Nonprofits and corporations will be promoting "tree equity" in Detroit this week during a sustainability conference that is spurring green initiatives around the city

The 13th annual Sustainable Brands Conference takes place Monday-Thursday at Cobo Center and is expected to draw 2,500 industry professionals to the city. The agenda includes tours of green space around the city, presentations by business leaders and an expo of 45 corporations and nonprofits from around the country.

Steve Cahillane, chairman and CEO of Battle Creek-based Kellogg Co., is scheduled to speak along with executives from other companies and nonprofits around the country, such as Matthew McCarthy, CEO of Vermont-based Ben & Jerry's; Linda Walker, director of forests for the Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund; and Ryan Black, CEO and founder of California-based food company Sambazon.

As part of the conference, Detroit's planning and development department, along with Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit American Forests, are scheduled to break ground Tuesday on the new Herman Kiefer Health Complex Nursery, according to a media advisory.

"It's an exciting new model Detroit is piloting for reclaiming vacant land to help stabilize a community, grow trees for planting throughout the city and support careers for residents," the advisory said.

The project is a part of a larger plan to redevelop the sprawling, abandoned medical complex that includes a 460,000-square-foot main hospital and seven smaller buildings. The once city-owned hospital closed in 2013, and its property sold to a New York-based developer in 2015 for $925,000. Converting Detroit's abundance of vacant land into green space is a broad objective helmed by Maurice Cox, planning director for the city.

After purchasing the site, developer and architect Ron Castellano laid out a plan to invest $100 million to redevelop the 18-acre site, according to the city. No major work has taken place on the site.

An inquiry was left with the city Monday for more details about the development plans for the site.

The Herman Kiefer complex isn't the only one being touched by the green thumb. Volunteers on Monday will be planting 35 new trees at Detroit's Muliett Park, located near Michigan Central Station in Corktown. Nebraska-based Arbor Day Foundation is partnering with Ann Arbor-based nonprofit ReLeaf Michigan, Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. and Plymouth-based supply chain firm Chep USA on the initiative.

Lincoln Street Art Park, an abandoned industrial site turned art space, is being targeted for new "outdoor classrooms," playscapes and gardens using recycled products, the release said. On Monday, 60 volunteers from the sustainability conference will be cleaning up the lot, northwest of the I-94 and John C. Lodge Freeway interchange. New Hampshire-based Timberland Co. and Detroit-based nonprofit Green Living Science are behind the effort.

Some of Detroit's most prominent sustainability nonprofits will be spotlighted during the week, including Ecoworks Youth Energy Squad, Detroit Food Academy and Detroit Hives. The Detroit Experience Factory is organizing tours of the city's neighborhoods to highlight their efforts.

American Forests is partnering with the DTE Energy Foundation to host a tour Tuesday that will include "CEOs and sustainability leaders of some of the biggest, most influential corporations in the world," according to a news release from American Forests. The Herman Kiefer site will be a stop on the tour.

"It's fitting that this dynamic green space will sit near the epicenter of the historic 1967 uprising that so shaped the history of this iconic American city," the release said.

A message was left Monday with American Forests for more information about the nursery.

The conference is free to the public, but those attending must register online. To register, and for more information about the conference, visit Sustainable Brands' website.