According to a recent article by The Houston Business Journal, Texas is the number one in sustainability: 

Here's another reason why Houston and Texas are the best.

The Lone Star State was the No. 1 state for sustainability in 2016, according to Site Selection magazine, and Houston ranked No. 7 among metro areas nationwide.

The index looks at where socially responsible companies are based or growing and incorporates factors such as cleantech and green industry activity, energy awareness, the built environment, redevelopment of polluted sites, policy, and human well-being and quality of life.

Boston took the top spot among metros, with the Dallas area coming in at No. 2.

Site Selection praised Toyota's new North American headquarters in Plano, Texas, for having a solar power installation, and highlighted the other renewable energy efforts underway in the state. Also, Site Selection found Texas ranked high in LEED certification and LEED certification per capita.

The magazine found Dallas and Houston were doing well in terms of walkability by taking steps toward a more walkable future. Experts say that's important because there’s a high correlation between walkability and high GDP per capita, Site Selection reports.

“A lot of people hold out Dallas and Houston as examples of how the country should go,” Chris Leinberger, president of Locus: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors and a professor in real estate and urban analysis at George Washington University School of Business, said in the article. “Dallas and Houston are moving aggressively toward a walkable urban future. And since they’re Texans, they’re doing it in a big way."