Come to Toronto- we're in the middle of a garbage strike. !!

Way to go, Oakland! Not sure why we're on the list but it's nice for Oakland to be acknowledged for something positive.

Ah yes, come to Seattle, enjoy our 9.5% sales tax.

Kwil : That strike is the most ridiculous thing. You guys are gonna get tons of rats running around ... diseases will spread. Public services strikes should be prohibited.

I'm very surprised LA made it to that list.

Yeah, the whole concept of Southern California (it's population and it's agriculture) is unsustainable just on water issues alone.

What the heck is a sustainable city, anyways? I really dislike lists like this - it becomes some easy green washing promotional stuff that a chamber of commerce gets to play up in a completely meaningless way.

During my first visit to LA, I saw a person walking.

Many years later, I spent a week in San Diego, sunny December, 60 degrees, older central neighborhoods. On Saturday, I walked 45 minutes, and did not pass another person on a sidewalk, but for those walking their dogs. Later, even in Hillside, an older, urban boutique filled area, the lovely streets were empty of two legged traffic.

The most walking. bicycling freindly climate on earth... what a waste.

"Infamous for its smog and clogged freeways, L.A. is making admirable efforts to switch to renewable energy and conserve its water supply."

Really? LA is considered sustainable because of admirable efforts? I think they should wait until something comes of those efforts before adding them to the list.

Wow. Chicago should NOT be on this list. The blue bag
program blew, and I still don't have a blue bin in my alley.
How, exactly, are we so sustainable?

(yes, I read what the article said and green roofs and LEED certified buildings does not a sustainable city make.)

I'm really surprised Chicago is on here. I love this city but we JUST got the okay to have city-wide recyling.
I guess it's more eco-friendly than NY, where the garbage piles up on the sidewalks rather than alleys, but really. A big city like this absolutely needs big time attempts at being nicer to the planet.

Amen, sparkle.

Chicago is (theoretically) very bike friendly, and gives tax credits for environmental improvements.

Given the amount of traffic in the city these days, though, I'm not sure any of that matters.

I'm from Columbus but I now live in NYC...I'm glad to see that both made the list!

Go, Austin! Go, NYC!

Vacation timing suggestions: Austin: October - May. NYC: April - May, September - December.

Why? Hottest summer on record in Austin. A zillion post 100 degree days in a row. June and September can be insufferable.

In NYC, it is frequently hot and humid in the summer -- which generally runs the traditional Memorial Day to Labor Day. Air conditioning is conspicuously lacking. The fall is lovely. After Christmas, it can be bitter cold, and March in NYC has cold, bitter, rainy weather.

Nani must have been in Lakeside. You should have walked along our beautiful coastline. San Diego is a mecca for triathlete, runners, surfers, sup, cyclists, "over the line players,” dog walkers, swimmers, golfers, ect……….. the only sport missing is snow skiing. We have the best weather in the World. The Olympic training center is in Otay Lakes.

Our public transportation is bad. We are not hot on recycling, as we should be. We also have water issues. Our city govt is another subject. I was a little surprised we were on list too. However, not for the same reason Nani was talking about.

Seattle, I laugh at your 9.5% sales tax.

Love,
Chicago's 10.25% sales tax

I knew there was a reason I didn't live in Chicago... :)

Hmmm. If these are the most sustainable cities, we REALLY aren't doing enough.

I was in Windsor, ON this past w/e and they too are having a municipal strike. There was not garbage collection or lawn mowing nor were they handing out parking tickets. :-)

I had to wipe the coffee off my screen after seeing LA on that list. And Sacramento? That's like flying to Nor Cal to watch paint dry. As for my beloved home San Diego? Do vacation here, just don't go thinking we're all sustainable or something. My dog has yet to go in the water at OB without contracting a tummy-menacing bacteria.

josie6, Chicago is (theoretically) a great biking town. I have fond memories of many a cruise down Lakeshore Drive on my theoretical bike. (As I recall, I was very fit at the time, theoretically.)

Actually, Chicago could be a great bike town, and isn't a terrible one. It's flat, there are lots of great neighborhoods, there's the gorgeous lake for leisurely rides, and a good grid system that makes it possible to set up parallel bike corridors (facilitating longer commutes).

But yeah, I'm not really sure what's so sustainable about Chicago, or what Dallas and LA, among others, are doing on this list. It's great that Dallas is expanding public transportation, but DART ridership is still less than Pittsburgh's (a metro area 1/3 the size), let alone Portland's (also 1/3 of Dallas, with 50% more ridership). But hey, now that Big D has outlawed extended truck idling on ozone alert days, a sustainable rodeo utopia can't be far behind.

Chicago has been a city since 1837 and has only gotten better over time. Isn't that sustainable?

I know we're not as big as these other cities, but I think we should have been on the list.

- a gal from Charlottesville, VA

Sacramento? Give me a break!

LA would be much better if apartment managers were forced to provide multi-family buildings with recycle bins. i begged for one to no avail. i offered to maintain it, get it etc. and it's free! so after that fight, we're moving and the new place has THREE bins. i made sure our manager knew why we're leaving but i'd love to tell the building owner. any idea how to find out who owns a building? :)

yay seattle!

hhaha at jwy.

in terms of biking, of course, Chicago is a great town for that. And more and more people are opting not to drive here so in that respect it's great.

Columbus? Absolutely unexpected.

It is getting better, but the suburbs and strip malls of this town sprawl nearly to cleveland. There are very few neighborhoods I would consider walkable or even bike friendly.

I love it here, though.