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To the Orange County Commissioners <br />The current crisis in the Middle East gives an urgency to the <br />necessity to seriously look at our energy policy, or lack thereof, <br />at all levels of government. This coupled with the almost daily <br />reports indicating the serious and continuing degradation of our <br />environment, much of it associated with our present energy use, <br />clearly points to the need for action. Yet at neither the federal <br />nor state levels of our governmental structure is this being done. <br />At the local level we could fill this gap by establishing sound <br />energy policies for our area, and begin this process by building <br />our buildings in an environmentally sound way. <br />Orange County is going to be building a new human resources center <br />in Southern Orange County very soon. The groups listed below are <br />requesting that this building be built in the following way: <br />1. Having a solar orientation. <br />2. Using passive solar heating and cooling with a natural gas <br />back -up heating and cooling system. <br />3. Having a solar hot water heater. <br />4. Using daylighting. <br />5. Built so that all rooms have windows. <br />6. Using windows that will open. <br />7. Using energy efficient lighting. <br />8. Using energy efficient appliances. <br />9. Built to be able to be retrofitted with photovoltaics to <br />supply electricity when this technology becomes economical. <br />10. Using natural and non -toxic building materials as much <br />as possible,c" ks� do ► ,,. <br />11. Using the most advanced conservation technologies including <br />the highest possible insulation, caulking and weatherstripping. <br />12. Built at a location accessible by the present bus system. <br />All of the above are possible, and we believe possible in an <br />economical way, particularly if societal costs are taken into <br />account and long -term cost accounting is used. <br />The thought of such a model building in Orange County is very <br />exciting, and we hope to see it come into existence. <br />Conservation Council of North Carolina <br />Consumers Council of North Carolina <br />New Hope Audubon Society <br />Orange County Greens <br />Piedmont Bioregional Institute <br />Research Triangle Sierra Club <br />Student Environmental Action Coalition <br />Joyce. sracf_�?l <br />eyues� 4 <br />/Y[/ /C� - (Oo~,W e S UyC. <br />)Z-4 y <br />7-9/ <br />