The city of Woburn is looking a little greener this morning. No, not because spring is just around the corner. City officials are working toward obtaining "green community" status from the state. 

City Council has approved two measures that would enable the city to meet some of the green community standards set by the state—a "stretch code" for new commercial and residential construction and a fuel-efficiency policy.

"The biggest thing (of the green community initiative) is to save the taxpayers money," said Alderman-At-Large Richard Haggerty. "If we are a more energy-efficient city, we’ll be using less fuel and therefore saving money." 

City Purchasing Director Sarah Stanton, along with Planning Director Ed Tarallo and members of the City Council worked toward creating the two policies accepted Tuesday night. 

By becoming a green community, the city will be eligible for grants, said Haggerty.

Melrose recently received a $175,000 grant, while Springfield was given approximately $900,000, said the alderman-at-large. 

Mayor Scott Galvin said this week he is in favor of the initiative. 

"The benefits to the city will be appreciable," he said.  

For more information about the state's Green Communities initiative, visit the Energy and Environmental Affairs site.