36. Houston, TX

The Energy Capital of the World may soon be re-dubbed the world’s renewable energy capital. If Houston’s environmental communications manager, Jedediah Greenfield, is right, then over the next several decades, the city whose name has long conjured up images of Texas oil fatcats will become a world leader in energy efficiency and conservation. As of July 2008, Houston was the country’s leading municipal purchaser of green power, with about a quarter of its energy supplied by wind. In its quest for sustainability, the city comes up against a bigger-is-better culture, where anything goes; it’s notoriously lacking in any sort of zoning code, which means houses, shops, and factories go up wherever it’s most convenient to build them. City officials are making progress helping people get around the sprawling city, which should help several index ratings on our charts. Increased public transit ridership due to rising gas prices has meant the addition of bus lines, and serious consideration of a proposal to expand light rail. Houston is also taking steps to green its buildings, with a dozen city buildings now pursuing LEED certification. Land use planning, recycling, and local food and agriculture remain major areas of opportunity for Houston.

(Photo by Whisper to Me)