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Top 10 Green Cities

The Mother Nature Network has compiled this list of the Top 10 Green Cities using a combination of criteria that included air and water quality, efficient recycling and management of waste, acres of greenspace, use of renewable energy sources, and easy access to products and services that make green lifestyle choices easy. Hold one of your events in these cities and you’ll really be respected for helping our environment. Search for a venue in one of these cities now.

10) Austin, Texas- With 206 parks, 12 preserves, 26 greenbelts and more than 50 miles of trails and a utility company with over 850 programs to power the city on renewable energy by 2020 Austin is a great choice for your next green corporate event.

9) Chicago, Illinois- The city has more than 206 million feet of greenspace on roofs in the city and over 500,000 trees planted in addition to the large amount of natural areas around the lake. Chicago planners in the past determined that the long-range plan for the city would be to have parks and green areas for the citizens of the city.

8) Seattle, Washington- With an incentive program for citizens to install solar panels, more than 20 LEED certified buildings and ongoing workshops to educate and inspire sustainable living Seattle has more than good coffee to offer.

7) Berkeley, California- Thousands of organic and vegetarian restaurants plus the world’s largest incubation area for budding sustainability technologies make this city a perfect location for green conferences and events.

6) Cambridge, Massachusetts- A project that composts waste from residents, business and hotels leads to the greening of this city dubbed the “best walking city” by Prevention Magazine. Plus all new construction and renovations must meet LEED standards and all city vehicles are fueled with biodiesel or electricity. Your business’ function won’t create much waste here and will have a great location too.

5) Eugene, Oregon- Known as the “Emerald City” for its green beauty this city has developed an award winning hybrid transit system know as the Emerald Express. This city also boasts 29 dedicated bicycle routes and 30 miles of off-street bicycle paths.

4) Oakland, California-The city gets 17% of its energy from renewable resources and is home to the nation’s cleanest tap water. With multiple local sources of organic food and hydrogen powered public transit Oakland is a fantastic location for your next event.

3) Boston, Massachusetts- With an annual conference called “Down to Earth” teaching residents about the city’s goals to be “Green by 2015” and initiatives to recycle household trash into energy and transform the city’s taxi fleet to hybrids Boston is dedicated to becoming a Green city.

2) San Francisco, California-The first city in the nation to place a ban on plastic grocery bags combined with the city’s use of solar power and a recycling program that consists of an in house artist that uses recycled goods to inspire residents, San Francisco is the west coast’s center of peace, love, and solar power.

1) Portland, Oregon-200 Miles of dedicated bike lanes make this the most bikeable city in the U.S. The city is also ranked number 1 in sustainability and offers classes to residents on sustainable living such as container gardening, cheese making, beekeeping, and chicken keeping. The city also boasts many microbreweries that would help your convention or corporate event be successful and fun.