GreenBiz reports out on a study that ranks 27 US and Canadian cities on a "green cities" evaluation matrix, and San Francisco, of course, came out on top. It has implemented a 2003 ordinance based upon the Precautionary Principle that guides its decision-making in planning, economics and transit. So it has been moving rapidly in the direction of "Green" for a long time, based upon the principles of science.The rankings in the study were done using a scale of quantitative indicators for each city that measures different kinds of improvement in urban environmental qualities.
The cited study, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and commissioned by Siemens, is part of the Green Cities Index, an ongoing research project that looks at global regions and their major cities. The index, which covers Europe (where Copenhagen topped the list), Asia and Latin America, was expanded to North America and Germany this year. Los Angeles, surprisingly, ranked seventh out of the 27 cities examined in this study, partly due to its early partnership with the Better Buildings Challenge, and adopted Green LA in 2007.
The photo above is from the report, which is available directly online from Siemens.
What other innovative and effective conservation ideas can this region come up with? Planet Forward, partnering with PBS, has received a few ideas for Los Angeles, but there's way more that can be done to change the equation for carbon reduction and regeneration of natural resources and processes.
The Siemens report, which is an excellent discussion of how the ranked cities are scored in their efforts to improve their efforts at not only reducing pollution and conserving water, also notes the public policies that engage people in achieving sustainable lifestyles. This human social media is key towards connecting people to the solutions to changing the destructive practices formerly implemented in the name of profit.
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