is a voluntary program that supports the organizational procurement of green power by offering expert advice, technical support, tools and resources. The EPA defines 'green power' as a subset of
and "represents those renewable energy resources and technologies that provide the highest environmental benefit", with electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric sources listed as types of green power.
(EPA) as "towns, villages, cities, counties, or tribal governments in which the local government, businesses, and residents collectively buy
in amounts that meet or exceed EPA's Green Power Community purchase requirements." The EPA updates its Green Power Communities rankings on a quarterly basis with the most recent results of the top 15 communities from December 1, 2010 as follows:
| Rank |
Community |
Annual green
power usage (kWh) |
Green power as %
of total elec. usage |
| 1 |
Portland, ORPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
|
675,638,189 |
8.9% |
| 2 |
Santa Clara, CASanta Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
|
163,113,900 |
5.8% |
| 3 |
Gresham, OR - Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 90,205 people, 33,327 households, and 22,695 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,071.6 people per square mile . There were 35,309 housing units at an average density of 1,593.8 per square mile...
|
125,843,124 |
11.5% |
| 4 |
Bellingham, WABellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
|
113,393,764 |
16.0% |
| 5 |
Corvallis, OR Corvallis is a city located in central western Oregon, United States. It is the county seat of Benton County and the principal city of the Corvallis, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Benton County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 54,462....
|
100,297,648 |
14.7% |
| 6 |
Beaverton, ORBeaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
|
71,092,950 |
4.8% |
| 7 |
Salem, ORSalem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
|
63,769,464 |
4.0% |
| 8 |
Palo Alto, CA Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
|
56,950,971 |
5.7% |
| 9 |
Bend, ORBend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States, and the principal city of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, and, despite its modest size, is the de facto metropolis of the region, owing to the low population...
|
47,641,135 |
6.2% |
| 10 |
Hillsboro, ORHillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
|
43,976,490 |
2.3% |
| 11 |
Lake Oswego, ORLake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
|
34,915,000 |
8.8% |
| 12 |
Park City, UTPark City is a town in Summit and Wasatch counties in the U.S. state of Utah. It is considered to be part of the Wasatch Back. The city is southeast of downtown Salt Lake City and from Salt Lake City's east edge of Sugar House along Interstate 80. The population was 7,558 at the 2010 census...
|
24,454,897 |
7.2% |
| 13 |
River Falls, WI River Falls is a city in Pierce and St. Croix counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 15,000 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest city in the Twin Cities Wisconsin suburbs, which is the eighth largest metropolitan area in the state...
|
16,538,057 |
14.8% |
| 14 |
Lacey, WA Lacey is a city in Thurston County, Washington, United States. Established as a suburb of Olympia, its population was 42,393 at the 2010 census out of a county population of 252,264.-History:...
|
16,184,577 |
4.5% |
| 15 |
Durango, COThe City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...
|
12,758,000 |
11.0% |