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16 <br />Environmental Leadership Policy - Guiding Principles <br />Orange County should: <br />1. Institutionalize anethic and practice of sustainability and <br />environmental awareness within County government, its employees <br />and facilities. <br />2. Ensure that all County facilities and employees working therein <br />practice water conservation (in accordance with the adopted Water <br />Conservation Goal), and that facilities include such water conserving <br />or reuse features as determined efficient, to both conserve this <br />precious natural resource and minimize costs. <br />3. Ensure that all County facilities, and employees working therein, <br />practice energy efficiency (in accordance with the adopted Energy <br />Conservation Goal). Ensure that County facilities include energy <br />conserving features as determined efficient, to minimize energy use, <br />reduce carbon footprint and achieve fi-~ancial savings. <br />4. Reduce fuel consumption among all County vehicles (in keeping <br />with the Vehicle Fuel Conservation Policy), and purchase the lowest <br />emission vehicles that will meet County needs. Purchase alternative <br />fuel vehicles andlor hybrid fuel vehicles whenever possible for new <br />vehicle purchases; as the `default `option unless justification is <br />provided for aconventional-fuel vehicle. <br />5. Continue, expand ~}nd,fo~-mally adopt the use of green building <br />standards or hi~r 1 perforrllancebuilding guidelines and <br />environmentally sensitive site design. Construct new facilities, reuse <br />existing facilities, and deconstruct outdated facilities in a way that is <br />eco-friendly, utilizes energy efficiency measures, minimizes impacts <br />to the environment an~ avoids "greenfield development." <br />6. Acquire, maintain and preserve important natural and cultural <br />resource lands to help protect the natural environment of Orange <br />County. <br />7. Continue to practice waste minimization and recycling in all County <br />facilities. <br />8. Include environmental and sustainability considerations in decisions <br />about the purchase of goods and services. Encourage the purchase of <br />local products whenever feasible. <br />9. Provide County employees with incentives and creative <br />opportunities to practice sustainable and environmentally-sound <br />behaviors in the workplace. <br />