Enterprises TV Shares News from America’s Green Cities

Cities throughout the United States are utilizing alternative energy in a myriad of ways.  From city busses running on clean energy to post office processing centers installing solar panels to generate clean power, America is slowly but surely getting on the “green” train.

Even though the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does not have established criteria to rank the environmentally-friendliness of a city, some cities are taking the initiative anyway. Some of the ways in which they measure their “greenness” include:

• Improving air and water quality
• Efficient recycling and waste management policies
• Allotting more land for parks and nature areas
• Utilizing renewable energy sources in buildings and public transportation

Chicago, IL City Hall with roof gardens

A few of America’s big cities have already taken giant strides toward these goals:

• Austin, Texas – The city is well on its way to being run by 100 percent renewable energy by 2020 with strong programs by its energy company.
• Chicago, Illinois – The city initiated a “green roof” plan and now some of its tallest buildings sport gardens on the top.
• Seattle, Washington – The city currently has 20 public buildings which are LEED-certified or are under certification.
• Berkeley, California – The city of Earth-loving residents has a growing industry for wind, solar, hydro and biofuel powers.
• Eugene, Oregon – The city has always been green, but is more so with a hybrid public transportation system, and more than 30 miles of off-street bike paths.
• Oakland, California – The city has the cleanest tap water, hydrogen-powered public transportation, and the 17 percent of its energy is from renewable sources.

While these great American cities are forging toward a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future, there are more places in the U.S. doing the same. Enterprises TV reminds readers that city power companies have plans, some of which are being implemented , to move toward using renewable energy. Go online and find out what your city and your local power company are doing to become more environmentally-friendly. It may surprise you.