Kudos to the city and state governments, private and public sectors, building owners, office building tenants and residential occupants. The New York Times in its “Calculator” section has once again confirmed that New York City is one of the nation’s greenest cities.

Most of the credit, according to the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy which recently released their 2017 report, goes to New York City’s government and its “One City: Built to Last” plan.

The ambitious plan includes energy and water retrofits, energy efficiency plans, supporting clean energy, expanding solar, increasing code enforcement and raising standards. The report also cited the City’s “upgraded fleet of energy-efficient municipal vehicles.”
One would think of New York City with its density, skyscrapers and heavy traffic as a least likely to be green environment. Yet it is that very density, tall buildings and limited green space that creates a sound environmental model. Our most significant category that still needs work is air pollution, although we have come a long way.

The report is below. New York came in second in rank, just after Boston, scoring 79.50 points out of a possible 100, and was followed by Seattle, Los Angeles and Portland to round out the top five greenest American cities.

# # #


Steven_J._SchleiderBy Steven J. Schleider, MAI, LEED-AP BD + C President, Metropolitan Valuation Services