As a student at Allegheny College, Lindsay A. Baxter '05 rewrote the Cinderella story for one assignment, amending the "happily ever after" ending to include not just marriage to the prince, but a medical degree, career and trailblazing role for the heroine.

Now she's the city of Pittsburgh's Queen of Green, hired to be its first sustainability coordinator and turn the pumpkin of government into a hybrid carriage.

First up may be reducing the energy bill by slashing the electricity needs of vending machines and exit signs in the City-County Building, and street lamps citywide. But her role will eventually have her sweeping through the city and sharing ideas with sustainability task forces outside of government.

"I will be able to work with all of the city departments, everything from public works to planning to [information technology]," she said yesterday. "The idea here is to have really a coordinated effort."

Ms. Baxter, 25, of Shadyside, was the lead writer and researcher on the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan, released in June. At the time, she was a fellow with the group Clean Air-Cool Planet.

The plan "was a project I put a lot of time into, so I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to work on the implementation," she said.

The plan has spawned committees on greening up government, business, higher education and neighborhoods. She said she'll be sharing ideas with the committees, especially the neighborhood panel, which is dominated by community groups and also represents the schools.

She'll work on citywide single-stream recycling, which will allow residents to toss a growing array of recyclable materials into a single bag, and the federally funded Solar America effort to tap sun power.

A new partner will be ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, an organization formerly known as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, which plans to open a Downtown office next week, according to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office.

Ms. Baxter will finish her master's degree in environmental science from Duquesne University this semester.