NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - What do you think of when you hear "the greenest city"? Where Nashville ranks among these cities may shock you.
WalletHub does a study each year ranking cities by how "Green" they are. This year, Nashville ranked 56 out of the 100 cities used in the study.
WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities in the U.S. to identify the greenest areas of the country. There are 4 key dimensions used in scoring the city's effect on the environment: transportation, energy sources, lifestyle, and policy.
Within each of the 4 key dimensions are 28 relevant metrics that hold a different weight. Each of those metrics was graded on a 100-point scale. Each city's weighted average across all metrics was used to calculate its overall score.
A few of the key metrics were greenhouse gas emissions per capita, percent of green space, percent of commuters who drive, bike score, and farmers markets per capita.
Nashville's lower score most likely comes from a combination of low scores in multiple relevant metrics categories. Nashville ranked 99, out of 100, for the worst city to bike in.
WalletHub says environmental sustainability is one of the biggest challenges of our time.