The U.S. South doesn’t get many accolades for its work on the environment, but the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, collected a top climate prize this weekend from U.S. mayors eager to cut greenhouse gas emissions while Washington dithers. Fayetteville has built 129 miles of multi-use trails for a population of just 65,000 — prompting residents and local college students to ditch the car and pedal or stroll through the green, leafy environs.

“We are trying to get people out of cars as much as possible,” said Mayor Dan Coody after the U.S. Mayors Conference in Los Angeles awarded him with its first Climate Protection Award in the small city category.

An added benefit: Fayetteville-ites are doing more exercise and losing weight.

The same prize for the large city went to Albuquerque, New Mexico, population 500,000, for its broad AlbuquerqueGreen Program. By promoting bicycling, pedestrian-friendly urban villages and green city government, Albuquerque has cut its greenhouse gases by 67 percent since 2000.

“That’s 10 times the Kyoto Protocol,” said Mayor Martin Chavez, referring to the amount the United States would have to cut its emissions if it signed the Kyoto treaty.

The mayors jokingly gloated over beating uber-green Seattle. But Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels remains the green god among his brethren for starting the Mayors’ Climate Protection Agreement two years ago and signing up 550 cities to date to pursue Kyoto targets.