WalletHub Press Release
With billions of taxpayer dollars being devoted to environmental protection efforts and energy costs eating a significant portion of the average household’s take-home, the personal finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2015’s Most & Least Eco-Friendly States – showcasing the areas doing right by Mother Earth and calling out those seemingly intent on spoiling things for future generations.
WalletHub did so by comparing each state in terms of 14 key metrics that speak to the health of the current environment as well as the environmental impact of people’s daily habits. A few highlights are below.
| Most Eco-Friendly States | Least Eco-Friendly States | ||||
| 1 | Vermont | 41 | Wyoming | ||
| 2 | Oregon | 42 | Oklahoma | ||
| 3 | New York | 43 | Delaware | ||
| 4 | Minnesota | 44 | Arkansas | ||
| 5 | Massachusetts | 45 | West Virginia | ||
| 6 | Washington | 46 | Alabama | ||
| 7 | New Hampshire | 47 | Indiana | ||
| 8 | Rhode Island | 48 | Kentucky | ||
| 9 | Connecticut | 49 | Texas | ||
| 10 | Hawaii | 50 | Louisiana | ||
Key Stats
- Blue States are more eco-friendly than Red States, with average rankings of 15.9 and 35.9, respectively (1 = Best).
- Hawaii has three-times as much municipal solid waste per capita than Missouri.
- Maine recycles 48-times more of its municipal solid waste than Louisiana.
- New York’s per capita carbon footprint is 14-times higher than Wyoming’s.
- The percentage of energy consumption from renewable sources is 20-times higher in Oregon than in Delaware.
- New Mexico has 7-times as many alternative fueled vehicles on the road per capita than West Virginia.
- The percentage of people who do not drive themselves to work is three-times higher in New York than in Alabama.
For the full report and to see where your metro area ranks, please visit:
http://wallethub.com/edu/most-least-eco-friendly-states/11987/
