Just in case you woke up today wondering where your town or burg shows up on a list of most sustainable cities, SustainLane’s got you covered.  Once you hop over to their website, you’ll get the top fifty biggest cities in the nation ranked on “16 areas of urban sustainability, including an essential new measurement this year: Water Supply.”  So, what cities top the list?  I’ll give you a hint: they’re not in Texas.

1. Portland, Oregon. Ah, yes, the indie jewel of the Northwest.  SustainLane tells us this about Portland, because I’ve never been there so can’t really do it myself:

City-planners in Portland have been thinking green since the 70s, when the rest of the country was still embracing the strip mall. The city enacted strict land-use policies, implementing an urban growth boundary, requiring density, and setting a strong precedent for sustainable development.

2. San Francisco, California.

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In what could be the worst conservative’s nightmare we can run a photo of, dozens of Smart ForTwo cars lined Lombard St in San Francisco for a gathering Sunday. 133 Smart ForTwo owners crammed their tiny cars onto a one block stretch of the world famous, steep, winding thoroughfare. The purpose? According to a message board about the event:

The purpose of this meet is to rally together all of the smart cars in the Norcal region (And anyone from anywhere else is welcome too). Meet some cool people who share the same passion, enjoy a nice cruise past San Francisco landmarks, have your picture taken at the renowned Lombard street, maybe have your smart in a movie?, and have a great lunch at downtown Sausalito?

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has proposed fines up to $1,000 for failure to sort recycling materials from trash.  Under the plan repeat offender residents and businesses could even eventually have their garbage services discontinued.  Should he proposal take effect it would be the first mandatory recycling and composting law in the United States.  Newsom said about the proposal:

“If we’re truly going to be the city we promote ourselves to be, a world-class, 21st century city that advances its values and principles, we’re going to have to try new things.  People are used to doing things a certain way. And when you change that, they say it can’t be done. Well, we’ve proved them wrong.”

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A group of political satirists/activists who call themselves the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco are planning to ask voters to rename their water treatment plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.

Hmmm, let’s see…there’s the John F. Kennedy School of Government, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, the Ronald Reagan Freeway – I guess it’s pretty common for things to be named after Presidents in memorial of their service to the country. But as the NY Times noted last week, our current President may be the first have something named after him that you can contribute to from the bathroom.

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The State of California began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples starting at 5pm PST today. Influential liberal mayors Antonio Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Gavin Newsom of California are both presiding over ceremonies at their respective city halls that began today at 5pm PST. Neither Mr. Newsom nor Mr. Villaraigosa have stellar records when it comes to marriage, but kudos to them on their efforts to support equal marriage rights for all. This is the first time the state will have same-sex unions since a brief stint in 2004 wherein the County of San Francisco began granting marriage licenses (they were later revoked then unrevoked then revoked and so on and so forth).

So far, the event has drawn little news coverage - probably due to the overwhelming interest in Tiger Wood’s stunning victory at the PGA US Open at Torrey Pines - but surely conservative pundits will be frothy mouthed within the next day or so.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

“The First Time I Every Saw Your Face” May Be the First Time You Hear About Ewan MacColl

California’s Gay Marriage Ban Overturned & 5 Ways To Take Action

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Nicole Hughes:

“Bottlemania” Book Takes Bottled Water Industry To Task

Arnold Tells Automakers To “Stop Whining” About Tougher California Emissions Standards

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Andy Kondrat:

Department of Energy Forecasts Large Increase In Wind Power Usage

Edward Norton & Gavin Newsom Speak To Congress About Environmental Building Practices

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Jon Popham:

Spencer Tunick Strips Hundreds Naked

Lichtenstein Sculptures At Fairchild Garden In Miami

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Giulia Rozzi:

Does Being Ethical Pay?

Is the Anti-Female Genial Mutilation Campaign Offensive?

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Gina Telaroli:

A Global Look At Media On Pangea Day

Everything Cinema: Brody Takes On the Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard

Edward Norton (awesome actor), Gavin Newsom (dreamy mayor of San Francisco who does some awesome things and some questionable things), and others (who I can only assume to be awesome) are in Washington, D.C. today to speak about how green building policies can save on energy costs and prevent global warming.  From the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming (awesome committee),

The building sector is responsible for 48 percent of all heat-trapping emissions, and it is estimated that 76 percent of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to operate buildings. As energy prices rise — increasing the costs of cooling, heating and construction — green building has become a popular mantra for homeowners, corporations and environmentalists alike.

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Margaret Cho has had a huge influence on my career. Her candid discussions on self image, her fearless energy, and of course her immigrant mom impressions (I too have an adorable immigrant Mom that makes her way into many of my jokes) have always inspired me. After I read “I’m the One that I Want” I was officially a huge fan. That book bluntly and beautifully examined the racial and size prejudices in Hollywood.

Check out this clip from the “I’m the One that I Want” show:

Not only an artist but also an activist, Cho recently received the First Amendment Award from the ACLU of Southern California, and the Intrepid Award from the

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As Beijing prepares to host the 2008 Olympics, the Save Darfur Coalition encouraged activists to protest when the official Olympic torch arrived in San Francisco yesterday. They want China to use its leverage to persuade the Sudanese government to allow into Darfur the full protection force outlined by UN Resolution 1769. Earlier this month, Save Darfur Coalition released this video to encourage support for their protest:

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March 29 is Earth Hour Day, and cities and businesses around the world will be “lights out” for one hour in order to raise awareness about global climate change. If you’ve done a Google search this afternoon, you’ll notice that the screen is “blacked out” in honor of Earth Hour. I wrote about Earth Hour earlier in the month - but today is the day! - so here is the update reposted below as a reminder to do your part, and turn off your lights between 8pm and 9pm this evening.

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