Lifestyle Sustainable Living

Exclusive: Here Are the Most Harmless Cities in the Country (Plus, What the Heck That Means)

Tehrene Firman
July 2, 2018
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Photo: Stocksy/Bonnin Studio
When it comes to picking a place to set down roots, it's important to consider a number of factors—like which places best support living an active lifestyle and which ones facilitate the highest stress levels. But what about the most harmless place to put down roots? Well, when it comes to the communities doing the most for its residents and the environment, there are definitely some standouts.

No entity knows how to rate the most harmless locations better than the aptly-named organic and fair-for-life certified coconut water company, Harmless Harvest. After developing a list of 10 key values that go hand in hand with bettering communities and residents' health—including urban farming, charitable donations, health insurance coverage, minimum wage, fair trade, recycling programs, organic food sales, fitness, air quality, and energy efficiency—and scoring cities based on information from related scientific studies, it's clear that some cities value harmless living above others.

According to the data, the US city that's making the biggest positive impact on its community is none other than Boston, which has not only been named the most energy-efficient city in the past, but is also considered one of the greenest. The New England hot spot wasn't the only one well-rounded in those key values, though; here's the whole top 10 (which includes a few ties):

  1. Boston, MA

  2. San Francisco, CA

  3. Seattle, WA

  4. Washington, DC

  5. San Jose, CA; Los Angeles, CA

  6. New York, NY

  7. Portland, OR; Eugene, OR

  8. Austin, TX

  9. Burlington, VT

  10. Santa Rosa, CA

"There’s a lot of great information out there about how different cities are doing their part in one way or another, but we wanted to paint a bigger picture of overall community consciousness,"  Jenna Stephenson, director of marketing and innovation at Harmless Harvest, says in a press release. "We loved discovering how different cities are making a far-reaching commitment to creating a more sustainable tomorrow for their residents, and were especially pleased to see how that commitment extends to cities all across the US."

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So if you want to pack up and move to a city that prioritizes healthy-living wins, like accessible health care and social responsibility, this list might be a good place to start.

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