FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — This April, as the campus foliage turns green, the University Bookstore is launching a series of “green” initiatives to help the campus work toward environmental sustainability.

“We’ve been working with Nick Brown, executive assistant for sustainability at facilities management, for the past several months,” said Nicholas Mueller, new accounts and customer service coordinator at the bookstore. “He helped us develop a series of ways the bookstore can contribute to the university’s efforts to become a sustainable academic institution. We’re excited about the opportunities we’ll have to make a difference.”

Starting this summer the University Bookstore will begin offering customers a wider variety of recyclable products, paper products that are Forest Stewardship Council certified and Energy Star products for their rooms or homes. The bookstore will replace its plastic bags with biodegradable ones and participate with the Staples Corporation to set up recycling bins for alkaline batteries and ink/toner cartridges in high-traffic areas around campus. When making purchases for the bookstore, managers will give preference to suppliers who offer a sustainability program. In addition, the bookstore will develop a monthly lecture series focused on current environmental issues and sustainability programs.

To kick off this sustainability effort the University Bookstore will host two events from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 10.

A Vendor Show, organized in partnership with Staples, will be held at the University Bookstore. About a dozen suppliers will highlight their environmentally friendly products and let faculty and staff sample some of the new “green” office supplies that will be available at the bookstore.

An Informational Fair will also be held in the Arkansas Union Connections Lounge. Businesses, such as Staples and Waste Management Inc., along with university departments that  include facilities management and the co-operative extension service will have booths to provide information on ways members of the university community can become better stewards of the environment. Community organizations are also invited to set up booths at the fair, and can contact Nicholas Mueller at the bookstore for more information.