Video from Siemens and Synaptic Digital: San Francisco Leads the U.S. in Environmental Sustainability

NEW YORK, June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco grabbed the mantle of "greenest" major city in the U.S. and Canada Green City Index, with New York, Seattle, Denver and Boston rounding out the top five U.S. cities.  The unique study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and commissioned by Siemens assesses and compares 27 major U.S. and Canadian cities on environmental performance and policies across nine categories – CO(2) emissions, energy, land use, buildings, transport, water, waste, air quality and environmental governance.  

See video from Siemens at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/siemens/greencitiesindex/

The study of U.S. and Canadian cities provided some important key findings.  Notably, cities that performed best in the rankings are the ones that have comprehensive sustainability plans that encompass every aspect of creating a greener future including transportation, land use, energy use, carbon dioxide emissions, and water.

The scope of the U.S. and Canada Green City Index is unique. The nine categories are based on 31 individual indicators — 16 of which are quantitative (e.g. consumption of water and electricity per capita, recycling rate, and use of public transportation) and 15 qualitative (e.g. CO(2) reduction targets, efficiency standards and incentives for buildings, and environmental governance).  A key element of the study is the comparability of the results from each city.  The study also includes in-depth city portraits that reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each urban center, while also highlighting initiatives and projects from which other cities can learn.

A panel of global experts in urban environmental sustainability advised the Economist Intelligence Unit in developing the methodology for the study.  The 27 cities selected were chosen to represent a number of the most populous metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada.  The list includes the top 20 U.S. combined statistical areas, and the top 5 Canadian census metropolitan areas.  

Announced at the 2011 Aspen Ideas Festival, the U.S. and Canada Green City Index is the fifth study in the Green City Index series. Other indices in the series cover Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Germany.

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SOURCE Synaptic Digital; Siemens