photo: courthouselover
Hastings, Nebraska, at least according to Yahoo. The town has won Yahoo’s (YHOO) "Greenest City in America" challenge by getting its residents to accumulate the most points by asking environment-related question on Yahoo Answers, using "eco-friendly mobile search terms" on Yahoo’s mobile service, and taking a green pledge to do things like buying energy-efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs, adjusting their thermostat by two degrees and carpooling to work once a week. Yahoo offered the winning city the choice of a fleet of hybrid taxis or the cash equivalent of $250,000. Not much need for cabs in a town of 25,000, so Hastings opted for the green stuff, which represents a little under 1 percent of the city’s annual budget. The town will use the money to pay for various environmental initiatives.
The runner-ups in the Yahoo sweepstakes are:
- Pelzer, South Carolina
- San Carlos, California
- Mill Valley, California
- Topeka, Kansas
- Dover, Delaware
- Spring, Texas
- Lawrence, Kansas
- Walnut Creek, California
- Fairfax, Virginia
Green Wombat 
I’m amazed at how much attention this contest has gotten. Wasn’t it really just a contest to see who could use Yahoo the most?
Its not difficult to see Yahoo! found no other option than to have CEO Terry Semel sacked from his top job after this ridiculous use of share holders funds.