Finding Your Own Green City
If you are looking for a clean start in a new city, there are a few telltale signs to consider when it comes to making a choice. If environmental stewardship, recreational opportunities, or mass transit systems figured into your decision, tell the community by writing to the mayor's office and local newspapers. If more cities see these factors as magnets drawing people to them, it will reinforce the connection between environmental quality and economic viability.
Air quality is an important consideration when it comes to calling a place home. How does a city rank for fuel exhaust pollution? The EPA maintains an Air Quality Index that scores ozone and particulate matter for different cities across the United States.
Another link to air quality is a city's ability to encourage environmentally friendly transportation. Mass transit systems cut down on the number of personal vehicles on the road, reduce parking and congestion problems, and limit or decrease greenhouse gas emissions and smog. Conscientious cities also provide carpool lanes, designated bicycle lanes, walking trails, and sidewalks and are designed to run efficiently without the need for individually owned vehicles.
Where a city gets its energy correlates not just to the degradation of air quality but to the generation of greenhouse gases as well. If you want to live in a city that's going beyond the norm when it come to energy generation, look for cities that either already use or are making headway with alternative fuels such as biomass, geothermal, hydroelectric, solar, and wind.
There are Web sites you can search for information on cities that use alternative fuels such as SustainLane Government and The Green Power Network.
City designers that take into account not just buildings but green space understand an important aspect of improving environmental quality. Green spaces provided by a municipality include athletic fields and parks as well as walking and biking trails along with recreational water and clean water resources.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) runs the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, setting criteria for what is considered a green building. LEED takes into account human and environmental health, sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, material selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Some builders specifically design houses or developments with sustainability in mind. When looking for a house, find out if the community includes any of these developments. Also, if you're looking for a builder familiar with green construction, visit EnergyStar.gov where builders familiar with environmentally friendly home construction are listed by city and state.
Municipal recycling programs are also one indication of a city's dedication to the environment. Recycling not only conserves natural resources, it reduces the energy needed to make recycled products. If you're moving, you can consider choosing a city that encourages recycling with curbside programs and recycling centers that go beyond the standard glass, paper, and aluminum.
When performed well, recycling programs not only offset the cost of waste disposal but can generate income for an area. Recycling can be a sophisticated business; running a successful operation means keeping up with current trends, technology, and other professionals. There are challenges to recycling, in some cases, when the energy required to transport the reclaimed materials offsets any potential gains.
Portland, Oregon, puts an emphasis on being green. It was the first U.S. city to implement a plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. When it comes to power, Oregon relies on hydroelectric means for 44 percent of its energy production. Portland recycles not only the standard glass, metal, and plastic but also accepts residential yard waste and food from businesses for compost.
Feeling safe about the water delivered from the tap is something to consider, too. The EPA requires that municipalities' water quality be documented and reported as part of the Safe Drinking Water Act. The EPA does not maintain the data in a searchable format, but it can direct anyone interested to information on a particular water system.
Towns, cities, and utilities should have this information on hand and may even post it on their Web site. Safe drinking water should not contain compounds that are required to be monitored at levels exceeding the Drinking Water Standards. Data that is available for review should note any levels in excess of allowable concentrations.
