Hizzoner's Progress

15 green-leaning mayors 17

Climate change is a global problem—but as of yet, there’s no global solution. That’s why mayors across the U.S. are taking action, from building green to organizing bike rides, from redeveloping downtowns to cutting emissions. Here are just a few of the municipal leaders who have worked to take our collective future into their own hands.

Michael BloombergBloomberg unveils his grand Plan.PlanNYC 20301. Michael Bloomberg, New York City.
Pop.: 8.2 million
Call New York the accidental eco-city: cram millions of people onto an island, and you’ve got to figure out how to build up, not out. Throw a big park in the middle, and voila: you’ve got an anti-sprawl city that values open space. During his tenure, Bloomberg has made the most of that happy accident, creating an ambitious 127-point initiative called PlanNYC 2030 that encompasses everything from reclaiming waterfronts to repairing electrical grids to reducing traffic congestion. (OK, that last one hasn’t gone so well.) A year after unveiling the plan in 2007, the city had launched a full 93 percent of its components.

 

 

Sims and NickelsNickels at a climate rally with King County exec Ron Sims, since tapped to head HUD.Oran Viriyincy 2. Greg Nickels, Seattle.
Pop.: 594,000
In some ways, Greg Nickels became synonymous with the phrase “green mayor” after spearheading the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement in 2005. Since then, more than 900 of Nickels’ fellow mayors have come on board, Republican and Democrat alike, from all 50 states. No stranger to eco-ideas at home, Nickels—who has led the Emerald City since 2002—has also been instrumental in bringing light rail to the area, pushing to increase investments in open space, and launching an ongoing series of “clean and green” community-service events. He’s up for reelection this year, and one challenger says he hasn’t done enough on the environment. Only in Seattle.

 

Gavin NewsomNewsom uses a white hanky to demonstrate clean diesel emissions. Seriously!MTC3. Gavin Newsom, San Francisco.
Pop.: 765,000
Another mack daddy of sustainability, Newsom is almost too green to believe. Since he took office in 2004, the city has reduced government emissions to below 1990 levels, launched the nation’s largest solar incentive program, banned plastic bags, and introduced ambitious green building and green jobs programs. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, city leaders hope to increase wind power by the Bay, including underwater turbines at the Golden Gate Bridge. Speaking at a conference of green IT entrepreneurs this spring, Newsom—who also recently confirmed his 2010 gubernatorial ambitions—offered up his city as guinea pig: “If you have an idea, let me know. We are a laboratory for innovation.”

 

Ed MalloyMalloy in a glamorous mayoral moment.Will Merydith/flickr4. Ed Malloy, Fairfield, Iowa.
Pop.: 9,650
In November, the city fathers in this liberal southeastern Iowa outpost unanimously adopted a Green Strategic Plan. Their vote was more than ceremonial: they also secured a state-funded grant to hire a sustainability coordinator, inventory their greenhouse gases, and create educational materials for residents. The new plan envisions everything from conserving energy to supporting local farms. Malloy, who’s been mayor since 2001 and heads up a local oil company, says the environment-economy connection is clear. He hopes Fairfield’s ideas will catch on: “We want to create a model community, a virtual template that other small towns can adopt to create the same results.”

 

Richard DaleyWhat a difference a Daley makes.www.drugabuse.gov5. Richard Daley, Chicago.
Pop.: 2.8 million
Since announcing his intention to make Chicago the country’s greenest metropolis, Daley has made great strides. Green roofs cover or are planned for 3 million square feet, topping everything from City Hall to a McDonald’s. Redevelopment and landscaping have revitalized gathering places across the city, from prominent landmarks like Grant Park to neighborhood playgrounds. And the Windy City is committed to increasing its use of renewable energy (though a recent revelation showed things lagging in that area). Chicago is even bidding to host the 2016 Olympics—a bid that hinges on the event being the greenest Olympics in history.

 

Shirley FranklinFranklin, my dear, she does give a damn.City of Atlanta6. Shirley Franklin, Atlanta.
Pop.: 519,000
Often held up as the poster child for sprawl, Atlanta boasts more green than meets the eye—and Franklin is to thank for much of the recent progress. Mayor since 2002, she has attacked infrastructure and intangibles with the same gusto, from overhauling the city’s sewer systems to creating a Climate Action Plan. The city is building a public-transit BeltLine, is tops in LEED-certified buildings, and has implemented practices in City Hall that led to a 20 percent decrease in energy usage. A comprehensive private-sector group called Sustainable Atlanta is developing recommendations for further actions, and all eyes are on the future. “We are building a green, sustainable city,” Franklin says. “We do this for our children, and we do this because it is the right thing to do.”

 

Ralph BeckerPlanner, politico, father, grandfather.RalphBecker.com7. Ralph Becker, Salt Lake City.
Pop.: 179,000
Building on the groundbreaking work of predecessor (and official Grist crush) Rocky Anderson, Becker—who took office in 2008—has already made ripples in the eco-community. Upon taking the helm, Becker introduced his Blueprint for a Green City, in which he pledged to improve public transit, expand greenways, create neighborhood centers to promote walkability, and improve air and water quality. And the former urban planner isn’t just talking the talk; among other concrete steps, the city is piloting hybrid police cars and has undertaken an overhaul of its city code to make sustainability easier for all residents to achieve.

 

Jerramiah HealyDon’t mess with Jerramiah.Byron Smith/Jersey Journal8. Jerramiah Healy, Jersey City.
Pop.: 242,000
He’s a rough and tumble guy running a historically rough and tumble city. But that just goes to show that green can be pursued anywhere, by anyone. Healy was recently given a Green Leadership Award by the state U.S. Green Building Council chapter. During his five-year tenure, he has held polluters accountable, opposed a controversial reservoir development scheme, and redeveloped brownfields. Up for reelection this month, Healy recently introduced ordinances that would require city departments to pursue LEED certification and green purchasing, and is reportedly considering a ban on plastic bags.

 

Manny DiazManny being Manny.City of Miami9. Manuel Diaz, Miami.
Pop.: 410,000
Though some critics have dubbed him “Concrete Manny” due to his love of development, Diaz is paving the way for sustainability in Miami. An early signatory to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, he created Miami’s first sustainability department and a community-wide Green Commission. He has pushed green building, led an energy-retrofit of City Hall that included solar-panel installation, and is converting the city’s fleet to more efficient vehicles. Late last year Diaz launched Bike Miami Days, and this spring the city hosted a week of events leading up to Earth Hour. “We’re on the front line of global climate change here,” Diaz told Newsweek in 2007. “The water level doesn’t have to rise too much for us to be riding around Miami in canoes.”

 

Elaine WalkerWalker? I’d rather bike.Robert the Noid/flickr10. Elaine Walker, Bowling Green, Ky.
Pop.: 53,000
This TV producer-turned-politician has her hands full, from increasing affordable housing to contending with the crash of Big Auto, but green is on her radar screen. Transportation issues loom large in this western Kentucky city, and Walker has worked with local bike-advocacy groups (even creating a Mayor’s Bike Ride) and launched a Rethinking Transportation Choices task force. A signatory to the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, she is a proponent of green building and downtown redevelopment. “There’s too much of a perception that going green is a little bit out there and idealistic,” she has said. “It’s not idealistic—it’s vital.”

 

David CicillineCicilline envisions a model future.Cicilline.com11. David Cicilline, Providence, R.I.
Pop.: 175,000
In late March, this native son signed an order requiring all new municipal buildings to be LEED-certified, saying such a move would help create jobs and boost the economy. It was the first step in a 30-point plan called Operation Opportunity that seeks to help this mid-sized New England city rise from the doldrums; other steps include doubling the recycling rate, creating a green jobs training corps, and finalizing site plans for wind turbines. Cicilline, at the wheel since 2003, has also named walkability and sustainable leadership among his goals for the city.

 

 

Phil GordonGet your Phil.Tom Story/ASU12. Phil Gordon, Phoenix.
Pop.: 1.6 million
The long-time Phoenician made a splash in March when he unveiled a 17-point sustainability plan for the desert megalopolis he’s run since 2004. During his tenure, Gordon has already overseen eco-upgrades ranging from LED traffic lights to LNG buses, as well as bringing light rail to the city. The new plan aims to make Phoenix the first carbon-neutral city in America, through green job training, building retrofits, and a massive investment in solar energy. It’s making Phoenix hot in a whole new way.

 

Coleman and RybakColeman (left) and Rybak do their thing.Lou Michaels13. Christopher Coleman, St. Paul.
Pop.: 274,000
14. R. T. Rybak, Minneapolis.
Pop.: 377,000
The Twin Cities are in the hands of two progressive mayors intent on doubling the metro region’s eco-efforts. Coleman and Rybak, elected in 2005 and 2001 respectively, have both made sustainability a priority—Minneapolis, for instance, doles out climate change grants to neighborhood organizations, while St. Paul created its own hybrid car-sharing program. Together, the two leaders have created an annual sustainability report and a green manufacturing initiative, and they’re bringing bike-sharing to town. It’s all part of an effort, they say, to make theirs the most livable cities in the country.

 

Greensburg groundbreakingDixson, far left, leads the groundbreaking of Greensburg’s first eco-home.Greensburg GreenTown15. Bob Dixson, Greensburg, Kansas.
Pop.: 850
Talk about inheriting someone else’s problem: Bob Dixson became mayor of Greensburg in 2008, exactly a year after it was devastated by a tornado. But Greensburg has rallied, and the former postmaster is now overseeing the town’s much publicized green rebuilding effort (which has also been documented for TV). Learning as he goes, Dixson has become an eco-evangelist of sorts, traveling the nation to talk up renewable energy, green building, community spirit, and the common sense behind green. “In rural America,” he told Smithsonian magazine earlier this year, “we were always taught that if you take care of the land, the land will care of you.”

 

 

 

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  1. scenviro Posted 3:09 pm
    01 May 2009

    How was Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter left off this list?  Not only is Philadelphia one of the most sustainable cities in the country (http://www.sustainlane.com/us-city-rankings/overall-rankings), he just released an aggressive action plan to tackle the new 5 E's for sustainability: Energy, Environment, Equality, Economy, Engagement.Check out Mayor Nutter's plan at http://www.greenworksphila.org/

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  2. Tasermons Partner Posted 4:58 pm
    02 May 2009

    Also think Houston Mayor Bill White is worthy.  Tried to fight air polluters in court, improved new urbanism developments in the inner city, oversaw light rail expansion, expanded recycling programs, added energy efficient traffic lights, added solar panels, built new parks (includin' Discovery Green), and had the city insulate older, lower income housing.

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  3. oracle2world Posted 9:29 pm
    02 May 2009

    Nice article.  Actually I was hoping NYC would can their World Trade Center replacement project.  Turn it into green space.As the saying goes, mechanical engineers build weapons and civil engineers build targets.  The WTC had been a real estate white elephant since the get-go, and there is just no compelling need for a replacement nowadays.  Turn it into green space, and make NYC a bit more livable.  Central Park is always held up as just the greatest thing since sliced bread.  So another park should be just as significant and valued by New Yorkers.If Mayor Bloomberg could pull this off, I would credit him and NYC with REALLY being serious about green living and wouldn't care much about the 127 other items on his laundry list.  

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  4. Tyler Durden Posted 3:49 pm
    03 May 2009

    None of these guys are actually green mayors.  If they were, they'd start by removing all private motor vehicles from their city centers and eventually from the entire city.  This would do far more to help the planet than everything else they're doing put together.  Instead, these guys are business first mayors, and if they can do something for the environment while promoting business, fine.  If not, too bad for the environment.  As Bill Maher, hardly a radical environmentalist, put it, what we're going to end up with is business is good, but we're all dead.

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  5. dddougal Posted 4:21 pm
    03 May 2009

    Nice article, i feel better informed.

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  6. ids's avatar

    ids Posted 8:17 am
    04 May 2009

    If Mayor Daley is the 5th greenest leaning mayor in U.S., then we're (and future gen's) are fukced, thanks for the info gristwash. 

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  7. Fregla Posted 12:11 pm
    04 May 2009

    Well, I have to say I am surprised that Portland Oregon, Mayor Sam Adams wasn't on the list. I also was not impressed with those on the list. Maybe the title should be the the sometimes green or the new to being green (because it's popular now)list. Portland is always over looked. Even though we are going to be the first city in a long time to manufacture street cars for other cities, since we have had them forever and are putting in new lines even now.

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  8. ECOGRRL Posted 6:04 pm
    04 May 2009

    Yeah, Mayor Daley in the #5 slot is little too generous of a ranking for him. If I remember correctly he used his influence last summer to ram a plan through City Council to build a new childrens museum in the legally protected Grant Park. And this summer he is readying the bulldozers for the former Michael Reese Hospital campus, clearing it of 29 very stable, re-useable buildings. This all happening without any plan or re-use study done of the site. Several are fine examples of mid-century modern. For those two ill-guided policy moves alone, he should be knocked down to at least #11.

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  9. Raisin'Hell Posted 6:15 pm
    04 May 2009

    I met current Spokane mayor, Mary Verner, fifteen years ago when we were both fighting Newmont Mining's plan to import more radioactive waste to the Dawn Mining uranium processing plant on the Spokane Indian Reservation. We won that fight, although Newmont has still not finished cleaning up the messes made at the plant or the Midnight Mine.
    Now, Mary is Mayor, and Spokane is making its first real progress on environmental issues since Expo '74. The city has made huge strides in the past few years on becoming bike-friendly. A sustainability plan is being fought over now in the city council. The Spokane River is still being treated badly, but even there there's been progress with phosphate-containing dishwasher detergent having been banned. A movement called Envision Spokane is proposing charter amendments that would install a Community Bill of Rights which would include renewable energy and river protection.
    It's a long hard fight to beat back the rabid developers and real estate interests, and a mayor can't do it alone. City council races this fall will be extremely important. All three seats up for grabs are currently filled by folks on the pro-development side of the aisle to varying degrees. Picking up even one of these seats will flip the council to pro-environment, and there's no reason all three can't be won.

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  10. steve7138 Posted 11:16 am
    05 May 2009

    Jersey City's Healey is a POOR, seemingly unqualified Green choice for a public servant.Jersey City and most of urban New Jersey around NYC have terrific litter/trash removal problems.How can a mayor be ethically be called "Green" when he and city/state officials do not enforce/violate state laws and allow trash to pile up on public streets for years? Some of the worst such rubbish conditions anywhere in the United States, but recognized as Positive?Litter breeds vermin/dieseases and kills over 1,100 Americans annually in vehicle-related accidents (NHTSA stats) Go to Google and see my Powerpoint, "East Coast States with Bad, UGLY City/Urban Litter;"   "American State Litter Scorecard." 

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  11. steve7138 Posted 11:22 am
    05 May 2009

    For an East Coast City-Providence is Clean! Unlike Mayor Healey of Jersey City, Mr. Cicilline deserves kudos for his work and for the Ocean State. 

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  12. steve7138 Posted 11:38 am
    05 May 2009

    Houston's Mayor Bill White (and Mayor Phil Hardberger of San Antonio) are NOT worthy to be deemed Green mayors--in America, or Texas, for that matter.  Dallas and Austin are the two Texas cities with the most pronounced GREEN policies, but are sadly not recognized by GRIST. Houston and San Antonio have the lowest rates for total collected trash recycled for America largest cities (a terrible TWO and FOUR percent recycled total trash for Houston and San Antonio, respectively!) Also, Houston, on Mayor White's watch, received EPA's "Worst Urban Air Pollution" designation. Houston still notoriously lacks a citywide ordinance that protects both land use and the environment. Houston, is absolutely a POOR CHOICE for a large populated US city caling itself GREEN--its at the bottom, not top, of urban environmental performances.

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  13. lukasherbert Posted 10:21 am
    07 May 2009

    If you have NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg at the top of your list as an "environmental" mayor, then you've obviously had the wool pulled over your eyes  by a slick media campaign.  PlaNYC 2030 is nothing but a media PR campaign intended to distract people while Mayor Bloomberg pursues a developer-friendly agenda that has been destroying our local environment.  It is not a "comprehensive plan" in the uban planning sense. It is a decoy, it has no substance or policy behind it.If you want evidence look no futher than the new Yankee Stadium project, which Mayor Bloomberg championed. That project involved erasing over 20 acres of public parkland from one of the poorest communities in the nation, and replacing it with a stadium and parking. The neighborhood, which has sky-high asthma rates, lost over 300 mature trees, which can not realistically be replaced in the immediate area.  The neighborhood will get new replacement parks, but years later - and most of those parks will have artificial turf made from recycled tire waste, not real grass and trees like the community had before. At a community meeting I asked how Yankee Stadium would comply with PlaNYC 2030 to one of Mayor Bloomberg's staffers.  All I got was a "deer-in-the-headlights" look.  Of course it's not consistent with PlaNYC 2030.  But then again, what is PlaNYC 2030 anyway?  It's whatever Mayor Bloomberg says it is.  He can be "green" one day, and then violate those ideas the next day. That's the great thing when you are a billionaire media company owner who becomes an elected official.  You can use your strength with media manipulation to manipulate public perception.The truth is, Mayor Bloomberg has been a fanatic when it comes to replacing naturally vegetated areas with artificial turf, particularly in poor neighborhoods that are not deemed worthy of adequate parks maintenance budgets. He has championed privatization of park space in favor of wealthy residents who can pay for the space instead of keeping them open to all. He has incrased parking requirements throughout the city, necessitating more space for asphalt and less for open space. True, he supported congestion pricing, but think about it - everyone knew that idea was D.O.A. in our famously unprogressive State Legislature, including him. Maybe, just maybe, he just pushed it to beef up the illusion that he cares about the environment at a time he was thinking about a Presidential run?  Maybe, maybe not.  He's not going to fess up about it.The bottom line with Mayor Bloomberg is that if you live in a wealthy part of town, being wealthy himself, he'll really go the extra mile for you.  But if you live in those outer areas of the city, watch out - you might lose all of your green space to a developer. How is that progressive? How is that protecting the environment?  How is that environmental justice?  It's not - and you people at Grist have been duped. Check your facts next time!

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  14. Simmons Buntin, Terrain.org Posted 10:41 am
    07 May 2009

    I'm surprised not to see Denver mayor John Hickenlooper on this list.  I think his work in Denver, see http://www.terrain.org/columns/17/guest.htm, is pretty great and just as extensive and "green" as the good work of these other mayors.

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  15. Tonic42 Posted 11:05 am
    07 May 2009

    I wish we had a green mayor where we live. They all seem to be about personal gain and not even care about the evniroment. :( Learn how to make cheap renewable energy for your home or solar power for your remote cabin.

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  16. mikeyohare Posted 1:43 pm
    13 May 2009

    Good luck to the green mayors, in my experience a mayor can make all the difference to whether a city really does put its people, the environment and the economy first.  See these stories on Curitiba + Jaime Lerner and the Western Harbour Malmo for a little inspiration.

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