Living well may be more of an art than a science, but living green is another matter; it turns out there are plenty of formulas and equations to help you pick the places that are more conducive to an eco-conscious lifestyle. One of the best comes courtesy of Popular Science, which has tallied up the data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society’s Green Guide for American cities of over 100,000 people in more than 30 categories, including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits.
Armed with these facts and figures, Popular Science created four broad categories in which to compare fifty American cities, awarding up to 5 or 10 points depending on the category:
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.
Here’s their top 10, including the ratings in each category:
1. Portland, Ore. 23.1Electricity: 7.1 Transportation: 6.4 Green Living: 4.8 Recycling/Perspective:
4.8America’s top green city has it all: Half its power comes from renewable sources, a quarter of the workforce commutes by bike, carpool or public transportation, and it has 35 buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.
2. San Francisco, Calif. 23.0Electricity: 6.8 Transportation: 8.8 Green Living: 3.5 Recycling/Perspective: 3.9See how San Francisco turns wasted roof space into power, here.
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