Behind the methodology

Key themes

• Vehicle miles traveled — the largest contributor to a city’s emission levels — bounced back since taking a dip in 2020.
• Biking sustained popularity, but pedestrian activity “dropped significantly.”
• The number of electric vehicles per 100 people is still relatively low. Read: We’re still not seeing a large saturation of EVs; most cities saw fewer than one EV per 100 people.

How we ranked

• VMT: No. 90
• Fuel economy: No. 71
• Transit ridership: No. 45
• EV penetration: No. 60
• Biking activity: No. 70
• Pedestrian activity: No. 65
• Truck miles traveled: No. 60
• VMT change: No. 37

• “Tina” | Tuesday, April 2-Sunday, April 7 | Times vary | Altria Theater, 6 N. Laurel St., Richmond | $30-$103.50 | The musical tells the story of the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, complete with a soundtrack of her most beloved hits.

• Movie Matinees: “Elemental” | Wednesday, April 3 | 2-4 p.m. | RPL West End Branch, 5420 Patterson Ave., Richmond | Free | Bring the family for a screening of the Pixar film with popcorn provided.
• Blending with Brambly | Wednesday, April 3 | 6-8 p.m. | Brambly Park, 1708 Belleville St., Richmond | $55 | Work with a winemaker to create a custom blended bottle of red wine while learning tasting notes.

• Floral Chic: DIY Boutonnieres & Corsages | Thursday, April 4 | 6-8 p.m. | Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond | Members: $66, non-members: $79 | Learn how to make contemporary floral wearables; all flowers are provided but bring your own floral snips.
• Action Pack | Thursday, April 4 | 7:30-9 p.m. | Coalition Theater, 8 W. Broad St., Richmond | $5-$10 | Get your laughs in at this improv comedy night with Nick Leveski and Patrick Gantz.

• Friends of the Library Book Sale | Friday, April 5-Sunday, April 7 | Cost of purchase | RPL Main Branch, 101 E. Franklin St., Richmond | Free | Get books for $3 and under, with proceeds benefiting Richmond Public Library programming.

• Chesterfield County driver Danny Hamlin won the NASCAR Toyota Owner 400 race in an overtime finish at Richmond Raceway. This was Hamlin’s second win of the season + he’s currently holding third place in the NASCAR Cup Series Standings with 252 points. (8News)

• Richmond-based laundromat chain Neighborhood Laundromat has a new location at 10724 Hull Street Rd., Chesterfield. This is Neighborhood’s fourth location + it includes 28 washers and 16 dryers. The laundromat is 2,400 sqft and occupies the former space of a 7-Eleven. (Richmond BizSense)

• Join Shelf Life Books, bbgb, and Zorch Pizza on Sunday, April 7 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. for their Sensory-Friendly Shopping Hour. Zorch will reduce noises while serving plain cheese and pepperoni pizzas and Shelf Life and bbgb will dim their lights, play soft music, and silence phone and point of sale system alerts.

• Calling all creatives. The Veiling Brewing Co. is hosting Drink + Draw Night at its Forest Hill location on Tuesday, April 16 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Join the brewery’s creative director Tim Skirven for an evening of community and creativity that welcomes all skill levels. All materials will be provided.

• Mocktail lovers, take note. Point 5 is hosting a free non-alcoholic pop-up event at Kava Club on Saturday, April 13, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Follow Point 5 on Instagram for more details to come.