TODAY's Talker: Is Your City on The "10 Greenest Cities in America" List?

Go Boston! :)

As the green building expert here at my job, I appreciate our status!

Congratulations Boston!! I'm a little amazed that New York, NY is on the list ... I wonder what the city has done to become such a high "green" status.

Wendy - I read the article and basically New York made the list because of their public transportation and the fact that the majority of the people are car-less and either walk or use the subway system. But what about all that electricity usage by Time Square and all those taxis inching along in the gridlock?

I too, am surprised that New York is on the "green" list. I'm originally from there. I haven't been back in quite awhile, so I guess they've been cleaning it up. You can believe me when I tell you that it was a slum, in a lot of neighborhoods.

I live in Southern Indiana now, but apparently, not much is different, here. You can't "see" the dirt, but the air doesn't even come up to standard. It's no wonder why people are always coughing. And if you have sinus issues, this is definately no place to live.

On the positive side, it's really pretty here...rolling hills, lots of trees, great place in the Midwest, to find a job, cause they're all over. And stores are being built everywhere on the north side of town (Evansville).

I only just moved here three years ago. When I got here, there was lots of open space. Now, there is a bank on every corner (of where I live), a new shopping center and three fast-food restaurants! I think that they've used up every square foot of grass within a radius of four blocks!

I know there has to be progress, but it just seems like it's going a little too fast for me. I'm starting to feel smothered, and thinking about moving further out into the country, where there is only one store and a gas station. Kind of makes you want to live with the chip munks. lol

It was nice to see Bean Town not only on the list but #3. I only hope that the parks continue to be of importance to the city.

Go Boston! I go to school right outside of Boston, so that's pretty cool. Poor Providence (the city my home is closest to) is not on the list. Gee...I'm so shocked. :-P I am also suprised that NYC is on the list. I too am wondering about all the electricity and taxis, Amy. *shrugs*
Anyway, that's pretty interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Great! I thought Pittsburgh had made great strides in this past decade...

Great concise article, thanks. Our yard is like a jungle in spots with almost yearlo9ng butterflies and yearlong bees if we keep a firepit going outside if we do get a rare freeze. I am 11 miles west of tampa, and because of recent rains, everthing everywhere is lush.
Our New Governor has jumped out front in his long honeymoon here in florida as a leadi8ng 'let;s get going envirommentalist' knowing that grreen money makes greeen emvironments, and we have have to strike a balance of envvironmental sustainability and economoc sustainability.
Tampa[s Mayor Pam Iorio re4cently won a laandslide re:election and many parts of the city look a goood deal greenere to me under her tenure but I do not know how we rank.

Woohoo!!! We're #1, We're #1....on the needs help list that is....Bill and I moved form Columbus 2 years ago because we couldn't breathe, and its getting worse by the minute.

We need help here in Georgia, too, donna. From air quality to recycling to water conservation, we have dropped the ball, I'm surprised we weren't on the list as the top 5 worst.

Portland is #8, but people here would not buy that. We have so many bike lanes, and a lot of people think that should trump everything else. However, when the wind stops blowing, we get major pollution alerts.

As to asthma, there are some natural strategies to try. One is yoga with a knowledgeable instructor. Many people begin their yoga journeys because of breathing challenges. Another strategy is to carefully try aromatherapy with certain essential oils. It is not just because of fragrance that these work for some people. They have substances called terpenes that go quickly to the tissues when inhaled. Some of these cause increased capillary action in some people. When the capillaries constrict, excess fluid from swelling may be forced out of the tissue, and swelling goes down. Coffee or strong caffeine can do this too, which is why it is an emergency treatment for people who know they can tolerate it, if they begin to go into allergic shock and 911 is going to be a while.

A fairly high percentage of people here are into natural remedies.

We also are getting rid of lawns. The reason for that is probably more about not wanting to be boring than being correct, but still. Also if you grow stuff you can eat, you get to think of yourself as way more slacker, more energy-efficient and healthful, all at the same time. Plus, you will get to watch bees, birds, and all manner of other creatures in your stacked-function garden, which carbon-sinks also.

Paul Stamets, a mushroom expert next door in Washington, has figured out how to bioremediate many toxins out of water with fungi. Perhaps someone will figure out how to filter air with wind mills and some organic kind of filter.

What we don't have here, are enough jobs. When we run out of oil, I might be able to sell stuff from my back yard to places that buy in huge volume from elsewhere now.

Thanks for the thread.

Number six on the list here...would love you posting this to my environmental group here on Gather.

Well. I realize that Austin is a very progressive city and somewhat surprised that it's number one. Great for Austin. I live in Houston and continue to be disappointed that its very low on the list. A reality I must live with. I have a Wildlife Ecology degree and at least in a location that may need my help in getting Houston to try to go Green. My girlfriend and I visited Boston recently. Go Sox!!! We had a very wonderful time got to ride public transportation and stay with some really good friends. Thanks to Leslie and Lori for hosting us during our visit. I found Boston to be a wonderful city and proud to be in a Green Friendly Environment. A remarkable visit in the Boston area that was very environmentally friendly was found at the Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Many species of trees were represented and well cared for..I took many Botany classes in college and was an excited tree hugger to there. We went on a fall foliage tour from Boston through New Hampshire. Great trip and recommend it to anyone interested in seeing beautiful trees full of life. Keep the conversation going and GO GREEN!!!

I live in a small Northern California city. Too small for this GO Green list but we are trying to go greener. Sierra Nevada Brewery got green awards this year as well as Butte Community College. We do not encourage companies that polloute.