October is National Energy Awareness Month.
According to WalletHub, 53 percent of Americans say that protecting the environment should be a priority above economic growth.
WalletHub’s report on 2022’s Greenest Cities in America determines which cities promote a “green” lifestyle.
The personal finance website compared the 100 largest cities in the United States across 28 key indicators of environmental friendliness and sustainability. Data includes greenhouse gas emissions per capita, green job opportunities and the number of smart-energy policies and initiatives.
WalletHub’s report found that the greenest city in America is San Diego, followed by Portland, Oregon, Honolulu, Fremont, Calif. and Washington, D.C.
The least greenest cities are Gilbert, Ariz., Glendale, Ariz., Mesa, Ariz., Baton Rouge and Hialeah, Fla.
According to WalletHub, Lubbock, Texas has the lowest median air quality index at 25, which is four times lower than in Phoenix, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale and Scottsdale, Ariz., the cities with the highest at 101. The lower a city ranks on the air quality index, the better the air is in that city.
The most green space can be found in Anchorage, Alaska at 80.27 percent, which is 46.1 times more than in Hialeah, Fla., the city with the least green space at 1.74 percent.
The highest walk score is 89 in San Francisco, which is 4.2 times higher than 21 in Chesapeake, Va.
The most farmers markets are in Honolulu, which has 74.9 times more than in Arlington, Texas.
WalletHub asked experts whether cities should invest in going green, and what are the benefits of going green as a city.
“Yes, cities should invest in going green, and I define ‘green’ as making efforts to reduce energy consumption and investing in renewable energy resources,” James M. Van Nostrand, Professor and Director of Center for Energy & Sustainable Development at West Virginia University College of Law, said in the press release. “The primary benefits are cost savings, which will provide financial benefits to cities and their taxpayers. A good example is investing in energy efficiency measures for city-owned buildings and adopting policies that encourage businesses and residents to take advantage of available energy efficiency programs. Examples of energy efficiency measures include improvements in the thermal integrity of buildings through additional insulation and installation of energy-efficient windows and doors, high-efficient HVAC equipment, and LED lighting. These measures typically pay for themselves within a few years, and utilities often offer programs to bear a portion of the costs. The benefits are immediate in the form of lower energy bills and improved comfort levels for occupants of energy-efficient buildings.”
Experts offered tips on going green without much cost or effort.
“Do not buy new, buy used products. Almost every new product that is sold has a CO2 penalty on it when it is replaced in the store,” University of Notre Dame Professor Peter Bauer said. “Use the existing items and products longer except those that emit CO2 when using them. Also, nowadays you can put a PV system without storage (only daytime op) on your roof for a few thousand dollars so you could have free AC as an example. Drive conservatively and combine trips, use public transport, etc.”
Editor-in-Chief of Organization & Environment, and Professor at University of Oregon Michael V. Russo said that conserving energy is the easiest win-win.
“Walking instead of using the car saves money, reduces carbon footprints and has salutary health effects,” Russo said. “Even growing a few of one’s own vegetables is fun and educational for children. Anyone could start by completing one of those online personal carbon footprint calculators. They can be revealing!”
Policies and investments in being environmentally friendly are available while also offering affordability.
“Energy efficiency provides the biggest bang for the buck, in terms of immediate energy savings and reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. And this sector of the clean energy economy provides the most jobs, which is attractive as well for the economic health of a city. Energy efficiency jobs (e.g., performing energy audits, and installing energy efficiency measures) cannot be outsourced; they provide steady, good-paying jobs. Cities’ investments in energy efficiency measures in government buildings will produce immediate benefits for taxpayers, in the form of lower energy bills and freeing up financial resources to provide other essential city services,” Nostrand said.
Russo had a couple of thoughts about affordability and cost-savings.
“It is possible to support green entrepreneurs through tax policy, as I believe Philadelphia has done. But a lot of initiatives can be revenue neutral, for example advantaging green companies when bids for public purchasing and services are done (for example adding points in an evaluation schema if an applicant is a registered B Corp). Even simple recognition of leading companies through an awards program can draw attention and customers to them. And cities can promote trade organizations that bring together green entrepreneurs, another very low-cost initiative,” he said.
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Rebecca Barnabi
