In a recent study by finance website WalletHub, major U.S. cities were ranked in terms of eco-friendliness, and the findings were interesting. The cities were ranked based on environment, transportation, energy sources, and lifestyle and policy. Cities on the west coast ranked highest, with east coast cities coming in a close second. Southern and midwestern cities didn’t fare as well, with many of the “least green” cities located in these areas. However, the cities that did rank high were for good reason. Here are just a few of the greenest cities in America.
Portland, OR
Portland is another city that places great importance on biking instead of driving, which is one of the many reasons it’s one of the greenest cities in America. Portland is known for having a large vegan community, and residents take pride in the city’s many farmers markets and locally-grown food. The coolest thing that Portland is doing to reduce their carbon footprint is The Green Microgym, a gym that converts energy generated by exercise equipment into electricity that powers fans and flat-screen TVs.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco has long been known as a green city due to its many outdoor parks, scenic walking trails and community-driven health-consciousness. Bicycling is also extremely popular in San Francisco, and the people are generally happier and healthier than in other parts of the country. One of the biggest things that makes San Francisco such a green place is that the city reuses 80 percent of its waste. Recycling and composting are two of the ways the city contributes to the environment, and their goal is to ultimately reduce 100 percent of its waste by the year 2020!
Boston, MA
If there’s one thing to know about Boston, it’s that this city loves to run! In fact, running and walking seems to be the preferred method of transportation for many Boston residents. Aside from being a physically fit city, Boston is also modernizing their use of energy. In 2009, Boston switched to aggregate energy in order to provide businesses with effective energy purchasing services and group businesses together to get the best possible energy price. Since then, the city of Boston has created one of the largest energy aggregations in the state!
Washington, DC
Washington, DC residents are known for their love of exercise. In fact, only 25 percent of the population is obese, and there is a gym or outdoor park every couple of blocks. Every year, the city hosts the Washington DC Green Festival Expo, the country’s largest and longest-running sustainability and green living event. Washington DC continues to take strides towards becoming the country’s greenest city, and i’d say it’s doing a pretty good job at reaching that goal.
