Leading the Way in Sustainability

Site Selection magazine is well known for its business climate rankings. It also features annual Sustainability Rankings that it says are based on statistical factors such as LEED-certified buildings, renewable energy use, brownfield funding, "green industry" facility projects and more.

Below are top 10 rankings for states, metro areas and foreign countries. Among individual measures for states, Massachusetts was No. 1 in energy efficiency, Washington for renewable energy generation and Pennsylvania for green industry projects per capita.

Top States

1. California

2. Oregon

3. Vermont

4. North Carolina

5. Arizona

6. New York

7. Minnesota

8. Washington

9. Texas

10. Pennsylvania

Top Foreign Countries

1. Canada

2. Germany

3. Brazil

4. Spain

5. China

6. United Kingdom

7. Italy

8. South Korea

9. Chile

10. Mexico

Top Metros (listing just the first city of metro area that typically encompasses three cities)

1. San Francisco

2. Washington, D.C.

3. New York

4. Chicago

5. Los Angeles

6. Phoenix

7. San Diego

8. Houston

9. San Jose

10. Boston