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Popular Science ranks America's top 50 greenest cities

By Penelope Wang - Published February 19th 2008 - 00:58 in

Using raw data from both the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society's Green Guide, Popular Science has come up with a list of the top 50 greenest cities in America. The data were compiled

Americas top 50 greenest cities Popular Science

into four broad categories, with each category receiving a score out of either five or ten possible points. The total score determined the city's rank. The categories were:

  • Electricity (E; 10 points): Cities score points for drawing their energy from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power, as well as for offering incentives for residents to invest in their own power sources, like roof-mounted solar panels.
  • Transportation (T; 10 points): High scores go to cities whose commuters take public transportation or carpool. Air quality also plays a role.
  • Green living (G; 5 points): Cities earn points for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as for devoting area to green space, such as public parks and nature preserves.
  • Recycling and green perspective (R; 5 points): This measures how comprehensive a city’s recycling program is (if the city collects old electronics, for example) and how important its citizens consider environmental issues.

Without further ado, here are the top five cities:

  • Portland, Ore. 23.1
  • San Francisco, Calif. 23.0
  • Boston, Mass. 22.7
  • Oakland, Calif. 22.5
  • Eugene, Ore. 22.4

You can see the rest of the list in more detail at Popular Science.