Forbes ‘Greenest States’ list ranks R.I. among Top 10

Little Rhode Island placed big in Forbes.com’s first ranking of America’s Greenest States.
The Ocean State ranked eighth overall in the recent report, which evaluated the 50 U.S. states based on six environmental factors, including air and water quality, hazardous waste management, energy consumption, policy initiatives and carbon emissions per capita.
Rhode Island also has the lowest energy consumption per capita, according to the report, which used several sources of government data to reach its conclusions.
The findings, released Oct. 17, are being lauded by environmental watchdogs in the state, who nonetheless temper the good news with the opinion that Rhode Island needs to do more to protect its natural resources – and particularly in the fight to reduce the human causes of climate change.
“I certainly was encouraged by the good score, which I think reflects a lot of effort that’s been put in over the years,” said Cynthia Giles, Rhode Island director of the Conservation Law Foundation. “But one of the things that I think is not adequately addressed is the global warming problem.”
The Forbes.com report highlights Rhode Island’s mandate that utilities obtain 16 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020. Giles said she and other environmentalists believe the initiative, while commendable, needs to be fully implemented before it can be counted a success and that more needs to be done to reduce the state’s carbon emissions.
In fact, Rhode Island placed 36th out of 50 states in its per capita use of gasoline, according to a study done by the state in California that used the same data cited in the Forbes.com report, she said.
“Although our overall score is really good, it’s amazing we drive as many miles as we do, given our compact size,” Giles said. “That is definitely an area where Rhode Island needs to make progress.”
On Nov. 4, the CLF and other environmental groups held a rally at Roger Williams Park Zoo to launch their “GO BIG Little Rhody” campaign to slash global warming pollution in the state by 80 percent by 2050. U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline and other elected officials attended the event.
“We need to start right now doing all the reductions we can, and I think Rhode Island, which is well positioned at this point, can be a leader, with all the environmental and economic advantages that would give us,” Giles said.
Vermont, Oregon and Washington topped Forbes.com’s list of the nation’s most environmentally friendly states. All have low carbon dioxide emissions per capita and strong policies to promote energy efficiency and high air quality, and are among the states with the most buildings per capita that are LEED-certified, according to the report.
West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Indiana were tagged as the country’s least green states. All struggle with high levels of toxic waste and pollution and high energy consumption, and none has clear plans to do anything about it, the report said.
Rhode Island was among several Northeast states that cracked the top 10, along with New Jersey, Maryland and Connecticut – all of which finished ahead of California, despite the Golden State’s reputation for routinely setting the nation’s bar on environmental policy.
The congested East Coast is a lot more environmentally friendly than many believe, in part because its residents don’t have to drive as far as their counterparts in the wide-open West, according to the report. •

No posts to display