DENVER (KDVR) — Bike lanes, farmers markets, city parks, community gardens — all these common Denver practices put the Mile High City as one of the greenest cities in the country, according to a new study.
WalletHub rated 100 of the largest cities on 28 “green” indicators, which include data like greenhouse gas emissions per capita, percent of green space, percent of commuters who drive and the number of smart-energy policies and initiatives.
Out of the top 100 cities, Denver placed 13th.
Top 20 greenest cities
- San Diego, California
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Portland, Oregon
- Washington, D.C.
- Seattle, Washington
- San Jose, California
- San Francisco, California
- Oakland, California
- Fremont, California
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Irvine, California
- Sacramento, California
- Denver, Colorado
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Buffalo, New York
- Riverside, California
- St. Paul, Minnesota
- Stockton, California
- Long Beach, California
WalletHub looked at environmental factors like transportation, energy sources, lifestyle and policy to determine a city’s overall ranking. The data accounted for some of the biggest environmental factors like water consumption, to some of the smaller factors like the presence of plastic bags.
One of Denver’s best metrics was its bike score. Out of all the cities, Denver ranked fifth for the best bike score.
However, this doesn’t mean Denver is completely green.
The city ranked as one of the worst for greenhouse gas emissions. Out of 100 cities, Denver was 98th for the highest greenhouse emissions per capita.
While Denver is in the top 20 for the greenest cities, there’s more that can be done.
