Agenda - 12-05-2005-5j - Laserfiche WebLink

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