The Ninth Annual Green Design Conference will take place this weekend.

The theme of this year's conference is "Greening the Dream House." It will feature an exhibition and competition portion as well as a series of workshops, which will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow in Sackett Building. They are free and open to the public.

The exhibition and competition, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Kunkle Activities Center, will showcase projects of green design, an initiative that aims to reduce environmental damage. Cash prizes will be awarded in categories such as architecture, landscapes and gardens, and ecological innovations.

In addition, a costume competition will take place at the Beaux Arts Ball from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday in the HUB-Robeson Center's Heritage Hall. Prizes will be awarded for the most creative costumes featuring natural or recycled material and the color green.

Finally, several speeches and presentations, also free and open to the public, will take place Sunday afternoon following a brunch awards banquet at the Hintz Alumni Center.

Submissions to the competition and participants for the conference are still welcome. Design criteria and applicant and registration forms are available online at www.psu.edu/dept/cs.