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NORTON - A month ago, organizers of the Deutsche Bank Championship committed themselves to making the tournament the first "carbon neutral" event on the PGA Tour.

Golf fans at the Tournament Players Club of Boston in Norton for the four-day tourney that begins today may have a hard time seeing much change.

But organizers on Thursday outlined a detailed plan to reduce the event's impact on the environment.

"Deutsche Bank has long been committed to environmental sustainability, so it was natural to extend that commitment to the Deutsche Bank Championship," Seth Waugh, CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas, said in a statement. "Golf is a sport enjoyed in natural surroundings, and our goal is to continually reduce the environmental impact of our event, and to offset any remaining impact so that the championship can be enjoyed by generations of fans to come."

To accomplish the goal, Waugh said, the tournament will implement an extensive recycling program and enlisted its corporate partners and vendors to take additional steps to minimize their impact on the environment. The golf course itself is also ecologically advanced, he said. Because it is not possible to entirely eliminate the environmental impact of the event, Waugh said, Deutsche Bank and the tournament are investing in "carbon-offsets" to finance programs that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount that is estimated to be equal to those generated by the event.

"Carbon-offsets" are frequently used by corporations as a way to minimize environmental impact. For instance, if machinery or vehicles used at an event emit carbon dioxide, the company will invest in tree planting, which reduces the impact of those emissions.

The program, which was validated by environmental consulting expert EcoSecurities, will make the Deutsche Bank Championship the first "carbon neutral" event on the PGA Tour, Waugh said.

The environmental improvement most noticeable to fans is the new on-site recycling program. The Deutsche Bank Championship partnered with Waste Management and Anheuser-Busch to recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles.

Fans will also notice that daily pairings sheets, thousands of which are handed out each day, are reduced in size by half and printed on recycled paper. In addition, the program is printed on a combination of recycled and environmentally certified paper.

The tournament also enlisted the support of the many vendors it relies on each year to take steps to reduce their environmental impact.

CAT Power, which supplies all the power generation on-site during championship week, has switched to ultra-low sulfur diesel. Boston Coach, which provides spectator transportation, uses engines that operate on ultra-low sulfur diesel, which reduces emissions, and/or bio-diesel fuel. The bio-diesel fuel is made of renewable resources and has no sulfur and reduced nitrogen and carbon footprints.

Other corporate partners are pitching in. Dunkin' Donuts has partnered with ride-sharing community NuRide to offer commuters an opportunity to earn points for the rides they share and redeem them for discounts in its stores. Stop & Shop will provide recyclable and reusable bags for distribution of thousands of volunteer uniforms.

Buick, which provides hundreds of vehicles for players and tournament staff, will provide a fleet that includes the Buick Enclave, which has better highway fuel economy than any other eight-passenger SUV, and two GMC Yukon hybrids.

As for the course itself, TPC Boston is adjacent to 150 acres of local conservation land donated by the development partnership of the club to the towns of Norton and Mansfield. The course uses natural products like composts and organic fertilizers that are recycled from biosolids, poultry litter, wood and paper. This practice helps achieve the building of quality soil, which allows the club to judiciously use water and other resources. As a result, the club has been the recipient of three Golf Digest awards for environmental stewardship.

"We have made significant strides in how the Deutsche Bank Championship approaches the issue of protecting and preserving the environment," tournament director Eric Baldwin said in a statement. "We understand how important it is to be good stewards of the earth, and the championship and all of our partners and vendors encourage our fans to join us in this effort."

MIKE KIRBY can be reached at 508-236-0344 or at mkirby@thesunchronicle.com.