The Top Ten Greenest States In U.S.

Earth Day is the perfect time to celebrate the positive steps that some states are taking to preserve the environment. This year, the theme for Earth Day is "A Billion Acts of Green." The idea highlights the fact that many small acts can make a significant difference to the environment.

Last year, 24/7 Wall St. analyzed the environmental issues facing the each state. In observance of Earth Day, the rankings have been updated to reflect the most recent data.

24/7 Wall St. examined energy consumption, pollution problems and state energy policies. The most recent information, issued in 2009 and 2010, was used for all states. Thousands of data points were collected to determine the most and least “green” states.

Below are the ten greenest states in the 24/7 Wall St. ranking, based on environmental problems and how effectively these problems are addressed.

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#10. Colorado

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Population: 5,024,748 (22nd) GDP: $252.6 Billion (19th) Toxic Waste: 41,532 Tons (19th) Carbon Footprint: 98.1 Million Metric Tons (27th) Alternative Energy: 10.0% (14th) Colorado benefits in ranking from above-average pollution scores, scoring sixth best for birth-defect inducing toxins and carcinogenic chemicals released into waterways. Colorado also ranks 12th in particle pollution. The "Centennial State" has very good policy scores, ranking seventh for energy saving targets, according to ACEEE's assesment. More than 6% of Colorado's total energy output is from alternative resources, the eighth best rating in the country. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow)

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Population: 5,024,748 (22nd)
GDP: $252.6 Billion (19th)
Toxic Waste: 41,532 Tons (19th)
Carbon Footprint: 98.1 Million Metric Tons (27th)
Alternative Energy: 10.0% (14th)

Colorado benefits in ranking from above-average pollution scores, scoring sixth best for birth-defect inducing toxins and carcinogenic chemicals released into waterways. Colorado also ranks 12th in particle pollution. The "Centennial State" has very good policy scores, ranking seventh for energy saving targets, according to ACEEE's assesment. More than 6% of Colorado's total energy output is from alternative resources, the eighth best rating in the country.

(AP Photo/Nathan Bilow)

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Comments

[jl42]

12:02 AM on 05/05/2011

I wonder if this list is still valid since the U.S. got radiation from Japan

Idaho and Hawaii got comparatively large doses of radiation from Japan.

Are you keeping up with the radiation from Japan in the United States?

Here's a good place to start:

http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/04/09/radiation-detected-in-drinking-water-in-13-more-us-cities-cesium-137-in-vermont-milk/

[robsreports]

09:33 AM on 04/27/2011

So comparing Vermont 9,620 square miles and a population of a little over 600,000 with Texas that has 268,581 square miles and about 25 million people is an equal comparison?

[Ron Booth]

11:18 PM on 05/14/2011

The ratings are weighted according to population versus GDP versus various good and bad factors as they weigh out to carbon footprint and contaminants per capita the ratings are not based on gross totals for the states.

[Blackdogsailing]

08:41 PM on 04/26/2011

Unfortunately, Governor LePage is out to knock Maine off the list. We've had a Democratic Governor for 30 years (how we got to #2. That and the help of cold winters and sparse population) and some of the first gestures of the new Gov., with just 38% support, was to gut environmental protection laws, put up a big FOR SALE TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER sign at the Turnpike entrance and re-write history (through his removal of public art from public spaces).

[springsm]

11:04 AM on 04/26/2011

Most of those states have small populations, but they are doing something right if they are called "green".    Oregon has been ahead of the game on many things in this country and they continue to be that way.  (as long as you don't bring up guns)   Tom McCall was a great govenor for that state.  Seemed a bit nutty to people outside the area, but he made brave calls on issues. 

[mamacat]

06:11 AM on 04/26/2011

In round numbers, the USA has about 30% of the worldwide total of installed geothermal capacity.

The largest single developed geothermal field in the world is in California. California develops nearly half of all the geothermal energy in the USA. Before the rest of the world started developing geothermal, about half of all geothermal energy came from just this one state.

California does not have the best potential for geothermal energy in the USA, but it has benefitted from prolonged public support for alternative energy development.

While geothermal energy has a high up-front cost, it's long-term cost is much less than that of coal.

I do not know how to insert hyperlinks into these posts, but the info is available from google.

[Scholastica8]

04:14 PM on 04/25/2011

I don't know how Colorado can be on the Green State list. It may fill the bill with energy, but its water laws make no sense. It is illegal for a homeowner to collect rain water from their own roof. It is illegal to use your own bathwater to water your plants. They have a horrible record at repairing old, leaking water pipes. These laws date back to the 19th century & the debate over water rights. Water rights are like mineral rights, they do not necessarily belong to the property owner.

[QuantProgrammer]

04:10 PM on 04/25/2011

Red states have less pollution-> fewer politicians generating hot air.

[mamacat]

05:50 AM on 04/26/2011

Of the top 10 worst polluting states, 3 Blue, 6 Red, 1 Purple (Ohio).

[Blackdogsailing]

08:46 PM on 04/26/2011

Most states on the list have small populations.
This world is too damn crowded.

[Leadsled]

03:03 PM on 04/25/2011

Just to be clear from this and the "top ten least green states" It appears that in HuffPo's mind hydro-electric generation is "alternative energy" and nuclear is not. This seems...silly. The environmental impacts from hydroelectric are significantly higher than from nuclear.

[QuantProgrammer]

04:12 PM on 04/25/2011

Thank you. Factor that in and Illinois suddenly belongs close to the top ten rather than in the bottom ten.

Nuclear is effectively renewable in the sense that the spent fuel can be recycled dozens and dozens of times in a process that creates waste whose radioactivity loses half its potency every 30 years and disappears after a few hundred.

[mamacat]

05:41 AM on 04/26/2011

Tell that to the people living near the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear exclusion zones.
Claiming that nuclear is cheap and clean is like claiming that the Nazis loved Jews.

[Leadsled]

11:18 AM on 04/26/2011

and Godwin is proven correct, once again.

Tell the people living in France that nuclear power is bad or unsafe.

[REMEMBER2050]

02:03 PM on 04/25/2011

After looking at the worst-polluting states and then this, I have to say these rankings make zero sense if there's no adjustment for population density.

I live in Colorado, yes, kudos to us for using a tiny amount of alternative energy--a lot of that is due to us forcing our state's biggest utility monopoly to provide some wind power via a referendum. We also have NOAA and NCAR and NREL located out here, so we have an unusual population with more people than would be average who are knowledgeable both about renewables and about global warming. We also had a great governor--Ritter--who had a clear commitment to renewables and did his homework to get us more industries.

But you know, so what? Our transportation here is a mess--we're barely getting mass transit. We have no recycling unless it's done by municipality or by personal preference. I'm certainly not aware of any particular commitment to building efficiency, either--and that's where we'd get the biggest energy savings of all.

So I'm not convinced these stats mean a damned thing. I'd like to see how we'd compare to say, New York or California, because I'm betting if this were per capita we'd be closer to the bottom rung than the top.

[edgeninja]

12:36 PM on 04/25/2011

The vistas in those pictures are breathtakingly beautiful. Makes me wanna see them in person.

[Bill Stretch Coleman]

10:30 AM on 04/25/2011

Colorado is home to the solar powered Bubble Tower!
BubbleTower.com

Dependable, quiet and self sufficient, the BT does not use a generator or power cord.
The COW Bubble Tower is made from a reclaimed, repurposed, out dated billboard vinyl. The COFFEE Bubble Tower features dozens of colorful burlap coffee bean bags from around the world, and other designs use discarded polyester table cloths from the rental linen industry.
Custom design commissions and suggestions are welcomed.

No waiting in lines, no ticket entry, but unlimited hours of fun!

“We didn’t realize it was going to be this popular!” Kim Evelsizer, Broomfield Days

"The Solar Powered Bubble Tower was an irreplaceable aspect of our Children's Center at the Smart Energy Living Expo. It kept the children entertained for hours and freed up our human resources for other activities." Colorado Energy Science Center

“The Bubble Tower brings the added flair and WOW experience to an event. As sponsors, The Bubble Tower brings the public to us – like a magnet, we don’t have to go searching for them….they are hypnotized.”
-Keisha Makonese, Bellco Credit Union

[Brian Rowe]

01:31 AM on 04/25/2011

west is the best. where's Cali?

[garystartswithg]

02:13 PM on 04/25/2011

just a random guess but california is home to lots of suburbanites and exurbanites that still think waste is the American dream.

[Giusi Gatta]

12:08 AM on 04/25/2011

I have been living in Big Island for a few months, and I have seen tons of garbage scattered around the rainforest: Car batteries and engines, tires, old fridges and everything imaginable. The fact that they recycle is only due to the fact that recycling is already paid when you buy a bottle or a can, otherwise they would not care.

[Giusi Gatta]

12:04 AM on 04/25/2011

Living here in Vegas, I don't really think Nevada is a green state. We barely recycle, due to various factors, the water is terrible and impossible to use without filters, and there are a lot of places full of scattered garbage.

[FaceReality2]

10:34 PM on 04/24/2011

Check the levels of heavy metals in Colorado rivers, thanks to 150 years of mining.

[mamacat]

05:52 AM on 04/26/2011

Much of the heavy metal in the mountain streams of the Rockies and the other mountain ranges out West is natural. It is leached out of the rocks and into the water.