Just in case you woke up today wondering where your town or burg shows up on a list of most sustainable cities, SustainLane’s got you covered. Once you hop over to their website, you’ll get the top fifty biggest cities in the nation ranked on “16 areas of urban sustainability, including an essential new measurement this year: Water Supply.”  So, what cities top the list?  I’ll give you a hint: they’re not in Texas.

1. Portland, Oregon. Ah, yes, the indie jewel of the Northwest. SustainLane tells us this about Portland, because I’ve never been there so can’t really do it myself:

City-planners in Portland have been thinking green since the 70s, when the rest of the country was still embracing the strip mall. The city enacted strict land-use policies, implementing an urban growth boundary, requiring density, and setting a strong precedent for sustainable development.

2. San Francisco, California. It’s surprising to me that San Francisco’s neighbor across the bay, Oakland, made the top ten (sliding in at number nine).   Growing up ten miles outside of Oakland and 25 miles outside San Francisco, I never really thought of Oakland to be “clean,” per se.   But I suppose that’s different from “sustainable.”  Anyway, back to San Francisco (please don’t call it San Fran).

In 2007 the city was first in the nation to ban plastic bags at major grocery stores, and in 2008 it implemented the largest solar incentive program in the country. After allowing city hall’s front lawn to be plowed into a summer-long vegetable garden installation, Mayor Newsom promised a first-ever city food policy that promotes urban gardens and calls for fruit-bearing trees on street medians.

3. Seattle, Washington. Another Western city rounds out the top three, at the same time proving that in places it rains a lot people don’t have anything better to do than go green.   Which I see to be a pretty good use of time.

In 2006, more than 90 percent of the city’s energy supply came from renewable sources. And by the time light rail plans are complete in 2016, Seattle ’s streets should be free from car congestion, trees and green buildings ubiquitous, and two-wheeled commuter sightings more common than an overcast day.

You can takepart to read the rest of the report to learn what other cities are doing to become more sustainable.   For the record, Chicago takes the number four spot, which probably stems from me living here now and totally recycling.   YOU’RE WELCOME.