Climate change is now impacting where Americans choose to live
Many U.S. locales have reached a climate change “tipping point.” Populations are declining as flooding becomes unbearable.
Do you consider yourself energy-conscious or perhaps green? What about your entire city?
WalletHub released its report for the top sustainable cities, with analysists seeking to determine which U.S. cities prioritize sustainability and invest most in protecting the environment.
Wondering if a Florida city placed at the top for most sustainable? Think again — none of the Sunshine State’s cities placed anywhere within the top 35. However, one city saw a high ranking, just on the other side of the chart.
What does a ‘sustainable city’ mean? How WalletHub determined rankings
As per insurance company The Zebra, a sustainable city is one designed to address social, environmental and economic impact through urban planning and city management.
WalletHub analysts compared the 100 largest U.S. cities across 28 key indicators of environmental friendliness and sustainability, from greenhouse gas emissions per capita and water quality to job opportunities in sustainability.
The indicators were then grouped into four categories: environment quality, transportation habits and initiatives, energy sources and sustainability policies. Each city was assigned a score in every category and the scores were combined to come up with an overall ranking, from the cities leading in green initiatives to those falling behind.
What Florida city is among the least sustainable in the country?
Hialeah, in South Florida’s Miami-Dade County, is the second-least green city in the country, seeing an overall environment rank of 94 out of 100.
According to analysts, the city particularly ranked poorly for transportation and energy resources. It did see a spot in the middle of the rankings for lifestyle and policy.
What are the least sustainable cities in America?
Arizona’s Glendale topped the list for the least sustainable cities in America, ranking poorly across all study categories, especially low for environmental quality indicators.
Here are the 10 least “green cities,” ranked from least to most sustainable, according to WalletHub.
Glendale, ArizonaHialeah, FloridaHoustonMesa, ArizonaBaton Rouge, LouisianaGilbert, ArizonaChandler, ArizonaNewark, New JerseyDetroitLouisville, KentuckyWhat is the most sustainable city? Check other side of the country
WalletHub determined that San Diego is the greenest city in America. It leads the country in the number of solar panel installations per capita.
Over 43% of the city’s electricity comes from renewable sources, the seventh-highest percentage in the country.
“One big positive impact of San Diego’s green practices is that it has the second-lowest Urban Heat Island Effect Index in the country,” WalletHub writes. “What that means is there’s only a relatively small amount of difference between the average temperature in the city and its less-developed immediate surroundings. In other words, use of green energy in San Diego helps keep it from being an excessively hot city environment.”
Top 10 most sustainable cities in the U.S., according to WalletHubSan DiegoWashington, D.C.HonoluluSan FranciscoSan Jose, CaliforniaSeattleOakland, CaliforniaPortland, OregonFremont, CaliforniaIrvine, CaliforniaWhat are simple ways to contribute to building a greener city?
Here are some simple ways people can implement environmental practices without much cost or effort, according to DePaolis and WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo:
Reduce greenhouse emissions by sharing rides, using public transit, biking, walking and overall using motor vehicles less often.Reduce the use of plastic items.Recycle.Wash clothes less often. Wearing your clothes just 20% longer can create “a huge contribution to reducing the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing energy and water use, and transportation impacts,” DePaolis said.Buy local. This helps reduce the transportation component of carbon-equivalent emissions.Lowering consumption is another way to reduce the carbon footprint in communities across Arizona.Consider applying for state incentives to install solar panels, which often come at almost no cost to homeowners of single-family houses.
Contributing reporting: Laura Daniella Sepulveda, Arizona Republic
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Publish date : 2024-10-24 03:01:00
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