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and direction. If the Board desires, it may proceed to adopt the goah <br />Goal Summary <br />In summary, the draft Environmental Responsibility goal proposes 10 objectives that would <br />become the principles or general milestones for County government to work toward, including: <br />• Creation of an Environmental Leadership Policy, and creation of a County Environmental <br />Action Committee as an internal mechanism to promote and monitor progress toward <br />environmental responsibility (Attachment 2 is an example of such a committee in Wake <br />County), <br />• Energy conservation and lowered consumption, including use of recycled products, <br />renewable energy and reduced waste stream, including reduction of paper, <br />• Expanding the use of green building standards for new projects and eco-friendly <br />deconstruction that minimizes impact on the environment, <br />• Monitoring and improving local and regional air quality by promoting public transportation, <br />alternative-fuel vehicles and other alternative transportation, <br />• Sustainable and eco-sensitive forestry practices on County awned lands with a goal of no <br />net loss of woodlands, <br />• The use of environmentally-sensitive cleaning materials and chemicals (Green Seal) and an <br />Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, <br />• New technologies to conserve and protect ground water and indoor air quality, <br />• Direct future growth to areas where it can be accommodated without compromising natural <br />and cultural resources, and <br />• Energy conservation through electronic and alternative communication media <br />Next Steps <br />General: The CfE suggests that once the Board approves an Environmental Responsibility goal <br />that departments and agencies be solicited for draft action strategies to implement the <br />objectives (one such initiative is already underway with Energy Conservation). To help with this <br />task, the results of the brainstorming sessions have been collated and retained far this <br />subsequent purpose, <br />Energv Conservation: While work on the Environmental Responsibility Goal was underway, <br />dramatic changes in energy prices and the more immediate need to address County operational <br />costs necessitated the formation of an ad hoc Energy Conservation Work Group comprised of <br />staff and Commissioner Halkiotis, Qver the past three months, this group has met on several <br />occasions to discuss measures that could be taken to address energy conservation in County <br />buildings, The immediate steps as to the energy conservation initiative are as follows: <br />