Yahoo Green, in conjunction with Sustain Lane, have aggregated data from various agencies and the cities themselves to come up with a list of the Top 10 Sustainable Cities in America. My hometown Chicago (and the prettiest city on earth) is number 4 on the list. Yippee.

Top 10 Sustainable Cities are:

1. Portland, OR
2. San Francisco
3. Seattle
4. Chicago
5. Oakland
6. New York City
7. Boston
8. Philadelphia
9. Denver
10. Minneapolis

This ranking is based on the following criteria, “how the largest 50 cities compared across areas such as renewable energy and alternative fuels use, green buildings, local food, public transportation use and walkability, housing affordability and natural disaster risk, along with overall sustainability planning and management“.

Paul Hawken, who wrote a book entitled, “How Green is Your City”, had this to say in reference to why he wrote his book, “while international action is required to prevent global climatic catastrophe, cities must lead the way in creating a post-carbon environment where people can thrive.”

Recap, cities need to be the early adopters in the move toward sustainability. Is your city on the list?