Paul McRandle, a research editor at The Green Guide, said Oakland was chosen from about 25 cities in the United States.

"Oakland came out well on a number of issues, including clean air and clean water," he said.

Oakland also stood out, McRandle said, because of its innovative energy initiatives and public transportation system.

"Not only is BART available, but 23 percent of Oakland residents commute by bike or public transportation. That definitely cuts greenhouse gas emissions," he said.Oakland also allows solar production facilities to waive design review requirements for installation, which has sped up solar energy generation use by the city.

Councilmember Nancy Nadel (West Oakland-Downtown), who is running her campaign for mayor with environmental issues in mind, said the city is moving forward on other green initiatives.

For example, the city is trying to prevent new wood burning stoves from being installed in homes to rein in air pollution.

"We're also working on controlling truck traffic from the port, which is another source of air pollution," she said.

"I think we are taking great strides and there's always more that we can do, " she added. "I think the electorate expects that."

Oakland was chosen as a green city over Berkeley because The Green Guide wanted to include only large cities in their list.

Other cities include Austin, Texas, which strives to be the number one solar manufacturing city in the country and Boulder, Colo., which is surrounded by 46 square miles of public parkland and designated open space.

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