Seeding Green Days in Beverly Hills

If you think Al Gore is doing something, I’ve got two words for you: Edward Mazria. With a career in architecture and planning that spans more than 30 years and a dynamic personality, this guy gave a presentation that made An Inconvenient Truth seem merely inconvenient. However, beyond the fear factor of “what happens if we don’t…, he offered real solutions packed with public-private partnerships and guidelines for architects, commercial developers, city planners and even politicians. Mazria’s lecture kicked off the first “Green Days in Beverly Hills: Environmental Expo and Sustainability Conference,” hosted by the European Business Council June 23-24th.

Mazria’s talk stems from his own research determining that buildings are responsible for more than half of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. This information lead Mazria to establish Architecture 2030, a nonpartisan, nonprofit call to action for the US and global building sector to transform how they operate to make dramatic improvements in the global warming crisis.

Overall, the event was a noble effort with lackluster attendance. There was limited marketing for the conference, so it’s no wonder the crickets were chirping. It’s a shame because the Expo portion was as noteworthy as the lecture program. The solar power companies were out in full force, along with water purification systems and a bevy of green building and design solutions. Everything from paperstone countertops to the Earth-friendly products to clean them were on display. Booth representatives from more than 40 companies were gracious, knowledgeable and patient (I ask a lot of questions). Even the venue was pleasant—who doesn’t love Beverly Hills High School? While, the facilities aren’t state-of-the-art, they are more than adequate and you can’t beat the sunny teen band playing in the background as you wander from booth to booth. It’s a shame the turnout was so slim. Should we chalk this up to one more area where Europeans are ahead of the curve and Americans will be compelled to get on board? If so, I sure hope we can get our act together sooner than later. For more info, check out…