(not a) green day
Here's how Houston ranks among the country's greenest cities
Houston may be the energy capital of the world, but it apparently isn't the capital of "greenness."
The Bayou City lands at No. 93 among the 100 largest U.S. cities in a new WalletHub ranking of the country's greenest places. Houston held the same spot in last year's ranking. Aside from being the eighth worst city in the 2021 study, Houston is the lowest-ranked city in Texas.
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.
Unfortunately, Houston's overall showing isn't impressive. Here is a sampling, with No. 1 being best, No. 50 being average, and No. 100 being worst:
Excess fuel consumption per year, No. 97.
Greenhouse gas emissions per capita, No. 94. Houston tied with five other cities for the worst greenhouse gas emissions.
Median air quality index, No. 72.
Share of commuters who drive, No. 54.
Percentage of green space, No. 37.
Farmers markets per capita, No. 35.
Walkability, No. 34.
Here is how other Texas cities fared:
Austin, No. 26.
Garland, No. 44.
San Antonio, No. 46
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.
San Diego tops the WalletHub list. As Houston hangs out toward the bottom of the WalletHub ranking, government and business leaders in the region are striving to make Houston greener.
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