“collaborates with city agencies, business groups, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to protect and enhance Seattle’s distinctive environmental quality and livability.” The site is heavily oriented toward inspiring individuals, community groups and organizations to take actions with assistance from the city’s “IMCOOL” climate action campaign. IMCOOL is a free toolkit containing outreach materials, such as posters, flyers, email newsletter templates, a website framework and more. People and groups of all types can download the templates and personalize its name on the materials in order to start talking to residents about why cool personal choices can help change the climate for good. It also describes the city’s major initiatives such as the Mayor's Green Building Task Force, Seattle reLeaf, the city’s Climate Action Plan, Urban Forest Management Plan and the Environmental Action Agenda. More»

“Over 350 San Franciscans -- community activists and people representing many city government agencies, over 100 businesses, and academia gathered in working groups in 1996 to draft the "rough game-plan that is necessary for a concerted effort to achieve a sustainable society." In July, 1997, the goals and objectives of the sustainability plan became the policy of the City and County of San Francisco. More»

...consistently tops sustainability and quality of living charts for the U.S. (and international) cities. The city has a well established sustainable development mindset which was developed through learning from other cities’ efforts around the world. “The Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability (BPS) promotes integrated land use planning and development based on sustainability principles and practices. BPS also develops and implements policies and programs that provide environmental, economic and social benefits to residents, businesses and government, which strengthen Portland's position as an international model of sustainable practices and commerce.” More»

...as one of the country’s top ten green cities, has embarked on a series of impressive sustainability programs. Concerns about social equity, nature, and the economy are the three parts of their holistic approach. As a part of the Green Industry Cluster group and the East Bay Green Technology Corridor, Oakland has partnered with neighboring cities, companies and institutions including the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, to bring green industry to the region. More»

...is on the cutting edge of the high-tech world, this capital of Silicon Valley is fast on its way to leading the green-jobs revolution. Its Green Vision includes plans for bringing 25,000 new clean-tech jobs to the area. More»

...has compiled information and resources on 11 categories of actions that readers can take to promote sustainability. They also have some background information about sustainable development and specific examples in the Austin area. More»

...the Golden State’s capital, while suffering from the side effects of rapid population growth, has a progressive, publicly owned utility that, in addition to offering a 100 percent renewable power option, provides free trees to residents hoping to cool their homes with natural shade. More»

...push toward wind and solar energy, its efforts to become more bike-friendly, and its LED traffic lights make it a leader on the environmentally lagging East Coast. More»

...is already way ahead of its goals for reducing water consumption. Its new bike-sharing and composting programs and extensive system of city parks also helped it make the top 15. More»

...has more LEED-certified buildings than any other U.S. city and boasts 300 green roofs. More»

Offers a very well organized Website of community-wide sustainability programs from waste disposal to green school programs to community-wide recycling programs to energy conservation at home and more for all residents to access on-line. More»

...lacks in air quality and renewable energy it makes up for in density, walkability, and Mayor Bloomberg’s commitment to reducing the city’s carbon footprint. More»

...is the sustainability effort underway for environmental programs within the city of Los Angeles. A far-reaching Website on its sustainability initiatives including air quality and transportation, energy use and conservation, green business, land use, water, urban greening and habitats and much more. More»

...(ECO Dallas) goal is for a sustainable Dallas future. Its mission is to equip citizens and business for responsible stewardship of our environment and natural resources through education and collaboration. It hosts the annual Sustainable Dallas conference. More»

...is doing a number of projects to become sustainable including transforming its municipal services fleet by converting its second standard Toyota Prius hybrid fleet car to a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) at no cost to taxpayers, converting its city trucks to battery power and is expecting to purchase 15 percent of its electricity from green renewable resources in 2009. More»

Has had a focus of progressive thinking dating back at least to the 1909 foundation of The Progressive magazine by Senator Robert LaFollette, the city was quick to take on green-oriented initiatives, and in 1968 started the first curbside newspaper recycling program in the U.S. Seeking a guide for the city's sustainable development, the city adopted The Natural Step, a program founded in Sweden with the goal of creating sustainable societies based on a relatively simple set of principles. Having taken on this ambitious program, Madison has set itself a top ten list of projects for the year, which in 2008 included initiatives to increase solar energy installations, achieve a 65 percent reduction in waste by 2010 and build a more fuel-efficient city fleet, among others. More»

...has adopted innovative energy practices and was named one of America's 25 Solar Cities by the Department of Energy—using unique sources such as algae and geysers—that have allotted it the top spot in energy use among medium-size cities. Two of Santa Rosa's largest sources of power are geothermal and solar. Since July 2007, the city has been growing algae in wastewater, a non-food crop that can produce lipids for biodiesel on plots a fraction of the size required by corn and soybeans, and can also clean wastewater by removing nitrates and phosphates. With the city's unique Geysers Recharge Project, 11 million gallons of recycled water are sent to the geysers' steam fields, increasing the production of geothermal energy by 85 megawatts a year, or enough to meet the energy needs of 100,000 households. More»

In 2007 the City Manager and Colorado State Univ. President, started projects like FortZED, a planned zero-energy district in downtown Fort Collins were started. The project was selected by the federal government for a $6.3 million grant to develop new electric grid technologies, and the partners and the state have since pledged $4.9 million in matching funds. UniverCity Connections' other goals for the community include enriching arts and culture, improving transit and development and addressing homelessness. More»

...is shifting toward clean coal technology combined with investments in new energy sources including wind, which now accounts for 20 percent of the city's energy. In the middle of the Corn and Grain Belts, Springfield also obtains renewable energy in the form of discarded seed corn, which serves as a reliable supplement for electric generation. Also, residents have a new option to purchase green energy credits on a check-off on their utility bill for those who want to do more to support investment in renewable sources. The historic downtown district of provides more than 115 on-street recycling collection containers—and all are made of 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic. The city offers free recycling for all electronics—including TVs—to both residents and businesses. Reusable shopping bags are distributed by the Waste and Recycling Division at the local farmer's market, where coupons from food stamp recipients are accepted, making fresh, local food accessible for people of all income levels. More»

...created an Office of Sustainability and a Sustainability Commission in 2007. The City's sustainability efforts cover three broad areas: Social Equity, Environment and Economy. Many of the community focused and internal initiatives the City undertakes have a component of all three aspects of sustainability. The City has recently established an Office of Sustainability and a new Sustainability Commission. To learn more about Eugene City government’s practices, policies and resources, please select the following link. More»

... has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. In March 2009, the city released its sustainability action plan, focusing on mitigating the effects of global warming, adapting to them where necessary and achieving a secure energy supply. Every year nonprofit Friends of the Falls organizes an annual riverfront clean-up—in 2008 more than 800 volunteers removed over eight tons of garbage. Today, the city is retrofitting its diesel fleet with pollution-control devices and is overhauling City Hall's HVAC system to provide a large reduction in natural gas consumption. The city is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and sponsors the local Built Green program. More»

...may be best known for its aerospace, military and technology industries; it is home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the Army's Redstone Arsenal base and the Cummings Research Park—the second largest research park in the U.S. The city, however, is working to ensure that industrial production not come at the price of a degraded environment. Hunstville teamed up with the Tennessee Valley Authority and engineers, land planners and environmental scientists from the Center for Economic Development and Resource Stewardship (CEDARS) to design the region's largest minimal-impact industrial park. More»

...is largely known for tourism, which is the principal economic engine in the community. To keep up 23 of its golf courses in an arid climate, the city reclaims wastewater and with treatment returns it to irrigation quality, which the golf courses then purchase to receive through the Reclaimed Water Delivery System. All new golf courses must provide their own renewable surface water supply. Frank Lloyd Wright set his stamp on Scottsdale with the building of his winter home, Taliesin West. So it's not surprising that the city should become a center for green building and the first in the country to adopt a LEED gold certification standard for all new city buildings. Through its voluntary Green Building Program, more than one-third of new single-family homes built in Scottsdale met energy and environmental standards to qualify for green building permits in 2005 and 2006, and the requirements will be updated in 2009. More»

...gets 98 percent of its electricity from natural gas, which releases fewer and less toxic emissions than coal (the state has rejected new coal power plants) but is a nonrenewable resource. The city is increasing its use of hydropower with one of two hydroelectric plants in the state and solar power, and is aggressively promoting energy conservation through demand-side management. Tallahassee's municipal-owned utility is making strides toward the smart grid system of the future, upgrading all home systems free of charge for its new Smart Metering Project. The system provides two-way wireless communication in real time between consumer and utility, allowing consumers to monitor their consumption of electricity, gas and water daily, encouraging smarter use, and eliminating the need for meter-reader visits (thereby reducing fuel emissions). The infrastructure to gauge energy for hybrid vehicles will be put in place so that excess energy will be able to be sold back to the grid. The utility is aptly named Your Own Utilities—or YOU. More»

...currently has a relatively low-pollutant, satisfactory Air Quality Index, and it is a voluntary member of North America's SuperCorridor Coalition Inc., NASCO, a non-governmental agency that works between the public and private sectors to improve tri-national transportation, including addressing environmental issues such as air quality. In addition, the Laredo Independent School District, in conjunction with the Texas State Energy Conservation, obtained a grant from the federal government to transform its school buses into a clean fleet with lower emissions. More»

...has a website for the city's Energy and Sustainability office includes a Sustainability Assessment, Sustainability Goals, a Sustainable Community Inventory (2003) and a draft set of indicators (2005). The areas of concern include: Arts & Culture and Recreation, Civic Engagement, Community Safety, Economy and Employment, Health, Housing, Education, Transportation, Urban Design & Planning, and Environment. More»

...environmental progress owes its origins to the handiwork of grassroots organizations. In fact, Recycle Ann Arbor, a nonprofit organization that launched Michigan's first curbside recycling program in 1978, is still handling the city's waste diversion. It also manages the Environmental House, a resource center of green building and energy-efficiency in the community. Ann Arbor hosts over 1,000 nonprofits, many of them green-minded. The Greenbelt Millage was overwhelmingly passed by voters in November 2003, and increases green space through the purchase of additional parkland as well as development rights easements on working family farms. In addition to encouraging dense urban development and local food production, this strategy improves drinking water quality, protects farmers, and enhances wildlife habitat. The city is aggressively replanting trees, funded in part by money collected in stormwater management fees, which are based on the amount of impervious surfaces on a property. Property owners wishing to reduce their fees can examine online infrared aerial photos of their land to pinpoint nonporous surfaces. They can then install rain barrels, increase greenery, or take other measures to reduce stormwater runoff, which prevents pollution from reaching the Huron River. More»

...is a new planned city—formally incorporated in 1971—that has been almost entirely developed by the Irvine Company, which owns one-fifth of Orange County known as the Irvine Ranch. The city has its own voluntary green building program, Build Green, which is partnered with the Irvine Company and provides standards for home, apartment and commercial building. More than half of the Irvine Ranch, the Irvine Ranch Wildlands and Parks, is preserved wilderness and conservation area, and about three-quarters of that is designated a National Natural Landmark. The city itself is geographically large (65 square miles), but it has 16,000 acres of green space, 44.5 miles of off-road bicycling trails and 282 miles of on-road bicycle lanes. Irvine has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the country (the FBI dubbed it the "Safest Big City in America" from 2005 to 2008). More»

...water conservation has been a major challenge, which relies almost entirely on surface water and has struggled with overdevelopment and an ongoing drought that has reached 50-year extremes. To preserve water, in addition to restricting outdoor water use and promoting voluntary conservation, Athens-Clarke County instituted a conservation water rate structure that is led by a public and private water conservation committee. It is pursuing code changes that promote using captured rainwater, greywater (residential wastewater produced by showers, bathroom sinks, dishwashers and washing machines) and recycled water for non-potable uses, like irrigation. To protect water quality, the city is implementing stormwater management practices largely funded by a user fee based on the amount of impervious surface on a property. Impervious surfaces contribute to the runoff of pollutants—like petroleum and chemicals—into streams and rivers. Athens, Ga. was the first in the state to establish curbside recycling in 1988 and has a "pay-as-you-throw" policy for commercial and residential waste—so those who trash more pay more, while those who conserve pay less. In January 2009, Athens hosted its first Green Life Expo to further educate the community on recycling, as well as on carbon reduction and conservation practices. The Athens Land Trust—a private, nonprofit community land trust—protects land through conservation easements, creates energy-efficient and affordable housing, and revitalizes ailing neighborhoods. More»

...received water and power from The Snohomish County Public Utility District (SNOPUD), with 6 to 8 percent of electricity coming from the Jackson Hydroelectric Project—or enough to power 35,800 homes. More than 10 percent of the PUD's power comes from renewable sources, and the PUD is actively exploring tidal power and geothermal as renewable contributors to the energy portfolio. It also offers a program for residents to purchase green power directly, funding the expansion of wind power, and another that encourages homeowners to install solar panels on their properties. Large hydropower dams like the Jackson Hydroelectric Plant use no fossil fuels in operation but can harm salmon runs, stress wildlife and degrade the ecosystem. The Wildlife Habitat Management Plan was created in 1988 to offset these damages and will be in effect until 2060. In 2006 the city of Everett and SNOPUD jointly prepared the protection of the 2,657-acre Lake Champlain Tract. It includes 55 acres of old growth forest, hundreds of acres of mixed and deciduous forest, 79 acres of wetland habitat and a 441-acre reservoir. Everett has had a public transit system since 1893, with a rail system between the city and nearby Seattle. Now, SoundTransit's Sounder rail service shuttles between the two neighboring cities, and the Community Transit bus system is well used within the city. More»