Green means GO for American cities and the momentum continues to build.

Extraordinary advances in sustainable living have taken hold of our cities and this Green City Spotlight shines on some of their glowing examples:

Albuquerque, New Mexico - Inspired by the nearby Earthship community living in, under, and off the land, Albuquerque has recently mandated that all new buildings must meet at least a minimum of Green requirements.

New York, New York - The city that never sleeps has apparently been up all night thinking of ways to make city life sustainable.  From 300 new hybrid taxis, Mayor Bloomberg’s progressive PLAN NYC, and city-wide eco-education programs, the Big Green Apple has plenty to offer it’s 8.2 million residents.

Grand Rapids, Michigan - Now one of the largest purchasers of clean energy, receives 20% of it’s electricity from locally operated renewable sources.

For more Green City Spotlights, click here.

Photo by OpenThreads.

The Greening of America is growing like wild and a massive surge of improvements are taking place in our cities.

Here are three cities which deserve special recognition in this week’s Green City Spotlight.

Richmond Virginia is easy to love as small businesses can obtain big loans to purchase Clean Air Act compliant equipment and agricultural structures that adhere to Green standards.

Seattle, Washington home of Microsoft, Starbucks, and the Webby Award winning environmental juggernaut, Grist.org. It’s become the publication of a generation when it comes to environmental information and commentary.  Make sure to visit them at g-r-i-s-t dot org.

And Goodland, Kansas home of Van Gogh’s super-sized “Sunflowers” is beautifying its reputation with a brand new ethanol plant, biomass electrical plant and a wind farm.

Photo by Daniel J. Ludwig.

How green is YOUR city?

As we swing from tree growing programs to recycled tire sidewalks, we’re noticing American cities Greening up! Air pollution, untreated wastewater, and outdated infrastructure are all maligning forces that will rot our cities from the core. Given the current technology and dedicated individuals in government, science, and in the community eager to see ecological solutions happen in their city, a massive surge of improvements are taking place, some of which we think should be recognized.

Chicago, Illinois: The windy city is also the leader in wind power innovations. University of Illinois professor and inventor, Bil Becker, has found a way to harness the downtown winds that bounce off buildings and pavements and convert them to electricity with turbines built into the buildings themselves!

St. Louis, Missouri: There’s MUCH more than meets the arch when it comes to collaborative programs like the St. Louis Gateway Initiative. This powerful force combines local citizens and state and local governments to identify environmental concerns, set priorities, and develop comprehensive solutions.

Dallas, Texas is living large and thinking Green as one of the first major US cities to pass comprehensive building standards for both residential and commercial construction aimed at reducing energy and water consumption in all new city structures.

Photo by Jimmy Six Bellies