PITTSBORO — Learn about living green — the advantages, costs and how-tos — at Central Carolina Community College’s Celebrate Green Central 2010 Trade Show and Home Tour Oct. 15-16 at the college’s Chatham County Campus.

Admission is free for this family-friendly event. The celebration kickoff and reception takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, at the college’s new LEED Gold Certified Sustainable Technologies Center at the Chatham County Campus, in Pittsboro. The event continues from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16.

The college’s Natural Chef organic culinary arts program will be officially launched during the Friday kickoff. Come and enjoy samples of tasty offerings from the program’s kitchen. 

Celebrate Green Central is an opportunity to meet local green vendors and find out what materials and services are available to make your home and life more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and comfortable. 

See demonstrations of solar thermal, solar electric, living roof, alternative wastewater treatment, green building, renewable energy, sustainable farming, and biofuels. Tour the Center and the joint county-college Chatham Community Library, which is also LEED Gold Certified and located on the Chatham Campus. 

Take a self-guided tour of Chatham County homes built to be eco-friendly and energy efficient. Some of the homes are under construction, so visitors can view green building in progress. Photos and descriptions of the homes are at the college’s web site: www.cccc.edu/green/celebration/homes. Maps for the tour are available at the trade show Friday and Saturday. Tour times are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday only. 

For those who prefer not to drive to view the homes, Celebrate Green Central is running two bus tours. Seating is limited, so contact Laura Lauffer, the college’s sustainability coordinator, at (919) 545-8032, or llauffer@cccc.edu, to sign up. 

Central Carolina Community College is nicknamed Green Central for its educational leadership in environmentally sustainable food, fuel and building. The Celebrate Green Central 2010 Trade Show and Home Tour is hosted by the college’s Green Building and Sustainable Technologies Program with support from the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association and the American Solar Energy Society. 

“We are thrilled to offer this event in our new library and sustainable technology building, showcasing state-of-the-art renewable energy applications and green building,” Lauffer said. “The trade show and home tour will provide participants with real-world applications of energy efficiency, renewable energy and historic home renovation. Neighbors are opening up their homes to share their experiences and recommendations, taking steps towards a more sustainable community.”

CCCC’s Chatham County Campus is located at 764 West St., (Highway 64), Pittsboro. For more information about the Celebrate Green Central 2010 Trade Show and Home Tour, go online to www.cccc.edu/green/celebration.