When it comes to sustainability, almost every city in the country should be green with envy over Santa Barbara. In its second annual “Best Green Cities in America” report, Country Home magazine ranked it as the 10th greenest city in which to live.

“It is an honor to hear that Santa Barbara has been selected as one of the nation’s top green communities for our eco-friendly lifestyle,” Mayor Marty Blum said Monday.

Topping the green cities list were Corvallis, Ore.; Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, Ore.; Bellingham, Wash.; Santa Rosa-Petaluma; Boulder, Colo.; Eugene-Springfield, Ore.; Santa Cruz-Watsonville; Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.; and Bend, Ore.

More than 375 metropolitan cities were researched and analyzed.  Cities were evaluated in several categories, including energy-efficiency policies, green buildings, use and availability of alternative fuel, air and watershed quality, and the number of farmers’ markets and organic producers in the community.

Click here for more information about the city of Santa Barbara’s efforts to become more sustainable.

Nina Johnson is an assistant to Santa Barbara City Administrator Jim Armstrong.