green thumbs up
Here’s how San Antonio ranks among the country’s greenest cities
Considering San Antonio’s size and growing population, we’re getting the green light when it comes to the city’s impact on the environment, especially when compared with other Texas metros.
Alamo City lands at No. 46 among the 100 largest U.S. cities in a new WalletHub ranking of the country’s greenest places.
To determine the cities promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 28 key green indicators. Those factors include greenhouse gas emissions per capita, number of smart energy policies and initiatives, and green job opportunities.
Among Texas cities, San Antonio fared well, nabbing the third-highest ranking in Texas, coming in behind only Austin and Garland. Houston is the lowest-ranked city in Texas on the list.
Here is a sampling of San Antonio’s green successes and what can use work, with No. 1 being best, No. 50 being average, and No. 100 being worst:
- Environment score, which includes metrics like the air-quality index, greenhouse emissions, and water quality: 67.
- Transportation score, which includes the share of commuters who drive alone, bike and walk scores, and alternative-fuel stations per capita: 64.
- Energy sources score, which includes a city’s share of electricity from renewable sources and the number of smart-energy policies and initiatives: 32.
- Overall score: 47.97.
Here is where other Texas cities landed on the greenest cities list:
Austin, No. 26.
Garland, No. 44.
Laredo, No. 68.
El Paso, No. 69.
Irving, No. 74.
Plano, No. 79.
Lubbock, No. 83.
Arlington, No. 85.
Dallas, No. 89.
Corpus Christi, No. 90.
Houston, No. 93.
San Diego tops the WalletHub list.
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