The "Salad Bowl" of the world is being recognized for the second year in a row as one the greenest places in the country.

Country Home Magazine recently named Salinas, Santa Cruz and Watsonville among their top rated Best Green Places in America for 2008. Santa Cruz and Watsonville ranked in the top 10, coming in 7th in the survey, and Salinas ranked 21st, out of 379 cities considered. "All across the country, people are looking for ways to live greener," said LuAnn Brandsen, the magazine’s editor, in a statement.

Other Central Coast cities that made the list included Santa Rosa/Petaluma which captured the number 4 spot; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria checked in at number 10; and the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles area rounded out the top 20.

Around the world, people are looking for ways to shrink their proverbial footprint. And along with that comes a push to reduce, reuse and recycle. The magazine took its 2nd annual look at energy policies, green power, the number of green buildings and the availability of fresh locally-grown food.

Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue was quoted in the local Salinas newspaper, The Californian , saying, "Who should be more green than the salad bowl of the world?" and commented that the city will be seeking community input to develop additional ways to enhance environmental practices.

Monterey County also has a number of local builders and developers who are focused on green building and sustainable living, including Clint Eastwood’s private community , Tehama, located in Carmel. Luxury home builder Saxton Palma Construction, Inc. is one of several local green builders who focus on supporting sustainable design and construction.

If you are looking for a place to call home where green is becoming a way of life, check out the local real estate listings in Homes Magazine for these communities  — maybe they should be at the top of your list too.

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