Issues > March/April 2006 (#113) > The Top 10 Green Cities in the U.S.: 2006

The Top 10 Green Cities in the U.S.: 2006

For this Earth Day, recognizing that cities across the country are providing energy-efficient, least polluting and healthy living spaces, The Green Guide presents the environmental leaders, those cities whose green achievements set the standard for others. As The New York Times has reported, in the absence of federal direction, cities across the country are taking environmental stewardship into their own hands and reducing their burden on the planet. Mayors are even working to lower greenhouse gases: As of March 28, 2006, 220 had signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which now covers urban areas housing 43.8 million Americans.

Our metro areas can be the focus of many ills—from layers of asthma-inducing smog to pesticide exposures and gas-wasting sprawl. Yet, being tightly packed also allows them to run more efficient public transportation and creates a tax-base for green building and environmental programs smaller communities can't afford. Thomas Jefferson famously expressed his distrust of cities, but now, along with community gardens and other green spaces, some of the rural virtues he extolled have finally found their way into urban life.

Last year on Earth Day, The Green Guide recognized 10 green cities and a handful of runners up. This year, in response to widespread interest, we pursued a more comprehensive evaluation, ranking each city on its performance over several criteria. We sent out surveys to mayors' offices in all 251 metropolitan areas with populations of 100,000 or more. By scoring survey responses in combination with information from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and other independent sources, we came up with our ranked list of the top 25 green cities in the U.S., giving special recognition to the top 10.

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