Roanoke government officials won't be chaining themselves to ancient redwoods or joining anti-whaling expeditions on the high seas any time soon.

But bit by bit, city hall is turning a darker shade of green -- using biodiesel fuels, waterless urinals, curbside recycling and other measures -- in an effort to improve its environmental record.

"People look at me like, 'Why are we doing this?' " said Ken Cronin, Roanoke's director of general services, who's installing two dozen waterless urinals in municipal buildings as part of the city's green commitment.

The urinals will save nearly 1 million gallons of water each year, enough to fill one and a half Olympic pools. Because that water won't go down the drain, the city will save on wastewater treatment costs.

Roanoke also has started using a soybean oil-blend fuel in its fleet vehicles, making it one of the few localities in the state to use biodiesel. Soon, city hall will begin using computer software to track its greenhouse gas emissions, making it the second locality in Virginia to do so.

Diana Christopulos, a Sierra Club air quality scientist and the coordinator of the Roanoke Valley Cool Cities Coalition, called the actions "a landmark decision."

In the past decade, Roanoke had to react to a series of environmental problems, including illegally buried hazardous waste, sewage overflows in the Roanoke River, ozone air pollution and a dwindling tree canopy. A federal and state crackdown prompted the city to adopt an environmental compliance policy in 2000.

Now, city government is trying to get ahead of the curve by gradually expanding its green commitment -- from tree plantings and ultra-efficient lighting to engine-idling prohibitions and recycling leaves and dried sewage sludge into topsoil.

Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, Arlington County, Blacksburg and a handful of other Virginia localities have implemented similar measures, slowly replacing old equipment and methods with more energy-efficient practices.

Roanoke officials say the actions also will save tax dollars in the long run. They hope their green efforts will prompt more Roanoke businesses and residents to do likewise.

"Nobody pushed us to do this," said Paul Truntich, the city's environmental administrator. "We're doing it because it's the right thing to do."

Conservationists, scientists and others praised Roanoke officials for thinking green.

"A lot of communities tend to be reactive, but Roanoke's started taking the initiative to be proactive, so we're very excited to be working with them," said Christie-Joy Brodrick, an assistant professor at James Madison University. She also is a science team leader of Shenandoah Valley Air Quality Initiative, a group that's trying to improve air quality in the Interstate 81 corridor.

Christopulos praised Roanoke government's decision to measure its "carbon footprint," the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, a byproduct of burning fossil fuels.

"It may not sound very sexy, but I think it's really important to give Roanoke credit for what it's doing," she said.

For nearly two decades, hundreds of local governments nationwide have adopted good-faith measures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Seattle's government has reduced its emissions by 60 percent since 1990. But few localities are even measuring their efforts.

Truntich said a growing interest by Roanoke City Council, staffers and residents makes it the right time for Roanoke to invest more heavily in environmentally friendly measures.

That means running a cost-benefit analysis and keeping specific track of green efforts, including figuring out current emissions, setting goals and measuring progress to make sure those goals are met.

"Few localities have the data to back up what they're doing," Truntich said. "It's certainly not going to happen overnight, but we're setting up the city to have a strategic plan over multiple years and multiple budgets."

City buys biodiesel

The city's most recent green effort came Dec. 1 when it switched from diesel fuel to a biodiesel blend for much of its fleet. That includes more than 450 school buses, garbage trucks, dump trucks and other vehicles that use about 600,000 gallons of diesel fuel a year.

Cronin said the city would have switched sooner but couldn't find a local vendor. Chesapeake Custom Chemical Corp. in Ridgeway recently began manufacturing biodiesel.

Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils and animal fats, then washed and filtered to meet national standards.

Diesel vehicles are switched to biodiesel gradually rather than all at once to minimize engine problems. Most biodiesel sold at public pumps is a blend of 2 percent to 20 percent biodiesel mixed with petroleum diesel. Biodiesel fuel with less than 80 percent petroleum diesel may require engine modifications.

Roanoke's fleet will initially use a 2 percent biodiesel blend and may increase that to 20 percent in the future. The fuel costs more per gallon than petroleum diesel -- 2 cents more per gallon for 2 percent biodiesel, 20 cents more per gallon for 20 percent biodiesel -- but it can significantly reduce emissions of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter.

"It'll not only improve our air quality, it'll help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil," Cronin said.

The Roanoke Valley is under federal orders to clean up its air to avoid being designated as an ozone "non-attainment" zone. That designation would prompt a mandatory enforcement program that could include emissions tests on vehicles, specially formulated paints and stringent emissions standards for industry.

"It certainly looks as if Roanoke's doing its part" to reduce the valley's ozone, which has improved in the past two years, said Norman Auldridge, deputy regional director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Virginia fleets using biodiesel include the University of Virginia and local governments in Arlington County, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.

The Harrisonburg fleet started with a 2 percent blend in 2004 and has moved up to 5 percent and 20 percent blends. The result has been lower emissions, better gas mileage, no engine problems and no loss of power.

"I think it's worked out well," said Reggie Smith, Harrisonburg's director of public transportation. "And it's been positive morale for employees. They like doing the right thing in terms of global warming."

Greenhouse gases

In September, Roanoke City Council formalized its green commitment when it voted to join ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and its Cities for Climate Protection Campaign. It's an international association of more than 475 local governments that are committed to sustainable development.

Council member Gwen Mason, who described herself as a "relentless nag" on environmental issues, credited former Councilman Rupert Cutler for pushing a green agenda.

"There's a unanimity on council now to make Roanoke as clean and green as possible," she said. "I'm as impatient as the next person, but the incremental approaches we're taking are appropriate in developing our long-term strategy."

ICLEI, formerly known as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, is providing Roanoke with technical assistance, software and training. The plan is to measure the city's current greenhouse gas emissions, set targets for reducing them, adopt an action plan by next summer and monitor the results.

Dave Muhly, a Sierra Club spokesman, said green efforts by Roanoke and other Virginia localities reflect a growing sentiment among Americans.

"It's a recognition that if the federal government isn't going to take the lead, then local governments will," he said.

Roger Holnback, executive director of the Western Virginia Land Trust, also praised the city's actions.

City hall "could be greener still, but they're making an 'A' effort within the constraints of a tight budget," he said.

Wayne Strickland, executive director of the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission, said Roanoke's green initiatives reflect a realization that a healthy environment boosts an area's quality of life, in part, by attracting new businesses and families who want a healthy lifestyle.

"I think it's an evolution of people's thinking," he said, citing ongoing efforts to convert the Roanoke River from an industrial dumping ground into an ecological showpiece with clean waters and a recreation trail.

Strickland noted Roanoke is still behind Seattle, Portland, Ore., and other more environmentally minded communities that adopted green practices years ago.

"That doesn't matter," he said. "The fact is we're doing it now."