host an event of this magnitude without many resources, and Progress Energy has been on board since our initial meeting last year."

The keynote speaker of the summit was Dr. Sam Mozley, retired professor of zoology at N.C. State University. He spoke on climate change. Mozley has authored numerous scientific papers and is a trainee of the Al Gore Climate Project.

The SCC cafeteria offered a heart-healthy lunch, and the afternoon featured a host of workshops. Rhett Morris of Rhett's Restaurant in Southern Pines demonstrated cooking with herbs, and Carol Dowd, of Botanicals, presented "Arrangements Using Vegetables and Herbs." Karen Pilson, of Nature's Own, demonstrated environmentally friendly products.

Various presentations were held in the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens. They included edible landscapes-organic vegetable gardening, water-wise gardening, gardening for children, Moore County's community gardens, native plants, bluebirds, composting and bees.

The sessions were a result of a shared effort by the Moore County Master Gardeners, the Sandhills Horticultural Society -- represented by board member Dolores Muller, and Peter Pottle, president of the Horticultural Society -- and the Sandhills Community College Horticulture Department.

During the afternoon, there were presentations by SCC faculty members entitled "Green Literature in America" by Dean Ron Layne and Professor Larry Allen and "Spaying and Neutering Your Pet Helps Your Environment" by Professor Deborah Wilson. In addition, Alan Gentry, of Cleveland State Community College in Tennessee, offered a presentation entitled "Five Ways to Reduce your Energy Bill."

Participants were invited to return to the campus today (Wednesday) for the wellness adventure coordinated by the SCC Health and Wellness Committee led by Professor Bill Croft. Events will include health assessments from the SCC nursing faculty and students (breathing, stress, lung function, oxygen saturation, sleep assessment, vital signs, and blood sugar). These will be available in the Dempsey Student Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There will also be exhibits by various health and exercise firms, local suppliers of healthy foods, and SCC health science programs. Also in the Dempsey Center gymnasium, Gold's Gym personnel will present the latest fitness craze, BodyJam and BodyVive.