Top U.S. Cities Taking Sustainable Actions

Hi Friend! Today we are going to travel across the world to cities that are taking sustainable actions. Will your city be the next? Well, we’ll look at what these cities have done and the effort it takes to pull this off! So let’s get to it!

1. Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. is the city with the greenest rooftops in North America. D.C. It was dubbed this by Green Roof for Healthy Cities (GRHC) back in 2017 with more than 1 million square feet of green rooftops. I think it important to note that green rooftops do not mean a bunch of plants on a root, but mean permanent greenery on rooftop buildings, mid-building patios, or ledges. Many of the time this takes professional installations. So it is pretty clear that Washington D.C. is leading the way in what urban eco-friendly planning looks like. But how do green rooftops help? Green rooftops help filter out pollution, provide great habits for wildlife, help lower urban temperature, are great at absorbing rainwater helping avoid floods in cities, and provide great insulation to buildings helping with energy efficiency.

2. Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the leading city in the U.S. with the most installed solar panels installed based on the 2019 report. That means that L.A. has installed a solar PV capacity of 384.8 Megawatts. To put that into perspective that is enough to power 134,000 homes and also eliminate 280,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. That is incredible! Solar power is great sustainable action in the long haul because it is cleaner energy. As seen in the L.A. example, solar panels can power many homes and buildings as it does not yield greenhouse gases or fossil fuels. Lowering greenhouse gas emissions will help with global warming that is a real threat to many ecosystems and species.

3. New York City, New York

New York City is the city with the largest community garden. The community garden program, Green Thumb NYC, started in the ’70s in response to the financial crisis that occurred that year. It took empty land and lots and repurposed them to these oases they are today. This program has over 600 community gardens in all five boroughs. The Green Thumb program is also helpful because it educates, provides tools, and provides resources to the community. This ensures that the residents have the knowledge, have better quality air, and live a healthier lifestyle.

4. San Francisco, California

San Francisco is the city that composts the most. SF compost and recycles 80% of its waste. SF was also the first city in the U.S. to start a city-wide food composting program. How did this city do this? Well, the established legislation, for example, they began requiring restaurants to compost. They also made sure plenty of people learned about it sharing it in multiple languages, creating an outreach program. They now have a system that is effective in sorting the organic and inorganic material well. Residents receive three bins, one for composting, recycling, and trash. This also creates a circular economy because the compost is helpful to farmers to create a great harvest.

5. Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is the city best known as the most bikeable city. We know that reducing your carbon emission is important. Reducing carbon emissions helps lower the rising temperature caused by global warming. Cities that provide great walk and bike spaces are important and Boulder is one of the best. Boulder has more than 300 miles designated for bike lanes. This bike city is a great example of the possibility of using fewer vehicles that use fossil fuels to be powered.

Well, I am totally inspired by all these cities that are working to improve our everyday living. Encourage your city to implement one of these methods by tagging local governments in posts that have sustainable methods. Or email them and ask for these sustainable methods in your city. Is there a city I missed, let me know in the comments!