Earth preservation movements are gaining more and more influence in the world. This means that green cities are becoming the more popular places to live in. Recycling, wind farms and solar panels are just the beginning of what seems like the future. Move to one of America’s top green cities to start your part in saving the planet. It might seem unrealistic but once you discover which cities are on our list of choices, you will probably feel differently about it all.
What makes a city green?
For a city to be considered eco-friendly it must meet certain criteria. First, it must be at least partially powered by renewable sources of energy. These sources include solar and wind power as well as the energy coming from water movements. Also, plants can provide some energy. These are all sustainable sources which we can use to power our homes.
Apart from this, there are a number of factors a city must meet in order to be called eco-friendly. First of all, a green city needs to show a good recycling perspective. Another important factor a city must meet is to have a number of buildings certified by the US Green Building Council. The USGBC approves sustainable buildings with eco-friendly standards. In addition to all of this, a green city must have green spaces such as parks or woods.
Finally, the citizens of one of America’s top green cities need to care about the environment. This means they’ll conserve power, reduce their waste and vote for green laws.
What are America’s top green cities?
What we took into account
There are a number of green cities in the country. However, only the few can be the most eco-friendly cities in America. So, in order to determine which these are, we ranked them according to the following criteria:
- Transportation – cars emit a lot of carbon dioxide which has a negative effect on our atmosphere. Thus, the cities where people ride bikes or use public transportation to travel have better grades.
- Sustainability – America’s top green cities need to be sustainable. So, cities which use more renewable energy have more green buildings and parks get more points.
- Recycling – the more the better
- Green initiative – this category ranks the cities by how much effort their communities are putting into going green.
Amounts of material recycled were used to rank the cities.
San Francisco, CA
On the top of our list is a green city from the Golden State. By recent law, all of the rooftops in San Francisco will be covered by solar panels by 2020. Apart from this, the city got good grades on transportation because of the excellent bike tracks and safe traffic. This city encourages its citizens to go green.
Finally, like a cherry on the top, San Francisco is home to the world’s greenest museum. So, if you’re looking to start a new, green life in this city, now’s the time. With the popularity of green cities on the rise, it will soon be impossible to move to San Francisco. In order to beat the rush, you should call one of California long distance moving companies and schedule your moving date.
Golden State’s top green city is San Francisco.
Portland, OR
Portland is another one of America’s top green cities on the West Coast. This city gets half of its energy from renewable sources. Along with this, the citizens of Portland recycle over 60% of their waste. There are numerous parks and miles of bike trails. Finally, USGBC certified over 30 buildings in Portland.
Washington, DC
The capital also deserves a place on our list. With almost half of its citizens taking a train to work this city earns the right to be called eco-friendly. Apart from this, there are a lot of eco-friendly buildings and green areas. If you’re looking for eco-friendly living, moving to Washington DC might be a good idea.
Boston, MA
Boston is the greenest city on the East Coast. Its citizens might claim that they were “green before it was cool”. There is a little truth in that since Boston is home to the oldest transit line in the country. Public transport came to Boston long ago, but a large portion of people still use it in their daily commutes. A surprising part of the city’s population walks to works, as well. Apart from this, Boston’s scientists are planning to use a special type of bacteria to produce a renewable source of energy.
Boston may not look like one of America’s top green cities, but it sure is!
Because of the increasing number of job openings in the green industry, Boston is a great city to move to. Discover the best long distance moving companies Massachusetts to find the one suited for your relocation. However, make sure your relocation to this city is green.
Denver, CO
The capital of Colorado is doing its best to go green. The city collects over 25 thousand tons of recyclable material a year. In addition to this, Denver has the largest park space in the country. However, it’s the innovation that put Denver on our list. This city’s scientists have developed a way to use industrial by-product to make concrete. This “green concrete” will soon be put to use everywhere in Denver, to make the city even more eco-friendly.
Bonus city: Chicago, IL
Chicago’s made its first step to becoming a green city.
Chicago recently devoted 12,000 acres to public parks and is in the process of implementing a new bike program. Even though this city isn’t as green as the others, it’s showing a lot of green initiative. That’s why it made it to our list. You can choose to move to Chicago and help it become one of America’s top green cities. The city is showing a lot of green initiative and drawing a lot of people. If you want to relocate to the Windy City make sure you find the best Chicago long distance movers. They’ll help you with your relocation.