---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How green is your city?  Do you know if your city is keeping up with the environmental movement or lagging behind. If they want a part of that mega bucks stimulus package, they better get on board.  Entrepreneur Magazine has an article in the January issue about how some states are staying ahead of the game. If you don’t see your city on this list, get some pointers and pass them on to reps of your city and your state.

The following cities are on the forefront of implementing environmental programs for their residents, and taking action against global warming.

Austin, Texas:

Austin has a goal to power city facilities with renewable energies by the year 2010 and has a requirement for new single-family buildings to be net-zero energy capable by 2015.

Boston, Mass:

The mayor of Boston requiring all Taxi cabs to be Hybrids by the year 2015.

Chicago, Illinois:

Chicago has the only fully voluntary legally binding cap and trade program to reduce co2. The Green Exchange houses 100 green businesses, and Chicago has more Leed-Ceritfied Buildings than any other North American city.

Los Angeles, California:

LA has set a goal of 20% of the city’s energy resource to come from renewable energies by the year 2010. With a population of almost 4 million, that would be a sizable feat.

Minneapolis, Minnesota:

The city of Minneapolis has set a goal of reducing co2 emissions from it’s city operations 12% by 2012, and 20% by 2020.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Philadelphia took the lead in 1999, by replacing all it’s traffic lights with LEDs.

Portland, Oregon:

Portland showed it’s bicycle friendly face to the city, consequently earning them a Platinum rating from the league of American Bicyclists.

San Francisco, California:

The city of San Francisco has the nations largest solar-incentive program. Providing $6,000 dollars in incentives for residential installations and $10,000 dollars for businesses that decide to go solar.

Seattle, Washington:

The mayor of Seattle got together 800 of the nations mayors to sign the US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in which they pledge to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol Targets for their cities.

Get a program going in your city, every city has some sort of Environmental Association, find out who they are and join up to get and give ideas to make our cities more environmentally friendly. With the stimulus package coming up there will be green opportunities that will be funded with this money, be at the forefront.

January 25th, 2009 at 02:10 pm by bibi in Living Green

bibi