Alabama One Of Least 'Green' States In U.S.

BIRMINGHAM, AL - With Earth Day around the corner, attention focuses to what people around the country are doing to help the environment. Unfortunately for Alabama, the state ranks among the bottom when it comes to "going green," ranking as the sixth lowest a recent study.

With many economies around the country still recovering from natural disasters - including hurricanes on the East Coast, wildfires on the West Coast and flooding in the Midwest - the personal-finance website WalletHub recently released its report on 2019’s Greenest States.

In order to rank the states, WalletHub compared each state in terms of 27 key metrics that speak to the current health of the environment and residents’ environmental-friendliness. The data set ranges from total municipal solid waste per capita to energy-efficiency score to carbon-dioxide emissions per capita.

Greenness of Alabama (1=Greenest, 25=Avg.):

• 40th – Air Quality
• 32nd – Soil Quality
• 35th – % of Recycled Municipal Solid Waste
• 46th – LEED-Certified Buildings per Capita
• 17th – % of Renewable Energy Consumption
• 39th – Energy Consumption per Capita
• 45th – Gasoline Consumption (in Gallons) per Capita

Vermont ranked as the greenest state, followed by New York, Oregon, Connecticut and Minnesota. The only states ranking lower than Alabama on the list were North Dakota, Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Louisiana, which was listed last in the country.