The clock is ticking. Unless something is done soon, scientists have warned that the globe faces near certain “climate catastrophe.” But why wait for the federal government to act? More and more, cities and counties — not to mention individuals — are taking it upon themselves to implement greener standards and do their part to create a more sustainable future.
Many of those locales are right here in California, according to a new analysis from WalletHub. The credit rating site recently put out a list of the greenest cities in America and 6 out of the top 10 are right here in California.
The researchers took the country's 100 largest cities and then evaluated them according to 26 key metrics, including air quality; greenhouse gas emissions; bikeability and public transit options; share of electricity from renewable sources; number of smart energy policies and initiatives; green job opportunities; and even the availability of farmers’ markets and CSAs.
Here were top 10 the greenest cities in the U.S.:
1. San Diego, CA
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Washington, DC
4. Irvine, CA
5. San Jose, CA
6. Honolulu, HI
7. Fremont, CA
8. Seattle, WA
9. Sacramento, CA
10. Portland, OR
Also making the top 25 were the cities of Oakland; San Bernardino; Los Angeles; Chula Vista; Riverside; Santa Ana; Long Beach; and Anaheim.
Way to go, Golden State! Read the full report here.
Data is compiled and reported by WalletHub. Report does not reflect statistics on all U.S. or California cities.