It may not be easy being green, but Noble County's new tourism chief is banking on the grassy hue to entice visitors.

As in: "The Greenest Place in Indiana."

The proposed slogan is part of a Noble County Convention & Visitors Bureau collaborative strategy that includes heightening brand awareness, enhancing local and regional tourism opportunities, and diversifying the nonprofit organization's revenue stream.

Among the first steps will be the formation of three bureau subcommittees to focus on marketing, product development and lodging.

The committees, said CVB Executive Director John Bry, will be comprised of a cross-section of representatives from throughout the region.

"I, as the director, can't achieve it alone," he said. "We, as the visitors bureau, can't achieve it alone. It's all about collaborations and partnerships, especially in a rural county like ours."

At stake, he said, is building long-overdue awareness of county treasures that are often overlooked.

"I think from an outside perspective what's great about Noble County is the diversity we have to offer," he said. "The natural beauty, the charm, the slower pace of life, which I think will be a draw to urban markets. In tourism, it's always good to never put all your eggs in one basket.

"We have so much possibility here, it's not even funny."

Bry, 38, assumed the director's role Dec. 1, arriving from Buffalo, N.Y., where he was director of revitalization services for the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Bry said the conservancy was the first integrated parks system in the U.S. and includes 1,200 acres throughout six different parks connected by parkways and roundabouts.

Before working for the conservancy, the DeKalb County native was eastern program coordinator for the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and oversaw revitalization projects in 25 counties.

Bry spent his first month and half on the job in Noble County racking up 940 miles on his car in visits to Noble County's business owners, chambers of commerce, tourist attractions and economic development and government officials.

He came away with the impression that Noble County is ready to dig in and foster a unified approach to tourism.

"The people," he said, "have to believe in the idea, the brand and the concept, or we're dead. And so far, everyone I've talked to, the ideas have peaked interest. Everyone here has been so open to cooperation and collaboration."

Bry's proposals include:

. Forming the subcommittees.

. Engaging in board development to ensure bureau board members are empowered and engaged.

"We have to make sure first we're all absolutely on the same page here," he said. "If we have a strong organization, other things will follow well."

. Developing the organization's first strategic plan since its inception in 2002.

. Focusing on product development, which includes creating new tourism opportunities or enhancing the ones that already exist.

One new tourism idea he's working on is a "Farm to Fork" program in conjunction with sustainable tourism students at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. The program would focus on educational visits to organic farms in the county and marketing the sale of organic farm produce.

. Creating a brand that may include some form of the slogan "The Greenest Place in Indiana." The slogan is ideal for a county with so many prized outdoor, recreational and historic offerings, he said. Among them: Black Pine Animal Park; Chain-O-Lakes State Park; Fashion Farm; Gene Stratton-Porter Historic Site; Mid-America Windmill Museum; and Orchard Hills Farm.

. Finding other sources of revenue for the bureau.

The bureau, Bry said, is supported by a 5-percent innkeepers tax and has been averaging about $100,000 a year in income, 70 percent of which goes to marketing.

He proposes the bureau begin exploring grant opportunities - something it has never done.

The bureau could also lend paid expertise to places like Ligonier and Kendallville that are in the embryonic stages of downtown revitalization. Ligonier has been designated an Indiana Main Street Community and Kendallville, Bry said, is in the process of seeking the same designation. The state program assists communities with revitalization and restoration.

"The more we can help them develop the downtown product, the more it helps the visitors bureau," he said. "Everyone wins."

Another revenue-generating opportunity he's exploring is arranging for the bureau to be the Indiana headquarters for the U.S. Route 6 Tourist Association, which promotes economic development in the cities, towns and rural communities that line the historic highway's 3,652 miles of pavement. Route 6 runs through Noble County, and Bry said businesses might be willing to pay the bureau to promote both them and the highway.

In all that he does, Bry said, he wants the bureau to focus not only on Noble County but also on regional tourism. And that, he said, will require buy-ins from people through northeast Indiana.

"We are," Bry said, "a regional economy. We have to let go of some of these borders . and draw visitors to the region. Some visitors might stay in Noble County. Some visitors might stay in LaGrange County. But if they're staying in this area as a whole, everyone benefits."