The city has taken an important step on the path toward a greener future. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl last week announced plans to put $100,000 into a proposed Green Initiatives Trust Fund and hire a coordinator for the city's environmental efforts.

If City Council approves the fund, the seed money will come from savings the city realized by buying energy in an online auction. That joint venture with Allegheny County, the Sports & Exhibition Authority, Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority and the zoo is expected to reduce their electricity bills by $1.4 million over two years. In addition, Duquesne Light promised that 10 percent of the power would come from renewable sources such as wind, solar and water.

Creation of the green fund is an appropriate use for those savings. It would cover part of the $45,000 salary of the coordinator, with a New York philanthropy picking up some of that cost. The fund also would be used, as matching dollars, to leverage money for clean energy, green buildings and other eco-friendly projects.

Other cities have made similar investments, and it should help Pittsburgh build on what has already started -- using biodiesel in some of the city's fleet, retrofitting traffic lights to make them more energy-efficient, broadening its sale of vacant lots for use as side yards and gardens and expanding recycling at public buildings.

A detailed blueprint for going greener will be presented tomorrow, when the Green Government Task Force will release its report calling for an across-the-board, coordinated effort by municipalities, businesses, universities and residents. The new Green Initiatives fund and the coordinator will be key in nurturing the recommendations to help the city grow greener.