A new report from WalletHub has ranked the most eco-friendly states in the U.S. for green-minded travelers. The outlet reports that last year, the U.S. experienced 27 weather and climate disasters that inflicted $1 billion or more in damage to the communities they occurred in. The total damages from all events amounted to $182.7 billion. “While some disasters are unavoidable, others are exacerbated by humans,” they write.
WalletHub compared all 50 states based on 28 key metrics including air, water and soil quality, energy efficiency, gasoline consumption, green transportation, organic farms per capita and more.
Ranking number one as the greenest state in the U.S. is Vermont ,namely for its organic-farm acreage per capita. The presence of organic farms has been steadily increasing in some states where residents are focused on ethical farming that supports the health and longevity of the land by eliminating the use of pesticides, petroleum-based fertilizers, herbicides, and growth hormones.
Vermont also has the lowest carbon dioxide emissions and the third-lowest methane emissions per capita. The state prioritizes the use of clean vehicles, with the highest number of alternative fuel stations per capita.
Hawaii ranked second, boasting the second-least air pollution and the eighth-lowest overall energy per capita, and the second-lowest gasoline consumption. Hawaii also offers a robust public transportation system which reduces gas consumption, and the state ranks the highest in recycling participation.
California took third place leading the nation in energy efficiency and low overall energy and gasoline consumption. Close to 33% of California’s population uses green transportation including public transport, carpools, biking ,and walking.
New York and Washington took fourth and fifth place, and other states in the top ten greenest states were Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Colorado.
How eco-friendly is your state? Click here to read the complete report.
