Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day this year, this award goes to the greenest city in each state – one that epitomizes eco-friendly driving and living.
Earth Day occurs each year on April 22, on which people around the globe demonstrate their support for environmental protection. This year, in particular, is unique, given how circumstances this spring have led to unprecedented changes in greenhouse gas emissions.
Government-mandated travel restrictions, reduced travel overall and reductions in industrial output across the globe have significantly slashed carbon emissions and nitrogen oxides. Given that transportation makes up a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions, the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions is due in large part to social distancing-induced reductions in transportation.
Of course, this decrease is both hopeful and sobering; while it is encouraging to see the positive effects of a decline in transportation, it is a reminder of how much farther we need to go.
Apart from the current situation, there are cities that already have begun working towards reducing their carbon footprint. Across the United States, some cities are home to a high share of eco-conscious drivers who choose their vehicles based on their environmental impact, while other cities are headed by tireless leaders who invest in green endeavors (some cities do neither). Which are those select few that perform strongly on both?
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Selection Process for Insurify’s 2020 Greenest Cities Awards
The data science and research team at Insurify, a website to compare home insurance, analyzed both proprietary and publicly-accessible data to determine the greenest city in each state.
Referring to their database of nearly two million car insurance applications, Insurify’s data scientists identified cities with the lowest vehicular carbon footprint. Fuel-efficiency, engine displacement, drivetrain, annual mileage and vehicles per household were used in the algorithm to determine the top cities per state with the greenest drivers. States with insufficient data were not included in the analysis.
Then, they compiled statistics on city-wide renewable electricity programs from the United States Conference of Mayors and city-based air quality data published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Bonus points, according to Project Drawdown’s ranking of the environmental impact of particular green reforms, were awarded to cities accordingly.
These are the communities, from small towns to large metropolitan areas, that have all demonstrated an exceptional commitment to green living and driving.
NOTE: Vermont is not listed.
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1. Alabama
Winner: Tuscaloosa
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2. Alaska
Winner: Wasilla
Image Credit: Courtesy of tinyhouselistings.com.
3. Arizona
Winner: Nogales
Image Credit: Charles Harker / Wiki Commons.
4. Arkansas
Winner: Fayetteville
Image Credit: Courtesy of wikimedia.org.
5. California
Winner: West Hollywood
Image Credit: Courtesy of trulia.com.
6. Colorado
Winner: Denver
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
7. Connecticut
Winner: Hartford
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
8. Delaware
Winner: Dover
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
9. Florida
Winner: Miami
Image Credit: espiegle/iStock.
10. Georgia
Winner: Macon
Image Credit: Sean Pavone/shutterstock.
11. Hawaii
Winner: Kailua
Image Credit: CampPhoto/istockphoto.
12. Idaho
Winner: Moscow
Image Credit: Robbiegiles / Wiki Commons.
13. Illinois
Winner: Champaign
Image Credit: Henryk Sadura/shutterstock.
14. Indiana
Winner: Bloomington
Image Credit: Susan Vineyard/iStock.
15. Iowa
Winner: Muscatine
Image Credit: Jacqueline Nix/istockphoto.
16. Kansas
Winner: Dodge City
Image Credit: raksyBH / iStock.
17. Kentucky
Winner: Owensboro
Image Credit: Courtesy of edsaplan.com.
18. Louisiana
Winner: Baton Rouge
Image Credit: depositphotos.com.
19. Maine
Winner: Bangor
Image Credit: Vasiliymeshko / Wikimedia Commons.
20. Maryland
Winner: Columbia
Image Credit: Preservation Maryland / Wiki Commons.
21. Massachusetts
Winner: Newton
Image Credit: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wiki Commons.
22. Michigan
Winner: Holland
Image Credit: stevegeer/istockphoto.
23. Minnesota
Winner: Eden Prairie
Image Credit: Appraiser / Wiki Commons.
24. Mississippi
Winner: Meridian
Image Credit: Rosemary H./Yelp.
25. Missouri
Winner: Kansas City
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
26. Montana
Winner: Missoula
Image Credit: prizrak2084 .
27. Nevada
Winner: Carson City
Image Credit: Schrantz / Wiki Commons.
28. Nebraska
Winner: Grand Island
Image Credit: Brad Mellema / Wiki Commons.
29. New Hampshire
Winner: Concord
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr/istockphoto.
30. New Jersey
Winner: Trenton
Image Credit: Famartin / Wiki Commons.
31. New Mexico
Winner: Taos
Image Credit: Lvklock .
32. New York
Winner: Ithaca
Image Credit: Patrick Baehl de Lescure / iStock.
33. North Carolina
Winner: Chapel Hill
Image Credit: Courtesy of carolinarealtyinc.com.
34. North Dakota
Winner: Minot
Image Credit: Bobak / Wiki Commons.
35. Ohio
Winner: Toledo
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
36. Oklahoma
Winner: Lawton
Image Credit: Crimsonedge34 / Wiki Commons.
37. Oregon
Winner: Corvallis
Image Credit: cpaulfell/shutterstock.
38. Pennsylvania
Winner: Bethlehem
Image Credit: Alizada Studios/shutterstock.
39. Rhode Island
Winner: Warwick
Image Credit: Jason P./Yelp.
40. South Carolina
Winner: Columbia
Image Credit: Kruck20 / iStock.
41. South Dakota
Winner: Brookings
Image Credit: Jon Platek / Wiki Commons.
42. Tennessee
Winner: Knoxville
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
43. Texas
Winner: Austin
Image Credit: RoschetzkyIstockPhoto / iStock.
44. Utah
Winner: Salt Lake City
Image Credit: DepositPhotos.com.
45. Virginia
Winner: Newport News
Image Credit: DenisTangneyJr / iStock.
46. Washington
Winner: Tacoma
Image Credit: thyegn / iStock.
47. West Virginia
Winner: Huntington
Image Credit: 6381380/iStock.
48. Wisconsin
Winner: Waukesha
Image Credit: WaukeshaCountyFair/facebook.com.
49. Wyoming
Winner: Evanston
This article originally appeared on Insurify.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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