While Portlanders may be caught up with the sky-high funding and hubbub of logistics involved with
, from the outside, apparently Portland appears to have it together -- in terms of being green, that is.
Real estate website
compiled a list of the
, and Portland ranks among other cities like Santa Monica, CA; New York, NY; and Austin, TX. The website describes the criteria for making the list like this:
We've picked 10 places – in no particular order – that we think are doing a great job at putting residents first. That means they're obsessed with clean air and clean water, renewable energy, reliable city buses, trams, streetcars and subways, a growing number of parks and greenbelts, farmer's markets and, very important, opportunities for community involvement.
Anyone can confirm the presence of blooming farmer's markets, great community parks, and "reliable city buses." But what about Portland specifically makes us one of the top 10 greenest cities in America?
Apparently it's the combination of affordability, accessibility, bike-friendliness, and communal emphasis on sustainability that confirms "Portland’s rep as the nation’s greenest city."
Portland has earned a place amongst Boulder, CO and Minneapolis, MN also by being a pioneer of green living in the big(ish) city. According to the
:
For now, Portlanders may take this honor as confirmation of the city's and its residents' continued effort to live healthy, environmentally-friendly lives. But I think we can all agree, despite the plethora of bikes and compost, it's not
that
easy being green...