San Diego was ranked the “greenest” city in the United States, thanks largely to clean energy sources and environmentally friendly policies, in a new study by WalletHub.
The Miami-based personal finance website compared the 100 largest cities using 28 indicators ranging from greenhouse-gas emissions per capita, green job opportunities and public transit to organic farms, bike lanes and air quality.
However, the report was not able to include recycling, with the authors noting the lack of comparable city-level data .
Honolulu came in second, and Portland third. Three cities surrounding Phoenix — Gilbert, Glendale and Mesa — came in last.
Braden Allenby, a professor of engineering and ethics at Arizona State University, told WalletHub that cities need to be strategic about their efforts to become more green.
“Miami might invest in increased resilience around flooding and climate change effects, while Phoenix might invest in water efficiency and lowering its urban heat island effects,” he said.
WalletHub noted at a majority of Americans now “think that protecting the environment should be prioritized above economic growth.”