The 30th anniversary alternative energy conference, “Building Energy 2005,” was held on March15-17 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston.The three-day event, sponsored by the New England Sustainable Energy Association and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, showcased options for sustainable energy, as well as the public and private sectors that make these practices happen.

Lectures given included innovations and emerging technologies in science, the business of green energy, community building, both literal and figurative, as well as the arts.

As a result, there was something for everyone regardless of proficiency in the alternative energy industry. But also because of this, there was plenty of co-opting of ideas and use of buzzwords with just enough substance to make an idea sound fantastic until reading the fine print.”Green Campuses” examined the opportunities and challenges of sustainability initiatives on college campus. The talk addressed the work occurring on both the Eastern Connecticut State College as well Ohio’s Case Reserve campuses. Both have the ability to institute sustainability from scratch rather than retrofitting buildings already in existence.William Leahy, director for Sustainable Energy at Eastern Connecticut State, advocated an eight point plan that can be viewed at their website, www.sustainenergy.org. These ideas include involving the entirety of the campus from the president to the community at large.

“Biofuels in Vehicles Now,” focused on the use of vegetable oil as a fuel source for diesel cars. The conversation outlined the process by which diesel cars built prior to 1995 only require the installation of a conversion kit before possessing the capacity to run with biofuel or vegetable oil (used or otherwise) into its fuel tank. The lecture continued that the only real costs to the user are the funds necessary for the draining and cleaning kits, an average of 20 cents per 300 miles.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) was heavily represented at the conference. The organization is often regarded as the benchmark by which most groups assess their level of “green.” The parameters used, established by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), have been instituted in several buildings in Boston including MIT’s Stata Center.

The exhibitors’ tables on hand at the conference highlighted everything from waterless urinals and composting toilets to hybrid cars and solar energy. Boston Mayor Tom Menino’s own green building Task Force, which includes specialists from the BAC (Boston Architectural Center) and the Green Roundtable, were among the participants.