OMAHA, Neb. -- Designers and Omaha city planners said they are taking the environment into consideration as they build for the future.

Several green projects are in development, including the Saddlebrook School near Standing Bear Lake. School architect Kevin Schluckebier said part of his design will incorporate a green roof. It incorporates ideas Schluckebier said he learned in Chicago. It incorporates a normal roof underneath special drainage, filter and vegetation layers, which he said will do everything from holding down heating and cooling costs to absorbing rainwater.

"The whole system is like a sponge that keeps moisture on the roof top. It slows down the rush of storm water into the sewer system and cleans the water that does end up going into the sewer," the architect said.

The school's green theme is also reflected in space efficiency. The $16 million building includes a school, a public library and a community center in one compact structure.

"There really isn't a better project than this," said Schluckebier.

Also in Omaha, a new rain garden at Under the Sink, near 120th and I streets, is a special drainage system. Soon, the city will green the site with vegetation with several overlapping levels of landscaped material that make for a mix of the practical and the picturesque.

"Many of the species can be flowering species," said Nina Cudahy of Omaha Public Works. 'You can make rain gardens very aesthetically appealing."

Cudahy said the idea is to catch rainwater and absorb it into the earth.

"It's a water-treatment system that holds up to 7 inches of rainwater while the rest filters through," she said.

That eases stress on the city's sewer system, Cudahy said, and can reduce pollution levels in streams and creeks by more than 30 percent.

Recent wet weather has hampered construction efforts, but the goal is to have the rain gardens ready by the end of the summer.

The city's top leaders, including Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, said they are monitoring Omaha's green progress closely from the Civic Center.

"I think it's huge," Fahey said.

Fahey said his office is leading its own green initiatives, including the Metro Rideshare Challenge, which encourages metro commuters to carpool to work. Fahey said there is also a new policy for city vehicles designed to save gas and cut down on emissions.

"Except for emergency vehicles, all the city cars are not supposed to idle. When you stop, you're supposed to turn them off," Fahey said. "Hopefully, by 2012, we will obtain a 7 percent decrease in pollution going into the atmosphere."

Part of the funding the city is using for some of its green projects came from Douglas County, the mayor said.