North Texans can be spotted toting reusable shopping bags, commuting in hybrids and xeriscaping their yards. But individuals are not the only ones taking up the call to go green.

Grapevine

Grapevine has blazed a green trail with a variety of environmentally friendly initiatives, including extensive energy reduction measures funded by two federal grants.

Dewey Stoffels, manager of Environmental Services, cites the city's long list of upgrades, including purchasing hybrid vehicles, installing occupancy sensors for lighting, expanding its business recycling program, irrigating with lake water, applying reflective roofing to city facilities and installing solar panels at its water treatment plant.

However, one if its biggest green success stories has been its beautification efforts, thanks to an army of volunteers.

The municipal volunteer program expanded in 2007 when Grapevine was recovering from an historic flood that put parks, ball fields and campgrounds under water. When the water receded, the city put out a call for volunteers to put public land back in order. More than 1,000 people signed up.

"The people were lined up waiting to help. It was really heartwarming," said Mary Jo Tellin, volunteer coordinator for the Parks and Recreation Department and executive director for Keep Grapevine Beautiful.

The city quickly saw what a powerful resource it had. That is when it hired Tellin to manage volunteers full time.

In 2011, Tellin enlisted 1,987 volunteers to participate in beautification efforts.

Colleyville

Like Grapevine, Colleyville has adopted a number of green initiatives to improve energy efficiency, city spokeswoman Mona Gandy said. In city offices, fluorescent bulbs have replaced incandescent light bulbs; thermostat settings are set higher in the summer and lower in the winter; and lights are programmed to shut off earlier in the day and switch on later in the morning.

Meanwhile, recycling programs are in place at all city facilities, and in October, Colleyville's residential recycling program was upgraded. Residents received new 65-gallon wheeled carts, which hold four times more recyclables than the old bins and can be rolled to the curb.

Southlake

The Southlake City Council embraced environmental stewardship when defining its business code of conduct, amended in 2006. To brainstorm environmental initiatives, the city created a Green Team comprised of an interdepartmental staff.

One of Southlake's green success stories has been its leaf recycling program, which has kept 360 tons of leaves out of the landfill over two years and provides free mulch to residents, city spokeswoman Pilar Schank said. The city also promotes tree planting in rights-of-way through its Street Tree program, held in partnership with Keep Southlake Beautiful.

Other green initiatives include the Bob Jones Nature Center, which was built with green building techniques, and Bicentennial Park's organic garden. As for energy conservation, well water is used for irrigation in city parks; timers conserve electricity on ballfield lighting fixtures; and the city has switched from strobe and halogen lighting to LED light bars on city vehicles.

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

Megan Overman, a spokewoman for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, said the district has several ongoing green programs. Of note, Campus Green Teams coordinate the districtwide recycling program started in 2009. They also educate students and staff about conserving natural resources. Campus signage also warns drivers of the no-idling policy designed to reduce auto emissions, and colored flags indicate air quality to increase awareness of pollution.

Efforts have also been made to increase energy efficiency. With funding from a 2005 bond, existing lighting was replaced with more energy-efficient lighting, and more efficiency upgrades are planned for 2011. The district has also installed smart irrigation controllers in a pilot program to automate irrigation schedules and make adjustments based on weather conditions.

As part of its new strategic plan, the ISD is switching to green cleaning products and looking to improve resource efficiency in facility maintenance, renovation and landscaping.

Carroll ISD

Carroll ISD launched a new era of green buildings with the completion of two state-of-the-art schools that opened in August. Walnut Grove Elementary is the district's first LEED-certified school building. It features geothermal HVAC systems, daylight sensors, LED lighting, water-efficient fixtures, recycled content materials, low VOC materials, storage and collection of recyclables and daylight in more than 75 percent of classrooms and common spaces.

Meanwhile, the new Carroll Middle School features geothermal HVAC systems, energy-efficient lighting and 70,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof, which combine to reduce the school's energy consumption by 70 to 85 percent.

Meanwhile, the district is making energy efficiency improvements based on a 2008 independent study. Combined with other upgrades, the improvements saved $400,000 in utility costs during the 2010-2011 school year.

The district expects costs to further decrease because of the addition of the new schools, which will be used for summer schools and camps because of their energy efficiency.

"We're not only being environmentally friendly and teaching environmental initiatives, but there will be significant savings," spokeswoman Julie Thannum said.