Nov. 1--North Texas may be in the early stages of a green awakening.

Local businesses selling Earth-friendly products and services say they're doing well despite the general downturn. City governments are boosting purchases of clean, renewable power. Planners and developers are working to limit suburban sprawl.

And at Cedar Valley College in Lancaster, Shahed Mustafa's students are learning to make a living by analyzing homes' energy use to cut power demands, utility bills and pollution. As they chase down every wasted watt, they'll also be changing minds.

"It's retraining our way of thinking, retraining our lifestyle," said Mustafa, an engineer and Cedar Valley instructor.

Apart from showing green-job growth -- the college's last two sessions for solar technicians were full -- such programs may signal a shift in the region's attitudes.

"I think we're at the beginning of a new era in the North Central Texas region -- looking collectively at how to improve this entire urban area," said Todd Spinks, director of the University of North Texas' Office of Sustainability. UNT President Gretchen M. Bataille created the office last year to reduce the school's environmental impact and share ideas with the larger community.

"It's a change in the mind-set," Spinks said.

It's not a revolution yet. The region hasn't thrown off its reputation as a sprawling complex of far-flung suburbs and concrete-lined creeks.

Traffic is still stationary many mornings and evenings; no commuter would be surprised by the "F" rating, indicating severe, daily delays, that traffic engineers give many highway stretches in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties.

And there's still that smog.

Signs of improvement

However, there are signs of change.

The city of Dallas is setting an example with its shift to hybrids and other low-emission vehicles and its purchases of renewable energy. Dallas buys nearly 334 million kilowatt-hours of wind-generated electricity each year -- 12th among U.S. renewable power purchasers and second among local governments nationwide, behind Houston.

Dallas' new green building code, which took effect Oct. 1, has been called the nation's toughest. When it's fully implemented in 2011, the code will cut power and water consumption of new construction and major renovations by 15 percent.

Local cities are working with colleges, planners and one another on options for sustainable development. A voluntary public-private regional initiative, Vision North Texas, seeks to limit future sprawl and increase green space across 16 North Texas counties.

Adding to the green mix are more DART rail expansions and a growing number of local businesses selling products or services oriented toward a better environment.

Local interest in job training for environmentally benign building and energy soared when President Barack Obama put a green tinge on the economic stimulus package. Suddenly, there was money to be made from saving energy or getting it from cleaner sources.

"It's on everybody's lips," said Pat Davis, Cedar Valley College's director of community development.