January/February 2009 Living Now
America's Greenest Cities

For Oregonians, it's easy to be green. Portland is the greenest city in the U.S., according to Popular Science magazine's ranking of cities who are leading the way for successful environmental action.

Cities across the country were scored out of either 5 or 10 possible points in the following four categories:

  • Electricity: From renewable sources, such as wind, solar and hydroelectric power (10 points).
  • Transportation: Higher points awarded to commuters who use public transportation or carpool (10 points).
  • Green living: Cities with devoted green space and buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council (5 points).
  • Recycling and green perspective: Measures how comprehensive the recycling program is and how important citizens consider environmental issues (5 points).

To rank cities, Popular Science used data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society's Green Guide, which collected survey data and government statistics for American cities of over 100,000 people in more than 30 categories, including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits.

How do other cities in the Pacific Northwest stack up against Portland?

1. Portland (score: 23.1)

Electricity: 7.1. Transportation: 6.4. Green living: 4.8. Recycling/perspective: 4.8.

America'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.

5. Eugene (score: 22.4)

Electricity: 10. Transportation: 4.7. Green living: 2.9. Recycling/perspective: 4.8.

Much of the wet Pacific Northwest draws its energy from hydroelectric dams. But Eugene draws an additional nine percent of its municipal electricity from wind farms. It also buys back excess power from residents who install solar panels.

8. Seattle (score: 22.1)

Electricity: 6.2. Transportation: 7.3. Green living: 4.7. Recycling/perspective: 3.9.

Source: www.popsci.com.

- Jennifer Cox