30 Greenest Cities in America: San Francisco, Seattle and Portland tie for first place

Is the city in the United States where you live — or want to visit — a green city? A British research firm working with Tufts University has rated has rated the 30 Greenest Cities in America for their eco-friendly environmental policies and programs.

Not surprisingly, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco were the top three. Actually, these three green cities, which actively promote their eco-friendly lifestyles, tied for first place.

The top 30 green cities include several in California and Texas, plus New York City, Boston, Miami, Denver and Las Vegas.

The research company, Corporate Knights (CK) also has an investment division, so this survey really was for “quantifying and animating clean capitalism drivers for decision makers” for corporate investments. But this list also works for those of us who want to invest in green travel with our green dollar bills.

The study rated 38 areas of eco-friendly policies and programs, including the involvement of the city’s mayor or chief executive, tax incentives for green building construction, and development of environmentally sound industrial areas. Since this was a green business study, this survey did not rate the amount of open public green space in each city — the things we call parks, gardens, lakefront or ocean beaches.

The 30 Greenest Cities in America list was created with the help of Kent E. Portney, a political science professor at Tufts University in Medford, Mass., and the creator of the Our Green Cities,

Green city lists show us what governments can do to improve the urban quality of life by making it more green. A big green eco-friendly kiss from ecoXplorer to each of the green cities on this top 30 list.

Where is your city on the list of the 30 greenest cities in America?

Counting down the top 30 greenest cities in America. Where is your favorite city on this list?

27. Louisville Metro, Kentucky — score of 26/38
27. Las Vegas, Nevada — score of 26/38
27. Miami, Florida — score of 26/38
27. Fresno, California — score of 26/38
26. Indianapolis, Indiana — score of 27/38
23. Kansas City, Missouri — score of 28/38
23. Los Angeles, California — score of 28/38
23. Boston, Massachussetts — score of 28/38
17. Washington D.C. — score of 29/38
17. Tucson, Arizona — score of 29/38
17. Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee — score of 29/38
17. Fort Worth, Texas — score of 29/38
17. Dallas, Texas — score of 29/38
17. Austin, Texas — score of 29/38
14. San Jose, California — score of 30/38
14. San Diego, California — score of 30/38
14. New York City, New York — score of 30/38
8. Sacramento, California — score of 31/38
8. Phoenix, Arizona — score of 31/38
8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — score of 31/38
8. Minneapolis, Minnesota — score of 31/38
8. Columbus, Ohio — score of 31/38
8. Chicago, Illinois — score of 31/38
7. Oakland, California — score of 32 /38
5. Charlotte, North Carolina — score of 32/38
5. Albuquerque, New Mexico — score of 32/38
4. Denver, Colorado — score of 33/38
1. Seattle, Washington — score of 35/38
1. San Francisco, California — score of 35/38
1. Portland, Oregon — score of 35/38