Eliza Hudson is looking for a pathway home, and she’s hoping it’ll be paved in green.

Hudson, 24, who grew up on South Whidbey, is program development coordinator for next week’s ReEnergize Convergence, a four-day hands-on eco-friendly conference sponsored by Whidbey Ecollaborative.

“This community is really strong,” said Hudson, who’s currently living in North Seattle. “There’s a high concentration of people doing amazing things in the world. I want to come back and reconnect.”

“There’s a lack of young people on the island,” she continued. “We want to improve that, if we can find a way to come back. It’s always been close to my heart.”

She’s hoping Whidbey Ecollaborative and next week’s conference, Thursday, July 16 through Sunday, July 19, will be a springboard to something bigger, especially for Langley, which has been steadily modifying its policies to encourage a younger and more diverse population.

The conference, at various locations around the city, will be an overview of a green way of life. It will focus on green building and design, sustainability in all forms and the recycling of useful materials.

Among the participants will be Langley architect Ross Chapin and former Langley resident Kathryn Langstaff, a partner in an international company in Portland, Ore. that focuses on a sustainable culture. Several others in the local sustainability field also will take part.

Hudson is a 2007 graduate of Guilford College in North Carolina. She majored in environmental studies and Spanish. Her mother, Lucinda Herring, lives in Clinton.

Whidbey Ecollaborative is a nonprofit group organized last fall by Chapin and others in the community to promote sustainability. It’s current focus is on green building and design, but directors hope to expand to other eco-sensitive areas.

ReEnergize Convergence is the group’s first big event.

A major factor in the organization’s philosophy is to bring young people into the process, said Jerry Millhon of Langley, a Whidbey Ecollaborative founder.

“We talked about how to energize the community,” Millhon said. “Young energy has a lot to do with that.”

Hudson said she got involved in the program through Chapin and his daughter Aleah, a friend since childhood.

She said Whidbey Ecollaborative eventually wants to function as a school, offering programs for students elsewhere to study sustainability and reuse.

“It would focus on the island, with an emphasis on design and building, and green jobs and job training,” Hudson said. “It could bring in people to be teachers.”

A key component of the conference will be reusability — reclaiming “junk” and putting it to artistic and creative purposes.

Langley artist John Alsip lives that philosophy. His cottage and grounds on Sixth Street are festooned with cast-off items he has converted to art and function.

His home will be the site of various hands-on programs during the conference. Other features will include sessions focusing on energy conservation and renewable energy technology, including solar and wind; and a discussion about green tools for the future.

On Saturday, Chapin will lead a tour of a local green development and discuss the design philosophy and methods. In the afternoon, he and Langstaff will put the morning’s principles into action by helping conference participants create a real design for an eco-hostel.

On Sunday morning, participants will lead workshops and presentations relating to sustainability, and explore what’s next in the field.

Alsip applauds Langley for emphasizing sustainability in updating its comprehensive plan for future development, and for Whidbey Ecollaborative’s emphasis on “re-.”

He said the current economic times offer an ideal chance for the city to position itself for a green and sustainable future.

“Another re-word is ‘reboot,’” Alsip said. “When you push the reboot button, you better have a good idea what you want to see on the screen.”

Added Hudson of the conference: “This is a really cool journey about younger and older generations working together.”

Cost for the four days is $140 per person, but Millhon said scholarships and work-study options are available. Registration is required. To register, call Millhon at

321-8084.

For more information, visit the Web site www.whidbeyecollabora

tive.org.