{"id":2746,"date":"2008-02-16T16:34:39","date_gmt":"2008-02-16T22:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/2008\/02\/16\/popular-science-highlights-americas-50-greenest-cities\/"},"modified":"2008-02-16T16:34:39","modified_gmt":"2008-02-16T22:34:39","slug":"popular-science-highlights-americas-50-greenest-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/popular-science-highlights-americas-50-greenest-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"Popular Science Highlights America’s 50 Greenest Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Portland,Drawing from US Census Data and National Geographic Society\u2019s Green Guide that collected data on thirty characteristics for American cities over 100,000 people, Popular Science create a list of America’s 50 Greenest Cities.<\/a> <\/strong>Combining the data into four categories (electricity, transportation, green building\/spaces, recycling), Popular Science determined green scores (see article for details) for the various cities and identified the cities who are at the forefront.<\/p>\n

The top ten cities are:<\/strong> Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; Boston, MA; Oakland, CA; Eugene, OR; Cambridge, MA; Berkeley, CA; Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL; Austin, TX. If you enjoy a visual, an industrious blogger from Austin TX placed all of the data on a map<\/a> for easy viewing.<\/p>\n

I found this list to be an interesting resource for people who are looking for green careers, start a green business, or grow their green business.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. The map of the greenest cities confirms a geographic pattern I’ve been seeing on other sites – compare the Greenest Cities map<\/a> with Cool Cities <\/a>and Focus the Nation<\/a> events.<\/li>\n
  2. Most people I talk to are looking for green careers in their local area. With these three maps, people will get a better idea of the green potential in their area. (Don’t panic if your city isn’t listed….I’ll have more to say about that below.)<\/li>\n
  3. The scores on the four green variables tell us what each city has been focusing on. This information could provide helpful clues to someone trying to find a way into the local green economy.<\/li>\n
  4. The scores also tell us where there are gaps in each city. Although you’d need to do some research to understand the political climate and related issues, the low scores may point to potential business opportunities.<\/li>\n
  5. Six case studies <\/a>highlight some of innovative tactics greenest cities are implementing to reach their green goals. Take a look at these scenarios to see if your creativity is sparked!<\/li>\n
  6. The fact that the 1st city has an overall score of 23 out 30 and the 50th city has a score of 10 out of 30 shows that there’s much more room for improving even our greenest cities! The momentum shows cities are taking this on, which is great news! The fact that opportunities exist means there’s going to be plenty of green careers as we move forward.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    If your geographic area doesn’t seem to be moving in the green direction, you have several choices.<\/strong><\/p>\n