The Greenest of the Green

National Geographic recently published its list of the 25 Greenest Cities in the US. I'm proud to call Number Two home! Here's a glimpse of what the Top 25 municipalities are doing.

1. Eugene, OR (score 9.0375, pop. 137,893)
- Sustainable business incubator
- Renewable energy supplying 85% of city's power
- Extensive wetlands program

2. Austin, TX (score 8.5325, pop. 656,562)
- Green Builder program
- Smart growth initiative
- Committed to solar power

3. Portland, OR (score 8.24, pop. 529,121)
- Green building
- Excellent public transport
- Smart growth

4. St. Paul, MN (score 7.805, pop. 287,151)
- Green space makes up a quarter of urban area
- Significant greenhouse gas reductions
- Affordable housing

5. Santa Rosa, CA (score 7.785, pop. 147,595)
- Green building program
- Clean air and water
- Bicycle paths and lanes

6. Oakland, CA (score 7.3675, pop. 399,484)
- Building local food production
- Green building ordinance
- Public transport

7. Berkeley, CA (score 7.285, pop. 102,743)
- Green building requirements for municipal construction
- Well used public transport system
- Community gardens

8. Honolulu, HI (score 7.055, pop. 371,657)
- Clean air and water
- Biomass power generation
- Green building standards

9. Huntsville, AL (score 7.035, pop. 158,216)
- Green space makes up one-third of urban area
- High public transport use
- Excellent public education program

10. Denver, CO (score 7.0325, pop. 554,636)
- Greenprint Denver, sustainability initiative
- Large hybrid municipal fleet and nation's largest light rail system
- Clean water and access to wilderness

11. Boston, MA (score 6.99, pop. 589,141)
- Green building
- Excellent public transport
- Smoking ban

12. Lexington, KY (score 6.785, pop. 260,512)
- Comprehensive growth management plan
- Clean air
- Smoking ban

13. Springfield, IL (score 6.7225, pop. 111,454)
- Clean air and good water
- Green design
- Green spaces

14. Irvine, CA (score 6.72, pop. 143,072)
- Comprehensive green building program
- Smoking ban
- Pedestrian oriented

15. Cambridge, MA (score 6.72, pop. 101,355)
- High rate of public transport use
- Green design
- High percentage of green space

16. Anchorage, AK (score 6.705, pop. 260,283)
- Excellent air and water quality
- Smoking ban
- High public health

17. Syracuse, NY (score 6.66, pop. 147,306)
- Good air
- Smoking ban
- Commitment to reduce greenhouse gases

18. San Francisco, CA (score 6.6, pop. 776,733)
- Municipal composting
- Green design
- High percentage of renewable energy use
- Very high public transport use

19. Minneapolis, MN (score 6.58, pop. 382,618)
- City-specific minimum wage
- Smoking ban
- High percentage of renewable biomass energy

20. Milwaukee, WI (score 6.5125, pop. 596,974)
- Green housing development
- Green space

21. Rochester, NY (score 6.43, pop. 219,773)
- High percentage of renewable energy
- Clean air
- Smoking ban

22. Albuquerque, NM (score 6.3475, pop. 484,607)
- Clean water
- Smoking Ban
- Wind power

23. Ann Arbor, MI (score 6.2875, pop. 114,024)
- High percentage of public transport and bicycle commuters
- High yard waste recover
- Green space

24. Seattle, WA (score 6.115, pop. 563,374)
- Large number of green buildings
- Very high percentage of hydroelectric power use
- Clean air and smoking ban

25. Kansas City, MO (score 6.055, pop. 441,545)
- Clean water
- City specific minimum wage
- U.S. Mayors Climate Protection signatory