By Brian Wingfield and Miriam Marcus

updated 5:58 p.m. ET Oct. 22, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. - When you think "green," you think New Jersey, right? OK, maybe not. But perhaps you should.

The Garden State ranked seventh in our first-ever list of America's Greenest States, a surprise winner amid places synonymous with environmentalism like Vermont, Oregon and Washington. More startling: The congested East Coast is a lot more environmentally friendly than you thought.

Sure the Western U.S., with its big skies and open spaces feels green — but when you look at broader measurements of humans' impact on the environment, including consumption patterns, air and water quality, and waste, as well as policy, they don't fare as well.

Despite the acreage and lack of people, as well as mountains of regulation in California, Westerners drive further and use more resources than their cramped Eastern cousins. Still, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada all finished in the top 20.

On top: Vermont, Oregon and Washington. All have low carbon dioxide emissions per capita (or "carbon footprints"), strong policies to promote energy efficiency and high air quality, as indicated by their major metro areas that are low in smog and ozone pollution. They're also among the states with the most buildings (on a per capita basis) that have received the U.S. Green Building Council's benchmark certification, known as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

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A clutch of Eastern states round out the top 10. New Jersey makes the cut not because it excels in one particular area — though it has implemented strong policies to promote energy efficiency — but because it gets relatively high marks in just about every category. In only five states did people travel fewer miles in their vehicles than they did in New Jersey in 2005, the most recent year for which government data is available. That same year, 42 states exceeded their Clean Water Act permit limits by levels greater than New Jersey did, according to the watchdog group U.S. PIRG. And 33 states managed more toxic waste per capita than New Jersey. In other words, don't let the poor air quality in Newark fool you.

Another example: Maryland. Only 10 states have a lower carbon footprint per capita than Maryland, and the state has a relatively low instance of water facilities exceeding their Clean Water Act permits, according to PIRG. In addition, Maryland ranks 40th in total energy consumption nationwide, and it managed less toxic waste per capita than all but six states in 2005. And earlier this year it joined a group of Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to cap greenhouse gas emissions and trade emissions credits.

Then there's tiny Rhode Island. The state has mandated that utilities obtain 16 percent of their power from renewable fuel sources by 2020. It has the lowest energy consumption per capita of any state in the country, and only two states have lower carbon footprints than Rhode Island, government data show.

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