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Brian Higgins won't stand judge and jury over Greensboro's nascent efforts to adopt sustainable business and development practices.

The former Seattle resident moved to the city last year and is still reading the pulse of its environmental movement. But Higgins believes his founding of a new nonprofit organization called Sustainable Greensboro could bring more substance to various public and private initiatives.

Higgins will hold an organizational meeting this month to recruit potential volunteers and board members. The meeting will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 27, on the third floor conference room of Greensborough Gateway Center, 620 S. Elm St.

"The idea really is to get everybody kind of under one umbrella and work on projects that can manifest sustainability in a visible way so it's not just an idea," Higgins said. "We need to be able to do more than point to the Proximity Hotel."

Higgins said he got the idea for Sustainable Greensboro through his involvement with Green Drinks Greensboro, a monthly social gathering he started locally for people interested in environmental issues. Green Drinks is a global phenomenon and has participating groups in Asheville, Winston-Salem and Raleigh.

Higgins also worked for eight years on the West Coast working on flood control and ecosystem rehabilitation projects, and he just started his own consulting firm providing sustainable landscape planning and design services.

Higgins aims through Sustainable Greensboro to elevate environmental and energy considerations in the decision-making processes of businesses, government agencies, and households, he said. Possible initiatives include green business certification, forest and creek restoration, and a center for urban ecology.

Sustainable Greensboro currently operates and accepts donations under the Asheboro-based Piedmont Conservation Council. Higgins aims to have a board of directors and independent non-profit status by June and $100,000 raised by the end of the year.

"We've treated the environment and the natural world for so long as something that's extracurricular, as something that's done in the off hour," Higgins said. "I won't go through with this if we don't get funded."

Higgins said he hopes that an organization with dedicated staff and strong membership will enable Greensboro to eventually to attract more sustainable-minded professionals and expand the city's creative class.

"There is a lot of work to be done," he said.

Read more environmental news at goGreenTriad.com.