Earlier this month, vibrant green paint covered a formerly homely patch of wall in central Sand City thanks to a team of artists who conjured a West End mural in the space of a half day. Now green will pour over the entire 400 block of Ortiz Avenue for a whole weekend in the form of the “Green Scene,” an informational fair featuring environmentally friendly vendors, nonprofit organizations and resources from around Monterey County.


“We’re trying to create a breeding ground for new ideas to integrate the green philosophy,” says West End Celebration spokesperson Rebecca Riddell.


But the pièce de résistance of that push is the two-day Green Lecture Series, which brings together more than a dozen local architects, engineers, policymakers and activists to discuss the green concepts being formulated and used in projects around the county, as well as ways that individuals can begin to incorporate these same ideas in their own lives. Collectively they represent innovative early adopters, not trend-trailing opportunists.


Saturday’s focus is “Building Green,” and the lectures highlight ongoing eco-sensitive projects in Sand City, including the desalination plant, alternative transportation options and newly renamed The Independent (formerly the Design Center), where the talks are taking place. The speaker of greatest intrigue will likely be Rana Creek’s Paul Kephart, who will lead an open discussion on current plans for a controversial eco-resort on the dunes in Sand City that has pitted enviros against enviros. 


Sunday switches gears to “Living Green,” with topics that offer applicable lessons for attendees: Passionfish owner Cindy Walter, who also serves as a board member for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, provides guidelines for eating more sustainably from her uniquely pioneering perspective. LEED-certified architect Michael Waxer, founder of Step Up 2 Green, discusses how to save money by increasing water and energy efficiency in building spaces. School gardens, business conservation strategies and waste offset projects will also get play.


Elsewhere, Sand City’s community garden project – launched last month to bring more open green spaces to its primarily urban environment – has come together quickly and will make its debut in time for the West End Celebration.


“We got pretty much everyone in the city to help or contribute something,” says organizer Susan Collins, who also helped to spearhead the Green Scene. “Every day, somebody seems to be making something new.”


The garden, which features flower beds, a fire pit and a compost pile, is located across from City Hall on Hickory Street, up the hill from the main West End activities.