The city boasts a high recycling rate and strict green building standards.

ECONOMIST: Gavin Newsom wants to run California. Seriously

It earned the label by meeting standards developed by the Indian Green Building Council, the local chapter of U.S. Green Building Council, which created LEED standards. (Here I must give a shout-out to my hometown San Francisco International Airport, whose Terminal 2 also won gold certification, soon after Delhi did.) Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad also won a LEED-Silver rating.

FORBES: India's Airport Boom Embraces Green Building

Many jurisdictions have mandated minimum green standards and incorporating those standards should not cost a building owner anything if their design and construction teams understand what is required.

FORBES: The Towering Heights of Green Building

It's a really aggressive green-building program where the bigger your house is, the tougher the standards are.

NPR: Boulder Wrestles with Mega Houses