Scientific Method —

Greenest cities in the USA

Popular Science looks at the greenest cities in the United States and examines …

While the federal government has rejected international climate change pacts, local municipalities have been taking steps to make their cities green. Popular Science takes a look at 50 cities in America which have taken it upon themselves to go green.

The rankings are based on four discrete factors: electricity, transportation, green living, and recycling and green perspective. Electricity points were given for cities that draw their energy from renewable resources and for the ability for residents to invest in their own power sources. Transportation was based on both the air quality and the number of commuters who used mass transit or carpooled. Green living referred to the number of building within the municipality that were certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as the number of public parks and nature preserves. The final category, recycling and green perspective, measured how thorough a city's recycling program was and how important residents considered environmental issues.

The scores were compiled using raw data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society’s Green Guide. A total of ten points were given for electricity and transportation, and five each for the other two categories. When the points were totaled up, Portland, OR came out as the greenest city in the USA.  The top 10 are listed below, and the full 50 can be found on Popular Science's web site.

  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

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