Today, the word “green” can mean anything from the description of a product to the description of a lifestyle. However, many surveys exist claiming to have ranked the top greenest cities in America despite this term’s lack of definition. So, how can the top “greenest” cities be numerically ranked when the “green” concept is still so sweeping?

With so many lists claiming to have identified the “top” greenest cities in America, it is unclear which is “the” list. But each survey taken usually consists of different measures of greeness. As you might have noticed, there are various shades of green because each person places importance on different issues regarding our environment. These surveys are no different.

One poll may measure the amount of public transportation a city has and not necessarily the actual use of public transportation. So how different are the outcomes when disparate factors are used to measure a common idea? Below is a comparison of three “top” lists. Each has slightly different criteria and, in turn, slightly varying results.

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