How Sustainable Is Your City?
![The scorecard considers a number of metrics, including the number of LEED-certified buildings and green industry projects](https://cdn.route-fifty.com/media/img/cd/2018/07/27/cincinnati/860x394.jpg?1627479923)
The scorecard considers a number of metrics, including the number of LEED-certified buildings and green industry projects Shutterstock
Connecting state and local government leaders
An Ohio city was named most sustainable for the second year in a row in Site Selection's annual rankings.
Cincinnati is the most sustainable city in the country for the second year in a row, according to Site Selection’s annual sustainability rankings.
The rankings “recognize where corporate and community efforts converge to make places with renewal, renewables and planetary responsibility on their minds,” according to Site Selection, a corporate real estate trade publication.
The scorecard considers a number of metrics, including the number of LEED-certified buildings, green industry projects and a global corporate social responsibility measure, or CSR, which tracks green corporate behavior and policies across the world. Cities get credit for hosting projects from companies with high CSRs.
Cincinnati ranked first among metro areas, thanks in part to a 2018 plan that includes 80 strategies to reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. Focus areas include energy, food, transportation and waste systems.
“If we follow this comprehensive blueprint, it will benefit our economy, our health, our ability to attract talent and of course the environment that we’ll pass along to our children,” Cincinnati Councilmember P.G. Sittenfeld said in a statement.
Cincinnati is followed by Chicago (up from fifth place last year), Boston and Seattle (both dropping one spot), San Diego (up from no. 10) and Los Angeles (unranked last year).
At the state level, California ranked first, up six spots from last year. Texas was second and Massachusetts was third (both were unranked last year). Colorado (also unranked last year) was fourth, followed by North Carolina (last year’s no. 1).
Worldwide, the United States placed first, followed by Canada and Germany.
Kate Elizabeth Queram is a Staff Correspondent for Government Executive’s Route Fifty and is based in Washington, D.C.
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