Portland, Oregon is argueably one of America’s most sustainable cities and this is not an accident of fate.

Back in the early nineties, local government developed the Sustainable City Principles to help control urban sprawl and protect the local environment. In 1993, Portland became the first U.S. city to adopt a plan to cut CO2 emissions and since then per capita emissions have fallen. Cutting CO2 has been achievable due in part to well-planned public transport- extensive light rail, bike lanes and buses- and a dense, walkable city.

In this video, Portland residents explain why they don’t need a car to live here.