HOLLYWOOD — Celebrity excess often overshadows the Hollywood green movement, undermining the best of intentions. But, private jet rides notwithstanding, there’s lots of cutting-edge environmentalism happening here behind the scenes — and an increasingly urgent, even competitive, interest in doing more.

Or at least that’s the idea behind the Hollywood Goes Green summit, a two-day conference starting Tuesday at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It comes at a pivotal time, with environmental activism fractured into “light” and “dark” green: the light side advocating eco-chic consumerism as a means of gradually effecting change and the dark seeking an immediate paradigm shift. Meanwhile, the entertainment industry is in a state of barely restrained panic as market share continues to plummet, leaving executives scrambling to find cost-saving and attention-grabbing opportunities.

Conference attendees hope it will stimulate a crucial dialogue. As Rich Lechner, a vice president of IBM, points out, Hollywood’s decision-makers have the power to shift attitudes globally.

“To the degree they take a leadership role in becoming greener, they will influence the way the rest of the world goes,” he said.

Organizers expect about 300 attendees, including TV, film and music executives, eco-entrepreneurs, and environmental and tech engineers.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Co., MTV and NBC Universal are among the major industry players involved, all of them driven to find new ways to curb the entertainment industry’s vast consumption of resources and make (or, more likely, save) some money in the process.

“This is the time we need to take action,” said Zahara Stroud, president of iHollywood Forum, the company producing the event. “People are bothered by the fact that they’re wasting energy and they want to find ways in their day-to-day operations as a company towards making change.”

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The summit isn’t exactly a civic undertaking. Attendees are charged as much as $895 per ticket by iHollywood Forum for the two days, a price point clearly geared toward corporate executives. (Nonprofits, guild and trade associations are eligible for discounts.) And title sponsors IBM, NBC Universal, General Motors and Subway pay to deliver an on-topic keynote presentation and to be included on panels. IBM, for instance, has secured three panels and a keynote address by Lechner, all publicizing its innovations in reducing energy generated by large data systems.

For the most part, this is a pragmatic, nuts-and-bolts affair addressing efficient fleet management, green event planning and eco-friendly TV and film production. The only celebrity on the agenda is die-hard environmentalist Ed Begley Jr.

The Natural Resources Defense Council’s senior scientist, Allen Hershkowitz, will tout the corporate savings from going green. GM will display its electric concept car, the Volt.

AP-NY-12-07-07 1834EST