Reader's Digest Ranks San Francisco Among America's Cleanest Cities
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Reader's Digest Ranks San Francisco Among America's Cleanest Cities
(June 21, 2005)
San Francisco – According to Reader's Digest, San Francisco was named as the nation's fifth cleanest city, among a list of 50 large metropolitan areas to be featured in the July edition of Reader's Digest.
"San Francisco is truly a city on the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to environmental sustainability," said Mayor Gavin Newsom. "San Franciscans take pride in promoting clean and renewable energy sources," Newsom continued, "they recognize that environmentally conscious actions are instrumental in maintaining the physical beauty and economic wellbeing of the City."
In its rankings, the Reader's Digest poll took into consideration the air quality, drinking-water pollution level, amount of toxic emissions, hazardous waste and sanitation of each city. San Francisco scored a perfect 50 for its drinking water, and also ranked high for its air quality.
The other cities that ranked in the top five include: Portland, San Jose, Buffalo and Columbus. Chicago and New York rounded out the bottom of the top-50 list, earning the lowest scores in all categories evaluated.
Though San Francisco fared well in the poll, the mayor recognized the need to push for more environmentally sound practices. "Our city will continue to find ways to protect our air quality and public health by increasing the use of solar, hydro, wind and other clean energy sources," said Mayor Newsom.
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Contact:
Mayor's Office of Communication
415-554-6131
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Department of the Environment
City and County of San Francisco
11 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Telephone: (415) 355-3700 | Fax: (415) 554-6393
Email: environment@sfgov.org | www.sfenvironment.com
Energy
A dynamic city like San Francisco requires the efficient use of clean, renewable energy to meet the needs of today and future generations. Our innovative policies and programs help San Franciscans use energy wisely, while saving money and reducing environmental impacts.
Transportation
SF Environment aims to reduce travel-created carbon by getting people out of cars and instead traveling by walking, biking or public transit. We also are greening the City fleet of vehicles and encourage the public to reduce their impact by supporting cleaner fuels and vehicles.
Zero Waste
Imagine a world in which nothing goes to landfills or to incinerators. We think it is achievable, and SF Environment is doing everything we can to make it happen.
Toxics & Health
As the first city to adopt the Precautionary Principle, San Francisco strives to protect the health of its residents, visitors and the local environment. SF Environment develops programs and policies to help individuals and businesses make safer choices in products, practices and services.
Buildings & Environments
San Francisco is habitat for 800,000 people – meeting needs for space to work, play, and learn; for food, water, and air; for community with local flora and fauna. SF Environment provides support for urban agriculture and forestry and green buildings, helping residents and businesses harness environmental opportunities.
Education & Equity
SF Environment focuses on building community capacity - engaging people throughout the City’s neighborhoods and providing them with the tools, education, and job opportunities to ensure that the places where we live, play, learn, and work are safe and healthy.
Climate Change
Reducing carbon emissions is central to ensuring a sustainable future for San Francisco. Climate change will bring unstable weather, rising sea levels and damage to our city’s natural habitat and infrastructure. SF Environment is committed to mobilizing the City to deal with Climate Change.






