ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

Governor Tim Kaine (left) waves to a jogger Thursday while riding a bike on the Roanoke River Greenway, one of several stops on his trip to the region.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine came to downtown Roanoke Thursday bearing accolades for business leaders and local officials involved in a city-based Clean and Green Business Coalition that touts sustainable business and municipal practices in the region.

Kaine stood at a podium in front of the State& City Building. Owned and renovated along green guidelines by Rob Glenn, it was Roanoke's first LEED certified building. The governor spoke to a crowd that spread in a wide and deep semi-circle in front of Moose Jeweler on First Street.

He said it would not be an exaggeration to say that Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley have led the state by establishing a coalition of 12 of the city's largest employers to promote environmental stewardship.

One of those employers is Steel Dynamics, Roanoke Bar Division -- formerly Roanoke Electric Steel. Joe Crawford, the division's vice president and general manager, described the company's green efforts, acknowledging that many people might wonder about such a heavy manufacturer's participation.

"What in the world does a big, ugly steel company have anything to do with clean and green?" Crawford said.

But he said the Roanoke plant, which melts metal scrap in electric arc furnaces to reap its raw material, is a major recycler of scrap that might otherwise end up in landfills. In addition, he said, Steel Dynamics is finalizing construction of a new emissions control system.

Crawford volunteered, however, that the steel plant had not yet made big strides in reducing its carbon footprint.

"Maybe a little, but not a lot," he said.

Nevertheless, he said, the coalition's effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has helped raise the company's awareness about the benefits of achieving such reductions.

Gwen Mason, a member of the Roanoke City Council and a Democratic candidate for an open seat in the House of Delegates, helped found the Clean and Green Business Coalition.

She said that participating businesses reduced greenhouse emissions last year by an average of 13 percent. One business cut emissions by 28 percent and saved more than $1 million in the process, she said.

"Environmental stewardship is economic stewardship," Mason said.

Kaine said statewide awareness of the importance of energy efficiency, developing alternative energy sources, recycling, greenhouse gas reductions, green building practices and other sustainable efforts seems to have increased dramatically in recent years.

City Manager Darlene Burcham attended the event Thursday afternoon. She said the city's own green efforts began initially as a way to save money but evolved further with the recognition that progressive cities are becoming increasingly popular places to live and that local governments need to do their part to protect the environment.

"We are nowhere near where we could be but I think we're on the right road," Burcham said.

Earlier Thursday, Kaine spent about an hour inside Volvo Trucks North America in Pulaski County, meeting with the general manager and visiting the production area.

"I'm excited to see this and know there are a lot of good things going on here, a lot of innovation," Kaine told Pete Huber, the Pulaski County administrator, who was among local officials standing outside the plant to greet Kaine.

The visit was the first of several stops the governor made in the New River and Roanoke valleys. He also took a bicycle ride with children and adults along the Roanoke River Greenway, visited a city fire station and the Roanoke City Market.

Volvo plant manager Patrick Collignon and Kaine discussed Volvo business issues and the plant's push to reduce energy use and its estimated $6 million annual energy bill through adoption of more sustainable practices, according to Marcus Thompson, the plant's communications manager. The meeting was closed to reporters at the company's request.

Collignon said the plant uses energy much like any conventional factory. But he has set a goal for it to become carbon neutral, meaning its operation adds no carbon dioxide to the environment. The support of government officials is important, he said.

The factory, after a series of job cuts in recent years because of fluctuating demand, employs a work force of 1,200 people. About 900 workers build highway trucks and construction vehicles for sale in North America, while the rest hold white-collar positions.

Staff writer Jeff Sturgeon contributed to this report.