Georgia is 22nd Greenest State in the Country

With Earth Day on Friday, April 22, communities are coming together to clean up their cities and towns. But what about the rest of the year? In a report just released by WalletHub, the personal finance website reminds us that billions of taxpayer dollars are devoted to environmental-protection efforts and energy costs eating a significant portion of the average household’s income.

WalletHub on Tuesday released its report on 2016’s Greenest States, with Georgia ranking the 22nd greenest state in the country.

In order to "showcase the states doing right by Mother Earth and calling out those seemingly intent on spoiling things for future generations," WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states in terms of 17 key metrics that speak to the health of the current environment as well as the environmental impact of people’s daily habits.

The data set, explains WalletHub, ranges from “Total Municipal Solid Waste per Capita” to “Energy Efficiency Score” to “Carbon Dioxide Emissions per Capita.”

In celebration of Earth Day, Colony Square’s Plaza is inviting guests to channel their creativity and help local artists create whimsical chalk art. Starting at 7 a.m., two local artists, Meg Mitchell and Amanda Emmo, will use chalk to draw Mother Earth with fantastical plants and animals. At 11 a.m., the artists will invite the community to join in the coloring and help finish the masterpiece.

For the full report, visit here.