America’s Going Green From Coast to Coast
Sustainability is an important topic to a growing number of Americans. Nowhere is that more evident than in the country’s largest cities. All over the country, more and more cities are adopting sustainability efforts to improve the quality of life for their residents and the health of the planet as a whole.
But just as with any topic, there are some cities that are leading the way. Here are the top five cities making significant changes to improve sustainability in everything from food production to waste reduction.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle was green before green was cool. The city has more LEED and Energy Star certified buildings than any other. Since 2007, the city has employed a zero-waste policy. Since 2008, Seattle has increased its solar capacity by 38 percent. It’s also had a 179 percent increase in LEED and 40 percent increase in Built Green buildings since that time. Seattle’s Drive Clean Seattle initiative encourages the use of electric vehicles as well as the use of alternative forms of transportation, like bicycles and mass transit.
Winter Park, Florida
In 2012, Winter Park was awarded Gold level-certification as a Green Local Government by the Florida Green Building Council. Three years later, it would initiate its first Sustainability Action Plan, which has helped the city become more energy independent, improve its water and air quality, enhance the quality of life of its residents, and save money. Its top priorities include improving sustainability efforts in local food production, green building design, renewable energy production, and increasing its public transportation options.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
In 2009, Philadelphia started Greenworks, the city’s first sustainability plan. It ran until 2016, when the city updated it to include new targets and goals. Thanks to the continuing efforts and ongoing updates to their Greenworks plan, the City of Brotherly Love has rocketed to become one of the most sustainable cities in the country. Philadelphia has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent since the plan started, and that number will only increase as the city continues to employ additional strategies.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is one of California’s greenest cities, and it has been for a while. It’s currently fourth in the nation as a Solar Leader and in the top ten cities for tracking and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. From 2008 to 2016, the city reduced its gas emissions by an incredible 33 percent. The city has accomplished that by initiating a Building Energy Saving Ordinance, and by installing electric vehicle infrastructure, green upgrades to its municipal buildings and streetlights, and more. By 2050, the city aims to reduce its emissions by 80 percent below 2000 levels.
Boise, Idaho
Boise is home to the country’s largest direct-use geothermal heating district. It serves more than six million square feet of business, residential, and government space. Boise also has the first Class A Struvite Production Facility in the country that takes the phosphorus harvested from wastewater treatment plants and processes it, so it can be sold as eco-friendly fertilizer. The city also employed the Clean Air Zone Program in 2004. This is a program that encourages its residents to turn off their engines instead of letting them idle and to use alternative fuels like biodiesel and ultra-low sulfur diesel.
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