When planners began thinking of re-establishing electric streetcars in Little Rock, Ark., used in the 1930s and '40s, the goal was to help with the downtown area's new development, said Virginia Fry, spokeswoman for the city's River Rail Electric Streetcar. But planners weren't sure where the Clinton Library would be constructed. "When that site was announced, it clinched the deal," she said.

Another reason Little Rock turned to electric streetcars had to do with creating a cleaner, greener environment. The streetcars help reduce the city's carbon footprint and they are quiet and odor-free as well.

Streetcar service began in 2004, with five charming yellow-and-red cars gliding along routes in downtown Little Rock and North Little Rock. The coaches were manufactured four years ago in Ida Grove, Iowa, but the controls are 100 years old, coming from Milan, Italy. Interiors are oak, with seats of alternating oak and cherry wood slats.

Riders of these delightful conveyances are 85 percent tourists, but local ridership is increasing daily, said Fry. Tourists can hit most of the major sights this way, many of which have incorporated ideals of aiding the environment.

Tops on most lists is the William J. Clinton Presidential Center, regardless of how they voted. When the building was built, it received the Leed Silver Award and, in 2007, the Leed Platinum; LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, the U.S. Green Building Council's highest honor for environmental responsibility

For example, 30 percent of materials used in construction are recycled. While reviewing the collections from Clinton's presidency in this 20,000-square-foot facility, guests tread on floors composed of recycled rubber tires and highly renewable bamboo, with radiant heat beneath the floors. Forty percent of building materials come from within a radius of 500 miles, such as Tennessee marble. The building's glass and screens reduce solar heat gain by 50 percent. Even cleaning products are 99 percent environmentally friendly.

The three floors of this modern building — Clinton wanted to bring modern architecture to Little Rock — are designed by Polshek Partnership Architects of New York. They reveal accomplishments of Clinton's tenure, praise by world leaders and gifts from other countries. The interior was designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates of New York, architects who designed Washington, D. C.'s Holocaust Museum permanent exhibition. One showstopper is a bicycle and Tour de France shirt presented to Clinton by Lance Armstrong.

Guests are stunned by the full-scale reproductions of the Cabinet Room and, on the floor above, the Oval Office, furnished as it was when Clinton was in office.

On the rooftop, more eco-evidence exists: solar panels and carbon neutral factors. "It's a green roof," said spokewoman Janna Cohen, "which doubles the life of a roof." The lighting here is solar, which has double the life. The planting medium is hard-baked clay, which doesn't need irrigation and pollutants run off; plants are from Arkansas or are regional natives.

A few steps away stands the world headquarters of Heifer International, a nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to ending hunger in the Third World. The idea germinated in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War when American volunteer Dan West ladled out cup after cup of milk to thousands of refugees. He thought there had to be a longer-term solution.

In 1944, said guide Garth Martin, West bought a 1,200-acre ranch in Arkansas and began his Christian-based philosophy of providing a goat or a cow to a needy family, who in turn would help another family toward self-reliance. In the 1980s, West began buying property in areas where the animals would be used.

Since then, Martin said, Heifer has helped 38 million people worldwide, including in the U. S., to prevent starvation, while educating them on HIV/AIDS and preserving natural resources.

To ensure the latter goal, the world headquarters' 94,000-square-foot office building opened in 2006 as a leader in green design. Winner of the Platinum LEED, the petroleum-saturated site was de-contaminated. The parking lot's gravel surface drains rain runoff, storing it for irrigation. The V-shaped roof collects 20,000 gallons of rainwater after a typical spring thunderstorm feeding the building's toilets, cooling system and wetlands. Electricity is wind-driven. The building is only 60 feet wide, in order to let natural light in all day.

Inside, much of the material is recycled, including highly restorable bamboo, insulators and carpeting. Many materials are used from within a 50-mile radius, including limestone, Mississippi pine and Arkansas bluestone. Besides the architectural details, exhibits of the organization's work and art and artifacts from around the world provide an interesting visit.

Along the trolley routes, visitors can also stop at the Clinton Museum Store, the River Market — a complex of casual eateries and music venues — and several hotels.

Another stop is the Historic Arkansas Museum, four original 19th-century buildings showing life as lived there, including frontier and slavery aspects. Costumed actors help young ones visualize those times. A gallery offers American Indian exhibits.

FEW GALLONS BEYOND

Two more sites not on the trolley routes — and not environmentally friendly — are worth visiting, either by car or on sightseeing tours:

The 1927-Central High School, a National Historic Site because of the battle for civil rights that occurred in September 1957, is central to the city's history. Although the federal government had mandated that schools be racially integrated following the Brown v. Board of Education decision, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus called out the Arkansas National Guard to prevent its introduction. Nine brave black teenagers stoically entered the school despite threats and jeers, under the protection of the federal government called out by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Their story is told here.

A monument to their bravery stands outside the Arkansas State Capitol building. The sculpture of the Little Rock Nine, "Testament," by John Deering, unveiled in 2005, evokes the strength of their courage. The building's construction was completed in 1915 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The neo-classical edifice is so ideally proportioned it's been filmed in movies including "Stone Cold" and "Under Siege."

IF YOU GO

For information, call the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau at 888-322-6397 or visit www.littlerock.com.

River Rail Electric Streetcar: 501-375-6717.

William J. Clinton Presidential Library: 501-374-4242 or online at www.clintonlibrary.gov.

Heifer International offers free daily tours: 800-422-0474 or online at www.heifer.org.

Central High School, admission free, 501-374-1957 or visit www.nps.gov/chsc.

Arkansas State Capitol: admission free, guided tours by appointment, 501-682-5080 or online at www.sos.arkansas.gov.

Historic Arkansas Museum: 501-324-9351 or online at www.historicalarkansas.org.

The Peabody Hotel, a full-service hotel, is located in downtown Little Rock. Not-to-be-missed is the twice-daily parade when five ducks waddle through the elegant lobby along a red carpet, led by a red-jacketed "duckmaster," to take their place in the lobby fountain. Call 501-906-4000 or online at www.peabodylittlerock.com.

Delta Air Lines flies seven daily nonstop flights from Atlanta and three from Cincinnati. Call 800-221-1212 or online at www.delta.com.

For a fine meal that requires other transportation, Capers Restaurant is highly recommended; its fried oysters are not to be missed. Call 501-868-7600 or visit www.capersrestaurant.com.

Molly Arost Staub is a freelance travel writer. To find out more about Molly Arost Staub and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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