“Green” living means a choice to engage in cleaner, more sustainable habits in order to preserve the planet as much as possible. Nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that “stricter environmental regulations are worth the cost.” And a majority of Americans think the government is currently doing too little to improve water and air quality (69% and 64%, respectively).
The Trump administration has recently changed standards for the coal industry, rolling back regulations on coal plant emissions, which has led to a lawsuit by 21 states. On the other hand, while many people expected solar power to struggle under new tariffs aimed at goods manufactured abroad, the industry has bounced back, with an expected job growth of 7% in 2019.
Apart from employing Americans, clean energy and other “green” practices, such as recycling programs and urban agriculture, benefit the environment and public health, all of which contribute to America’s bottom line, according to many experts. Recognizing those advantages, cities across the U.S. have increased their sustainability efforts and benefited economically.
To determine the cities promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 28 key “green” indicators. Our data set ranges from greenhouse-gas emissions per capita to number of smart-energy policies and initiatives to green job opportunities. Read on for our findings, expert insight from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.
