by Rebecca Walker — May 19, 2010—Washington, Vermont and New York are the greenest states in the U.S. while Louisiana, West Virginia and North Dakota have the worst environmental performance, according to new rankings.
Greenopia, which has also ranked airlines, drinks, televisions and pet food, gathered data from the states themselves and from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, American Lung Association and U.S. Green Building Council.
States were evaluated based on their per capita greenhouse gas emissions, per capita energy and water consumption, air and water quality, recycling rate, renewable energy generation, number of LEED certified buildings, number of green businesses and how progressive their legislatures have been on adopting green measures.
The full rankings are:
- Washington
- Vermont
- New York
- Oregon
- California
- Nevada
- Maine
- Colorado
- Minnesota
- New Hampshire
- Massachusetts
- Maryland
- Arizona
- South Dakota
- Hawaii
- Florida
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
- Connecticut
- Georgia
- Virgina
- Rhode Island
- North Carolina
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Iowa
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
- Arkansas
- New Jersey
- Idaho
- South Carolina
- Nebraska
- Oklahoma
- Ohio
- Texas
- Utah
- New Mexico
- Kentucky
- Kansas
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Alaska
- Alabama
- Indiana
- Delaware
- Wyoming
- North Dakota
- West Virginia
- Louisiana
