26. San Diego, CA

San Diego created its sustainability initiative in 2002, giving them six years to develop and implement environmental policy. The results have ranged from water conservation plans and emissions controls, to beach clean-up projects and even international partnerships to reduce solid waste. Still, there is room to improve. The city recently passed an ordinance requiring recycling at all private residences, commercial buildings, and city-permitted events. The decision came after the city determined that 37-percent of the waste sent to its landfills could be diverted. The sunny southern California city is taking advantage of its mild Mediterranean climate by creating a solar map that will calculate the area of all city rooftops and how much potential solar energy can be created from that space. The map will also provide estimates of how much money residents could save on their power bills (and also how much carbon output would be offset) by switching to a renewable energy source.

Downtown San Diego Near the Gas Lamp District (Photo by Cooljuno411)