LEWISTON – Attendees at the 13th annual Androscoggin Business-to-Business Trade Show will have a chance to do something for the environment as well as their bottom lines this year.

The trade show, billed as the biggest one-day show in the state, is themed ECOnomics: From Green to Gold, reflecting the advantages of eco-friendly business policies.

“The notion is you’re saving scarce resources but also impacting your company’s bottom line,” said Paul Badeau, marketing director for the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, which sponsors the annual event.

Set for Thursday, June 12, at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée, the trade show will kick off with a Chamber of Commerce breakfast in the new Bates College dining hall – itself a testament to environmental stewardship. Recycled and certified-green building materials went into its construction; a variety of sensors and devices maximize natural light, ventilation and water conservation.

Keynote speaker Robert Gardiner takes it a step further, talking about energy development in Maine and the importance and challenges of renewable power. Gardiner is partnering with former Gov. Angus King in creating Independence Wind, a company developing large-scale wind farm projects in Maine. Gardiner was also the chairman of the National Wildlife Federation, former director of the Maine Bureau of Public Lands and – perhaps known best locally – former president of Maine Public Broadcasting System.

“We’re very excited to have him and to share his expertise in this area,” said Badeau. “What they are doing is very bold.”

The meat of the trade show, though, is the person-to-person networking done all day long. More than 200 exhibitors will be on hand to talk about their companies, their products and services and have some fun as well. Last year there was a confetti dunk tank hosted by a credit union and a “Deal or No Deal” takeoff by an insurance company. This year’s event sold out exhibitor space last week.

To continue the green theme, glass artist Jim Nutting will be creating a giant, suspended sculpture using recycled bottles. The artwork will be separated into smaller components for sale later at Maine Art Glass Studio in Lisbon. And a school bus will be parked in the Colisée lot, open for donations of office supplies, equipment and tchotchkes to benefit the Share Center in Auburn. The nonprofit organization collects supplies and makes them available to local school and charities; the tchotchkes are given out to reward good work by students.

Badeau said businesses often end up with boxes full of promotional items with an obsolete logo that they don’t know what to do with. Likewise, they have supplies like outdated letterhead, old staplers, tape dispensers, calculators and other equipment that might still be usable, but have been replaced during office upgrades.

The green theme extends into the evening, when Business After Hours – also at the Colisee – will feature Pete Kilpatrick, a Maine singer/songwriter whose melodic, pop tunes earned him critics’ pick awards from the Portland Phoenix and Press Herald, while thisismodern.net called him “the best kept secret in indie music.” The social time will also feature cuisine from local restaurants.

Badeau said the growth council is doing its part to reduce its carbon footprint. Gone are the plastic bags that trade show attendees used for collecting swag; instead, recyclable bags will be available. There will also be a cell phone recycling station at the trade show. The growth council has assembled and published a best-practices list of local companies and what they’re doing to be more environmentally aware while cutting costs.

“This isn’t just companies that are recycling their paper or changing light bulbs,” said Badeau, “but everything, from purchasing 100 percent environmentally safe cleaning products to selecting equipment and furniture made with recyclable materials and reusing office products.”

Last year the trade show attracted 2,500 attendees. It is the sole fundraiser for the economic development group. For more information, call 784-0161 or visit www.economicgrowth.org and click on B2B. Registrations for the kick-off breakfast can be made at www.androscoggincounty.com