Cities aren’t the only institutions trying to go green.

The Coquille Economic Development Corp., the business arm of the Coquille Indian Tribe and operator of The Mill Casino-Hotel, has embarked on a number of projects to do exactly that.

Most recently, CEDCO incorporated environmentally friendly and energy-saving techniques into its new hotel tower.

The structure uses natural gas heating, compact florescent lamps and heat-reflective windows. Its roof slopes inward, funneling storm water into the bay. The roof’s surface, made of a white vinyl membrane, also reflects sunlight, which helps cool the building.

“The tribe has always had a commitment to environmentally friendly practices in general,” said Ray Doering, a CEDCO spokesman. “It’s something we’ve been trying to incorporate into our business practices. It’s nice when it also helps the bottom line.”

Since late 2006, trucks at tribally owned cranberry bogs have run on biodiesel — a concoction of recycled cooking oil, petrol-diesel, kerosene and a bit of gasoline. The cooking oil comes from The Mill’s restaurants and catering services.

Using biodiesel has saved the tribe more than $7,000 in its first year and close to $14,000 this year. But Bill Snyder, the general manager of CEDCO’s Coquille Cranberries, said the tribe’s main goal is to limit its ecological impact.

“We all live downstream so we have to keep our nest clean for sustainability purposes for future generations and just for quality of life today,” Snyder said.

Additionally, CEDCO has initiated an effort to expand its recycling and waste reduction program. Snyder said that with the help of a local waste-management company, CEDCO conducted two waste audits to learn whether it was recycling enough.

The verdict: About 50 percent of CEDCO’s non-recycled trash was recyclable. The agency is responding with more recycling bins and other projects.