CORONA - Organizers of a regional Earth Day celebration in Corona on Sunday will pay homage to the environment with solar-car races, bio-diesel and recycling demonstrations and educational exhibits for children.

More than 5,000 people are expected to peruse the more than 40 booths at the Dos Lagos event, groove to live entertainment and participate in the dedication of the two lakes that anchor the mixed-use development.

The event is sponsored by a new nonprofit organization called Green Institute for Village Empowerment. Co-sponsors include the city of Corona, radio stations KVCR, KOLA and KTIE, and Southern California Edison.

Ali Sahabi, president and CEO of SE Corp., the Dos Lagos developer, founded the Green Institute to promote green technology, sustainability and environmental awareness in the region, he said.

Sustainability is balancing the social, environmental and economic effects of development and how people live in general, Sahabi said.

Dos Lagos has incorporated sustainability by building homes in walking distance to shops and restaurants, working with local agencies to be environmentally sensitive while constructing the project, and reclaiming what was once a mining operation.

"We took something that had been discarded and turned it into this beautiful area," he said. "You can say we recycled the land."

Mayor Eugene Montanez said Dos Lagos is the perfect site for Earth Day because of how the area has changed as a result of the project.

"We've kind of transformed with how careful we are in construction and being more sensitive to nature," Montanez said.

At the Earth Day event, Friends of RCC Forensics and the Riverside County Office of Education will coordinate a "Save the Earth" speech contest. More than 100 students from schools in the Alvord, Corona-Norco, Jurupa, Moreno Valley, Riverside and Val Verde school districts will compete for $5,000 worth of scholarships.

More than 50 students from the Jurupa Unified School District's Youth Opportunity Center will race solar-powered cars they built.

The day also will include a dedication ceremony for the project's signature lakes.

The lakes are part of a 10-acre park called "The Heart," which includes a 9-foot waterfall, a bamboo-covered bridge designed by architect Noberto Nardi, a 350-seat amphitheater and a flower garden dotted with California pepper, palm and lemon trees.

Corona-based landscape architect Ken Kammeyer designed the park's garden to pay tribute to the city's history, he said.

"Some of the nicest projects we've seen in the last 30 years have had bodies of water," he said. "We wanted something where you look out and enjoy seeing the lakes."

Reach Melanie C. Johnson at 951-893-2113 or mjohnson@PE.com