A conference and expo taking place at the Mobile Convention Center is designed to show builders and the general public how to incorporate environmentally friendly design into homes and businesses.

GreenCoast will open for a two-day run on Wednesday with interactive educational sessions on commercial design and construction, as well as discussions on topics related to sustainability. Area residents will be admitted free to the associated expo, where they can discover the latest Earth-friendly products and services.

The event is produced by SmartCoast, a regional nonprofit organization founded in 2003 to promote balanced development and a healthy Gulf Coast. The group is working in collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Alabama, Mississippi and Florida Northern Gulf Coast chapters.

“We really got concerned about the development and population moving to the coast,” said Wendy Allen, SmartCoast co-executive director. “What really tipped it off for us was an article about the Baldwin County Public Schools building 13 more schools.”

Allen said she and others realized the importance of these schools being built using not only an environmentally responsible footprint, but also with thought given to the health and well being of the occupants. That meant teaching officials about various issues, including maintaining good indoor air quality.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley awarded a $5,000 grant to SmartCoast in February to help the group produce promotional materials for the conference, such as brochures, newsletters and a Web site. The federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy was administered by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

In a statement at the time, Riley said, “Building energy efficient structures not only saves residents and businesses money on utility bills, it also helps conserve our state’s natural resources. I am pleased to support this effort to educate builders and homeowners about the benefits of energy conservation.”

USGBC officials say green buildings cost only 1 to 4 percent more than conventional construction, but they pay for themselves many times over in greater productivity and lower maintenance costs.

“We see green building as a means for us to have resource-sufficient buildings,” Allen said. “Green building takes into consideration the site and size of buildings, type of materials, energy and water consumption, waste reduction at the construction site and using recycled material as much as you can.”

Those components are as varied as carpet manufactured from recycled fibers to heart pine lumber salvaged from the demolition of older houses.

She said, “It’s better than sending it to the landfill and waiting for it to decompose. (Green building) is not just slapping a building on a lot.”

Among the other green ideas being floated by SmartCoast and similar groups are designing a house in a way that allows maximum sunlight to enter instead of using artificial lighting during the day and taking advantage of new types of insulation to cut energy usage.

Allen said several companies and institutions such as White-Spunner Construction, Spring Hill College and the Dauphin Island Sea Lab are currently building green structures designed for the Gulf Coast.

“We’ve gone through droughts, tropical storms and hurricanes,” she said. “We really need to pay attention to how we construct buildings.”

Around 75 vendors from across the Southeast will have displays set up at GreenCoast, according to Allen. They will share their expertise with the building industry.

Eighteen workshops in three educational tracks will be held, with nationally recognized speakers leading them.

Technical review workshops based on the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) benchmark are scheduled as well, with one related to new construction on Tuesday, and another about commercial interiors set on Friday.

Allen said, “We would like to have more of our professionals come to these sessions because (green building) is the wave of the future.”

Many, such as architects, landscape designers, real estate developers and building owners and managers are eligible for Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits if they attend.

Registration for the conference is open through Monday. The full two-day registration is $230, and a one-day registration is $150. The LEED workshops are not included, and registration for them is separate.

“We’re allowing the general public to come free from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. both days so they can talk to the exhibitors about paint, wood, lighting, carpet, furniture and a number of other things,” Allen said.

While there, visitors will also see the Delta Denim exhibit from the Eastern Shore Art Center. The project began as a student installation at Earth Day 2007, held at the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in Spanish Fort. The colorful jeans illustrate what the kids would like to see preserved in the Mobile Bay ecosystem.

Also on display will be art produced by middle school, high school, home-school and junior college students taking part in the IMPACT Goes Green program, a project of IMPACT, an art club at ESAC. Totems and construction made from common objects and recycled materials will be displayed on tables set up on the upper concourse at the Convention Center.

Students from South Baldwin Center for Technology have built a cutaway model to illustrate ways existing homes can be changed to save natural resources, which will also be set up at the expo.

“This is an interesting time in our coastal area,” Allen said. “European companies are coming in, and they understand building and living with an environmental conscience. The environment is our economy. How do we preserve our quality of life while we are changing and growing so much? We are in a watershed period. We need to encourage our elected officials to plan for it in the future.”

To learn more about GreenCoast, or to register, call (251) 928-2309, or visit www.greencoastonline.com.