Usually, when I think of Beverly Hills, I don’t think “green”. Rodeo Drive? Yes. Mansions with manicured lawns? Yes. Brenda, Brandon, and the rest of the 90210 gang? Unfortunately, yes. But none of the usual Beverly Hills connotations point me towards sustainability or a concern for the environment.

So perhaps it’s a sign of the times that a city so strongly associated with money and consumerism should be the site for a two-day event focused on practical solutions for everyone to decrease their impact on the planet.

Green Days in Beverly Hills, an International Environmental Expo and Sustainability Conference, will be held Saturday, June 23rd and Sunday, June 24th at Beverly Hills High School. Sponsored by the European Business Council and the City of Beverly Hills, it features both a product Expo, as well as speakers in a Conference format.

The Expo, which runs both days, will showcase green products and systems that address the building and energy challenges experienced by Southern California residents. Panels, workshops and presentations will focus on three categories: Home, Work, and Transportation.

In addition, the Conference portion features several speakers and a panel of experts discussing green building, renewable energy, transportation, and water conservation.

Conference keynote speakers include:

• Stanford Ovshinsky, Inventor: Founder, Chief Scientist and Technologist of Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (ECD Ovonics) and Inventor of Ovonic solar cells. Named "Hero for the Planet" by Time Magazine 1999.
• Edward Mazria, internationally recognized Architect and Educator: Author of The Passive Solar Energy Book, and Founder and Policy Director of Architecture 2030
• L. Hunter Lovins, Economic Consultant, Educator, Author: President and Founder, Natural Capitalism Solutions and co-author of Natural Capitalism. Founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute. Named "Hero for the Planet" by Time magazine, 2000.
• D. Neel Bradham: As Vice President of Business Development for Interface, Inc., provices management and oversight of Interface's global sustainable strategy group and new venture, InterfaceRAISE

Organizers scheduled the event to occur concurrently with the US Conference of Mayors, also held in Los Angeles this weekend. With much attention focused on the Mayors’ Conference, it’s the perfect time for cities to spotlight environmental issues. Perhaps Green Days might even help to change everyone’s perception of Beverly Hills, and show that the city is about more than just the Benjamins.