I’ve heard of many things being "the new black" but now the question seems to be, "Is green the new gold?"

At least that’’ the question posed by the organizers of the upcoming Opportunity Green Conference. Developed through a partnership with UCLA’s Sustainable Resource Center, the conference is also sponsored by many well-known names, including Clif Bar and Treehugger.

The conference will bring together those involved in all aspects of green business, from visionaries and entrepreneurs to executives and investors, all of whom are dedicated to building socially conscious, sustainable, and profitable enterprises.

To be held on Saturday, November 17 at UCLA, the conference features several speakers well-known in the socially-conscious world of business, including:

• Jonathan Greenblatt, Co-founder of Ethos Water
• Josh Dorfman, Author/Producer of The Lazy Environmentalist
• Max Schorr, Publisher and Founding Editor of GOOD Magazine
• Graham Hill, Founder of TreeHugger.com
• Gunther Lie, Director of Interactive Media for Method products
• Ellen Strickland, Founder/Owner of Livingreen

The "emerging agenda" (I love it!) features a plenary session on Marketing and Trends plus many options for break-out sessions, including Green 2.0: Connecting to Our Community, The Clean Tech Revolution, Opportunities for Green Investment Capital, and Business Blogging 101 (you can bet I’ll be at that last one). There are also significant opportunities for networking, including the Wrap-up Party, billed as a "spectacularly green event."

Organizers have developed an aggressive list of objectives and learning points for the conference. Of course, connecting those working within the sustainable community is key — there is much to learn from each other. Thus, the conference will provide a forum for collaboration on how to grow a profitable company that is focused on the Triple Bottom Line.

This is of particular interest to me. The profitability piece of the Triple Bottom Line is easily measured, having always been a staple of business metrics. And as the saying goes, "What gets measured gets done," but the measurement of the people and planet aspects tends to be more difficult. I’m curious to see how others approach this challenge.

Also, participants will discuss what has and hasn’t worked in growing socially conscious businesses, including viral marketing and growth tactics, plus tools you can use to build and scale your business, like online networks.

With more than 500 expected to attend, this conference is certain to help business people learn how to make gold from their green.