It began as a humble gathering of a few hundred people a decade ago.
Now, the Green Building Expo, which sets up shop Friday and Saturday at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, attracts thousands of East Valley residents looking for ways to become more environmentally conscious.
The environment sustainability movement has flourished over the years, making its way down to the consumer level, said expo chairman Kevin Edwards.
“It’s a change of thinking,” said Edwards, co-owner of the Edwards Design Group, a Scottsdale-based design and build firm specializing in green-design practices.
The free event, sponsored by Phoenix, Tempe and Scottsdale, drew about 6,500 people last year. Edwards estimated attendance at this week’s event could top 10,000.
The expo’s goal is education and community involvement, said Edwards, adding that this year’s event will feature a number of international and national speakers discussing topics ranging from ways to make a home more energy efficient to reducing carbon emissions.
Edwards said to preserve the Earth’s resources and combat global warming, consumers need to be aware of the things they buy.
He said users can make a difference in a number of simple ways.
Those include choosing high-efficiency appliances when replacing older models and seeking out biodegradable products, he said.
The event, which runs 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, will feature more than 100 vendors.
Friday’s seminars will be geared toward environmentally friendly building practices while Saturday’s lectures will focus on green residential applications.
For information on seminar times and topics, visit
