Austin is the 2nd greenest city!

The Green Guide has released its list of the Greenest Cities in the U.S. This is awesome, but not very surprising since Austin was already on the list. Austin does have the distinction of being the only city in Texas that made the list. Austin received a score of 8.5325.

Here’s some of what they had to say…

Austin reappears in our top 10 list where once again it stands out for its commitment to solar power and green building. Offering its customers one of the highest solar power rebates in the country, Austin plans to meet 20 percent of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2020. Austin’s Green Builder program provides information for homeowners, renters and members of the design and building professions to help build more energy efficient and environmentally sound dwellings. For their central business district, Austin has established minimal requirements for energy efficiency and is considering requiring reflective roofs. Austin’s Smart Growth Initiative is designed to preserve drinking water quality, ensure proximity to mass transit, and maintain a pedestrian-friendly urban design. And it’s S.M.A.R.T. (Safe, Mixed Income, Accessible, Reasonably Priced and Transit Oriented) Housing offers incentives to developers to create more affordable housing.

This is cool news. The Federal government definitely isn’t going to do anything productive as far as the environment is concerned. This is one are where local activity can really make a difference and Austin’s ranking proves it. To see the list of the top 25 cities, check out the Green Guide article.