Given the Emerald City’s reputation for progressive environmental politics, it may come as no surprise to many people that Seattle was recently ranked seventh greenest city US in a recent report by WalletHub, a personal finance website. Seattle has been generally ahead of the curve, after all, when it comes to embracing environmental policies, such as banning plastic bags or embracing municipal composting of food waste. The importance of environmental sustainability is also a frequent refrain in both local political rhetoric and private sector marketing.
But is Seattle really as green as a top ten national ranking suggests? A closer inspection of the WalletHub report, and what its data reveals about Seattle, shows it all depends on what one considers “green” to be.
