10. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Minneapolis has instituted many green programs in recent years, including installing green roofs on commercial buildings and new eco-friendly pavement.  This city is also known for its rain gardens and barrels.

9. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston is implementing four new sustainability programs:

1. A new green cleaning policy for city-owned buildings
2. New environmentally preferable procurement guidelines for city purchases to conserve natural resources, minimize pollution and reduce landfill waste
3. Expanded recycling programs in municipal buildings to increase paper recycling and incorporate cardboard, plastic and metal collection
4. A new green information technology roadmap to reduce energy use and support efficiency efforts throughout the city

8. New York, New York: Thanks to public transportation, New York’s per capita emissions rate is less than one-third of the rest of the country.  As an added bonus for residents and tourists, New York has designated bike lanes along many streets.

7. St. Cloud, Minnesota: St. Cloud showcases heating systems that use less energy and space than traditional hot water heaters.  The system maintains 86% efficiency and generates near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

6. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago is known as the “Green Roofs City.” Since 1989, Chicago has planted a half-million trees and replaced the downtown airport by a 100-acre park.

5. San Francisco, California: San Francisco embraces recycling, and it was the first city to ban plastic bags in grocery stores in 2007.

4. Boulder, Colorado: Boulder’s Office of Environmental Affairs and the city’s Green Building and Green Points Program encourage the use of sustainable building methods and technologies that conserve energy, water and other natural resources.

3. Bellingham, Washington: Among other green projects, Bellingham recently instituted the largest waterfront redevelopment effort in North America, which revitalized 220 acres of the Puget Sound.

2. Portland/Vancouver/Beaverton, Oregon: Since the 1970s the Portland/Vancouver/Beaverton area has been making strides in the green community.  Among their green projects are green building initiatives and enacting strict land use and urban population growth policies.

1. Corvallis, Oregon: Corvallis buys 100 gigawatt hours of green power each year – more than any other city in the country.  It is also home to 2,000 acres of open green space and the ninth highest percentage of bike commuters in the United States.