Cities Call Sustainability a Top Priority

"Only one in six of the country's 40 largest cities say sustainability is not one of their top five problems, according to a new report from Living Cities, a collaboration of 21 of the world's largest foundations and financial institutions. The vast majority of city leaders have focused attention and effort on improving the environmental performance of their towns.

The report, "Green Cities: How Urban Sustainability Efforts Can and Must Drive America's Climate Change Policies," evaluates how well cities across the country are working on reducing urban emissions, and lays out the three key areas that will make the most impact in the least amount of time."

"...Many of the cities surveyed have begun requiring new city construction meet a certain level of green building standards, and some of those cities are also requiring private construction to meet those standards. But, the report says, if cities really want to make an impact, mass retrofits to make existing buildings more energy efficient are the key to making major cuts in greenhouse gas emissions."