Countries around the world have been increasingly creating new green cities – except for Canada and the United States. Now North America may finally be catching up with a solar city in Alberta and a renewable city in Florida.

South Korea, China, England and Abu Dhabi, just to name a few, all boast green cities that are constructed of recycled materials and produce renewable energy. The community attempts to live as sustainable as possible and be carbon neutral, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing. It sounds idyllic.

And it’s about time North America catches up. To give the United States credit, after the 2007 tornado in Greensburg, Kansas, the town bravely decided to rebuild everything to LEED-platinum qualifications. But there have been no new towns created and designated as green until now.

Destiny, Florida is a 41,300-acre green community being built one hour south of Orlando. In addition to providing homes in every price range, it claims to be the largest green-planned community in the country and will offer open space, a sustainable infrastructure and preservation of the natural environment. Its hundreds of miles of hiking trails and more than 200 miles of navigable waterways will serve as a vital component of the city’s transportation system, which could keep the residents as healthy as the town.

Destiny also plans to build an International Clean Technology Center that will serve as a hub for businesses and researchers focused on developing clean technologies, renewable energy sources and alternative fuels. The city will also have Florida’s first E-station – a refueling station that will include electric automobile charging stations, and a solar and geo-thermal-powered convenience store.

Further north, Drake Landing Solar Community in Alberta, Canada, is a planned neighborhood integrated into the Town of Okotoks. It powers all the homes with a smart solar energy system designed to store abundant solar energy underground during the summer months and distribute that energy to homes for heating needs during winter. This fulfills 90 percent of each home’s heating requirements and reduces each home’s greenhouse gas emissions by about five tons each year.

Green communities are the way of the future, be they neighborhoods, cities or regions. With the rest of the world in the lead, it’s time America shows it’s serious about integrating clean technology and renewable resources into people’s everyday lives instead of producing more energy-sucking neighborhoods with non-recycleable, non-lasting materials.