Top 10 Green Ideas

#8. Congestion Pricing

Whether it's water, energy or Hannah Montana tickets, the best way to encourage efficient use of a commodity is by putting the right price on it. Ditto for driving. Cities around the world — including London and Singapore — have adopted congestion pricing, which seeks to reduce car use by charging drivers to use the most heavily trafficked inner urban streets. Car-loving America has avoided the policy, until this year, when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that he would bring congestion pricing to the most gridlocked area in America: Manhattan. Bloomberg's plan, part of a long-term sustainability blueprint for the city called PlaNYC, would charge cars $6 to enter the busiest parts of Manhattan between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. on a weekday. If he pulls it off, congestion pricing could help cut carbon dioxide levels and New York's sky-high asthma rates — and perhaps more importantly, show other American cities the way to go.

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