The Environmental Protection Agency recently named five cities that are the first to participate in the Greening America's Capitals program and receive free assistance from the government. This program will stress turning the capitals into models of sustainable design, and institute measures to modernize their facilities.

The state capitals chosen are Boston, Jefferson City, Mo., Hartford, Conn., Charleston, W. Va., and Little Rock, Ark. The program itself launched this summer and is listed under the Partnership for Sustainable Communities initiative. The EPA is working in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation.

A major stipulation of this project is that the EPA provides and funds design teams that will work with the state capitals. Examples of work include better stormwater management, reducing costs for infrastructure and energy, creating neighborhoods that provide social, economic, and environmental benefits, and more.

I'm glad to see this effort get off the ground, and hope it isn't too long before we start to see some real positive results. State capitals serve as examples already of city life and infrastructure, and if they can find ways to increase efficiencies and public health, all the better! We'll be following this as it continues and bring you more news as it trickles out. 

If anyone currently lives in these cities, what kinds of initiatives would you like to see put forth?