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3 <br /> PROPOSED POLICY - BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS POLICY MANUAL <br /> MEETING DATE: NUMBER: <br /> EFFECTIVE DATE: REVISIONS: <br /> POLICY: Toward a Sustainable Community <br /> Orange County is committed to the concept of a sustainable community.A sustainable community uses and <br /> protects its human and natural resources to meet the current needs while insuring that enhanced <br /> community assets are available for future generations. It seeks improved public health, an informed <br /> citizenry, and a better quality of life for all of its residents while promoting efficiency, conservation, <br /> pollution prevention, and developing local resources to strengthen the local economy. <br /> Sustainable Community Principles <br /> Sustainability is a fundamental organizing concept against which to evaluate proposed programs and <br /> policies in the areas of land use planning, environmental protection, economic development, housing, <br /> transportation, solid waste management,health and social services,and public safety. Such programs and <br /> policies should therefore be prepared in a manner which addresses the following principles of sustainability <br /> Interdependence: Integrate long-term economic, environmental, and social considerations into all <br /> decisions to reflect their inherent interdependence. <br /> Partnership: Invite cooperation and unify efforts between governments, business, <br /> environmentalists, non-profit organizations, citizens, and others to address <br /> interdependence. <br /> Stewardship: Balance resource use and conservation between present and future generations <br /> so that future generations are not compromised. <br /> Diversity: Maintain diverse biological, economic, and social systems. <br /> Prevention: Anticipate and prevent social,economic,and environmental problems rather than <br /> attempt to solve them after the fact. <br /> Equity: Insure all community members equal opportunities to contribute to the economy, <br /> enjoy the environment, and participate in decisions that affect them. <br /> Responsibility: Ask all community members to take responsibility for sustaining their community <br /> and environment. <br />