New York, N.Y. — To help travelers determine which destinations offer more eco-friendly options, RewardExpert – a free service that helps travelers fly for cheap by maximizing miles and points – today released its ranking of the Greenest Cities to Visit in 2017. The report compared 53 of the largest U.S. cities and evaluated them based on twenty key metrics divided among five categories: ecotourism, transportation, lifestyle & policy, environment and energy. The findings show that San Francisco performed notably well in a number of key categories.
“Big cities are often synonymous with litter and congestion. For the eco-conscious traveler, metropoles are not top-of-mind when picking a green destination,” says Roman Shteyn, RewardExpert CEO. “This report reveals that some of America’s biggest cities make it easier for travelers to make more sustainable choices while visiting a new city.”
Key findings from the Greenest Cities to Visit in 2017 report are:
- San Francisco, California comes in first overall, and is tops for green hotels and farmers’ markets. San Francisco ranked number one for both ecotourism and transportation, and second for lifestyle & policy. Additionally, San Francisco has the most hotels certified as green by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) per capita
- Washington, D.C. comes in third overall, but is number one for bike share programs. Washington, D.C. is the frontline for change as the capital of the United States. D.C. ranks first for both the number of available green jobs and the country’s best bike share program.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota closes out the top five. Minneapolis is the most bike-friendly city in the U.S and comes in fifth on our list of green cities. About 14.0% of residents use public transportation to commute, which ranks Minneapolis in third place of all the cities we analyzed.
“Making green choices goes beyond what we do within the confines of our hometown,” shares Shteyn. “From picking a hotel with sustainable practices to eating local foods to navigating a city by bike, we encourage travelers to make mindful decisions while exploring a new destination.”
The full report is available .
The full report is available .
