San Diego leads as the greenest city in the United States for its use of renewable energy, according to a new WalletHub study.
The Washington, DC-based financial information website WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 28 key “green” indicators across four categories, which include environment, transportation, energy sources, and lifestyle & policy. Researchers graded each metric on a 100-point scale, with a score of 200 representing the greenest practices and policies.
“Clean energy and other green practices, such as recycling programs and urban agriculture, help create jobs and benefit both the environment and public health, all of which contribute to America’s bottom line,” said WalletHub.
San Diego leads the chart with a total score of 70.19, while Portland, OR. follows with a total score of 69,04. Honolulu, HI came in as third at 68.59.
Researchers determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate the overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the sample. The study used 28 metrics from greenhouse-gas emissions per capita to the number of smart-energy policies and initiatives, to green job opportunities to rank the cities.
San Diego ranked 4th place in the environment category, 29th in transportation, 2nd place in Energy Sources, and 11th place in lifestyle and policy.
According to a Gallup Poll, 53 percent of Americans believe the environment should be prioritized above economic growth. WalletHub’s report comes amid National Energy Awareness Month, designated in October by the U.S. Department of Energy annually.
During the month, many schools undertake energy efficiency and conservation activities, including the Chula Vista Elementary School District, which recently unveiled a $32 million solar and microgrid project.
