Orange County NC Website
CFE Meeting Ground Rules (Adopted 9112111) <br />1. Keep to agenda topic under discussion <br />2. Share relevant information <br />3. One person speaks at a time after recognition by the Chair <br />4. Everyone is invited to participate in discussions / no one person should dominate <br />discussions <br />,. Strive to reach consensus first before voting <br />Activities the CFE expects to carry out in 2015: <br />• Continue to update the Orange County State of the Environment 2014 report <br />• Convene an Energy Task Force (or equivalent work group) to improve the County's <br />ability to foster local sustainable energy production and energy efficiency strategies <br />• Recommend ways to reduce the County's "carbon footprint" and implement the <br />County's Environmental Responsibility Goal <br />• Help with public outreach and management efforts related to hydrilla in Eno River <br />• Help initiate the development of a comprehensive conservation plan for Orange Co <br />• Collaborate with NC Botanical Garden and others to identify significant roadside <br />habitat for native plants; ask NCDOT and other utilities to protect those roadside <br />habitats [authorized by BOCC June 2012] <br />• Co- sponsor the annual DEAPR photography contest (The Nature of Orange) <br />• Help plan for and participate in DEAPR's annual Earth Day event <br />Concerns or emerging issues the CFE has identified for 2015: <br />• The CFE will continue to advocate for an expansion of the County's commercial food waste <br />pickup and composting services to reduce food waste in the solid waste stream <br />• The CFE remains interested in developing incentives for increasing energy efficiency in new <br />construction [January 2012 memo to Planning Board] <br />• The CFE will strive to learn more about environmental justice matters and incorporate <br />relevant information and considerations in the State of the Environment 2014 report <br />• The CFE will follow closely the Solid Waste Advisory Group's discussions of how to improve <br />the handling and disposal of Orange County's solid waste, and will advocate for better long- <br />term solutions <br />• The CFE will continue to advocate for increased efforts to gather information related to water <br />resources in Orange County and will continue to increase public awareness and <br />understanding of water supply sources, related concerns, and what steps can be undertaken <br />to maintain or improve the quantity and quality of Orange County water supply resources <br />• The CFE will continue to address, as appropriate, the critical environmental issues for Orange <br />County as enumerated on page 3 of the 2014 State of the Environment report, which include <br />potential adverse effects from a) invasive, non - native, plant and animal species; b) reductions <br />in State -led collection of water resources data; c) potential drilling for natural gas in the Deep <br />River basin; d) urban sprawl; and CFE support for e) the responsible deployment of clean and <br />appropriately -sited renewable energy and reductions in energy use to help fight climate <br />change <br />