How do the 25 largest American cities rank for wastefulness?

Wastefulness rankings

According to a study commissioned by Nalgene, of the 3,750 people surveyed from the 25 largest American cities, San Francisco predictably ranks as the least wasteful.

Participants were asked about a range of 23 behaviors from public transportation to shopping habits to saving leftovers and sustainability efforts. More weight was given to the actions with bigger impacts over common behaviors such as recycling wrapping paper.

Findings indicate the convenience is still the largest driving factor as to whether or not people are wasteful which is why city policies and programs play a critical role in behavior. With a growing consumer sentiment toward environmentalism, cities like Dallas are taking note as they moved from 24th place in 2009 to 14th place in 2010 while Phoenix improved from 20th to 12th. It’s not all good news, however – Denver dropped from 6th to 17th and Cleveland moved from 16th to Dallas’ former position as 24th.

Interest in green real estate is rapidly increasing and as more studies reveal city rankings for their wastefulness, residents could begin making choices of living environments just as they are beginning to do with their groceries- based on sustainability and eco-friendliness. Even Wal-Mart stores are going green and carrying legitimate organic foods, residential builders will begin feeling the pressure soon too.

The 25 largest cities ranked for wastefulness:

Detroit ranks first for turning off the lights while Washington D.C. ranks last. Nearly 50% of Seattle residents refuse to buy bottled water for environmental reasons while residents in Miami rank the worst for buying bottled water.

Where does your city rank? Why would a city like Dallas jump so high and cities like Denver drop so low in just one year? What is your attitude towards wastefulness and what are you doing to help your local environment?

1. San Francisco, CA
2. Seattle, WA
3. New York, NY
4. Portland, OR
5. Boston, MA
6. Philadelphia, PA
7. Minneapolis, MN
8. Los Angeles, CA
9. Washington, DC
10. Pittsburgh, PA
11. Sacramento, CA
12. Phoenix, AZ
13. Chicago, IL
14. Dallas, TX
15. Orlando, FL
16. Baltimore, MD
17. Denver, CO
18. Detroit, MI
19. St. Louis, MO
20. Miami, FL
21. Indianapolis, IN
22. Tampa, FL
23. Atlanta, GA
24. Cleveland, OH
25. Houston, TX

CC Licensed image courtesy of kingdesmond via Flickr.com.