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United States' Greenest Cities

In the United States, some cities are considered to be greener than others. The 50 greenest cities were signaled out by Popular Science back in February 2008. According to their research, these are the top greenest cities in America.

1. Portland, OR
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Boston, MA
4. Oakland, CA
5. Eugene, OR
6. Cambridge, MA
7. Berkeley, CA
8. Seattle, WA
9. Chicago, IL
10. Austin, TX

The top 50 cities, and further rankings, were determined based on scores related to four major categories: electricity, transportation, green living, and recycling. Cities scored well in the electricity category when they drew energy from renewable resources, such as solar power. Cities with frequently-used public tranpost systems fared quite well in the transportation cateogry. A green living score was determined based on the number of certified buildings and lastly, recycling points went to cities with great recycling systems and programs.

That list, however, was compiled more than two years ago. But what makes a city green today? Do the same initiatives that stood out two years ago stand out today? Are the green cities listed above list-proof, or in other words, would they appear on a 2010 list done by another research group? Luckily, we can begin to answer these questions by looking at a new study published by the Business Courier of Cincinnati on March 11, 2010. According to the new research, here are the top ten green cities of 2010.

1. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA
2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
3. Honolulu, HI
4. Austin-Round Rock, TX
5. Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH
6. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
7. Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO
8. Pittsburgh, PA
9. Albuquerque, NM
10. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

Cities were ranked using the ACBJ’s Green City Index. In essence, the index factors general sustainability data to create an aggregrate rating for each of the cities considered. For instance, the index factors in LEED certification projects, water pollution, and more from credible organizations such as the US Green Building Council and US EPA, respectively. Looking at these two lists, we can determine that places like Portland, San Francisco, and Boston are some of the greenest cities in the United States. Further within these green cities, there are particularly sustainable districts and neighborhoods. For example, it’s no wonder that people look for Jamaica Plain condos (Boston, MA). With many parks, such as the Arnold Aboretum, the neighborhood is frequently cited as one of Boston's greenest and most desirable.

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