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Climate and Sustainability Academy

Green Unseen: Finding Magic in Our Own Backyard

January 13, 2026
A larger-than-life troll built from reclaimed wood stands tall among the trees at Dix Park.
One of five larger-than-life trolls built from reclaimed wood by Thomas Dambo, "Dux" peaks around the trees at Dix Park.

If you’ve taken a stroll through Dix Park recently, you might have felt like you stepped into a fairy tale. The towering, recycled-wood sculptures known as the Dambo Trolls have captivated Raleigh, reminding us that refuse can be transformed into something monumental and that magic is often hidden in plain sight.

We invite you to join us in that same spirit of discovery with a new effort we’re calling Green Unseen. Coined by former Campus as a Classroom intern Grace Agnello as part of her work with the Sustainable Futures Initiative, Green Unseen is our way to call to light NC State’s own “undiscovered gems”—sustainable features and secret spots that are quietly making our campus greener every day.

Hunt for the “Hidden Giants” of Sustainability

The Dambo Trolls teach us that sustainability is about resourcefulness and perspective. When we look closer at our surroundings, we realize that a sustainable future isn’t just an abstract idea or aspiration—it’s already being built beneath our feet and above our heads.

At NC State, sustainability isn’t always a giant solar array or a high-tech lab; sometimes it’s tucked away behind a dorm or integrated into the very pavement you walk on. 

For the next several months, Green Unseen will pull back the curtain on the subtle—and often invisible—sustainability features that make our university a national leader in environmental and economic stewardship. 

How to get involved:

  1. Explore: Take a moment to learn about the latest Green Unseen element highlighted by the Climate and Sustainability Academy. We’ll start with a curated list of our own favorite places and features. Check out this month’s highlight below.
  2. Share: Send us your favorite hidden gems to share with the community, or snap a photo of a sustainability feature you’ve never noticed before. Use the form below:
Share your favorite Green Unseen on campus!

Let’s bring the same wonder we feel in the presence of the Trolls back to our own campus. The magic of discovery is waiting—you just have to know where to look.

Our Latest Featured Green Unseen

A bee hotel located outside the Plant Sciences Building provides a habitat for pollinators among the flowers.

Design and ecology meet in these innovative campus bee hotels, which provide habitat for native pollinators. Designed by graduate architecture students working with College of Design faculty member Shawn Protz, the new bee hotels are being monitored for occupancy and success in providing pollinator habitat. You can find this one, which was funded by an NC State Sustainability Fund grant, outside the Plant Sciences Building on Centennial Campus.

Bee hotels stand outside the Plant Sciences Building among flowers.

Stay connected!

CaSA will feature a Green Unseen element in each monthly newsletter. Join the email list to follow along!

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