2008

Honolulu, HI

Local City Rankings Article

Honolulu, HI: Almost Paradise

Just in case you needed one more reason to visit Honolulu, Hawai’i—other than the breezy, cloudless 80-degree weather, the surf, and gorgeous views of the dormant volcano Diamond Head—we’ve got one: the air. You can breathe deeply in Honolulu, which again tops SustainLane’s rankings for air quality. Located more than 2,000 ocean miles from the nearest large city, the Pacific island city’s top environment official says Honolulu should become “the model for sustainability, or risk catastrophe.” To this end, the city adopted its first sustainability plan in 2007. It’s exploring innovative waste-to-energy technologies to complement a more-than 50-percent solid waste diversion rate, and in fall 2008, resid

Louisville, KY

Local City Rankings Article

Louisville, KY: City of Parks

If you’re ever in Louisville, be sure to catch “The most exciting two minutes in sports” at the Kentucky Derby. Louisville has caught some of that racing spirit as it placed 29th in SustainLane’s 2008 rankings, up six spots from 2006. While Louisville may not hold that coveted blue ribbon from us yet, it’s setting itself up to break away from the pack. Over 100 miles of greenways—dubbed The Louisville Loop—are in the works, as part of the “City of Parks” initiative. Cycling has also taken off in Louisville, leading Bicycling Magazine to name it among the three most improved cities in the country.

Oklahoma City, OK

Local City Rankings Article

Oklahoma City, OK: Planting a Few Seeds

When Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett noticed that his city was showing up on national obesity rankings, he made his New Year's resolution for 2008: he put the entire city on a diet, with the goal of losing a collective million pounds. (You can check out the mayor's own before/after pic at www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com.). So the city may tip SustainLane's 2008 scales at 49th place once again, but we're excited to see what a motivated mayor can accomplish when he puts his mind to it. Oklahoma City residents enjoy affordable homes on large lots and zero rush-hour traffic, despite the city’s sprawl. But Mayor Cornett says gas prices have encouraged Oklahomans to trim the fat, and for many...

Virginia Beach, VA

Local City Rankings Article

Virginia Beach, VA: Not Just for Tourists Anymore

Virginia Beach recently became Virginia’s first designated “green destination,” as part of a state-wide program called Virginia Green. The goal of the program is to reduce the environmental impacts of the state’s tourism industry. We’re glad some attention is being paid to sustainability there—regardless of whether the ultimate goal is marketing tourism. The city won’t be getting an environment award from us ranking 45th in SustainLane’s 2008 survey, but it does get kudos for a few very laudable efforts.

San Francisco, CA

Local City Rankings Article

Come Fog or High Installation Prices

Foggy San Francisco may not seem the likeliest city to lead the nation’s solar energy march, but in July 2008, Mayor Gavin Newsom signed off on a ten-year, multi-million dollar plan to encourage businesses and homeowners to go solar. The Solar Energy Incentive Program was developed to solve the ever-present conundrum: how do you get people to go solar when it costs so darned much for those photovoltaic (PV) panels? Their solution? Give them money.

Arlington, TX

Local City Rankings Article

Arlington, TX: City at a Crossroads

Looking at Arlington’s SustainLane stats in 2008, you’d never know that the state’s first European settlers were farmers, attracted to the land because of its rich soil. Today, the city—sometimes referred to as a suburb of Fort Worth—has no farmers markets or community gardens of record. It’s marked by sprawl and heavy road congestion and is currently the largest city in the country not served by a public transportation system, ranking it very last in our “city commuting” category.

City Rankings Article

Living Here:

Our Readers Tell It Like It Is: Perspectives On the Ground In the summer of 2008, we asked for and received over 100 submissions from all over the country for our Green Urban Life writing contest. Our distinguished panel of judges chose those that struck them most -- that tell personal stories of individuals who are living, or trying to live, sustainably in cities across the United States. We enjoyed your stories. Some made us laugh, one made us cry, another made us cringe... and all of them made us proud to be part of a growing movement of people who are concerned about the future of our cities and doing something about it. Please check back here often for updates. We will be adding new submissions every week.

City Rankings Article

Feature Stories:

Green, Clean, and In-Between: Coast-to-Coast Snapshots. Published September 2008.

City Rankings Article

Category Discussion: Air Quality

SustainLane 2008 City Study: Air Quality Overview

Philadelphia, PA

Local City Rankings Article

Philly Sports Teams Go for Gold When it Comes to Green

You may have thought the greenest thing about Philadelphia's major league baseball team was its furry green mascot, the Phillie Phanatic. But the city that once led the nation as its first capital back in 1774, is leading the U.S. in a new way in 2008: its professional sports teams have taken unprecedented steps towards greening their enterprises. In April 2008, the Philadelphia Phillies announced it would offset the carbon footprint created by electricity use at Citizens Bank Park. It bought 20 million kilowatt-hours of Green-e Certified Renewable Energy Certificates, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says represents the largest single purchase of 100-percent renewable energy in professional sports.