GRONINGEN, Netherlands — With polar bears on their way to being cliche back in 2008, environmental marketing has become more positive in recent years as companies and groups find that doom-and-gloom ads turns people off.

As a sort of culmination of positive environmental messaging, a new effort and symbol to highlight sustainable work has launched.

Dubbed Happy Energy, the effort goes beyond just renewable energy and is focused on promoting sustainable products and projects as well.

"Happy Energy is an initiative that wants to propagate the positive philosophy of a sustainable society in a clear and transparent manner," says the Happy Energy website. "We want to promote green energy and durable production and we are currently working on inspiring projects and products that will help to spread ‘happy energy,’ using the Happy Energy logo as an easily identifiable and universal symbol."

The Happy Energy initiative is accepting requests for using the symbol, which it hopes will becomes a globally-recognized symbol — in the same vein as the peace sign, happy face or recycling logo — but for representing sustainability.