§ 190.01. Principles of environmental conduct; legislative intent.

By adopting this legislation and the principles contained herein, the County of Westchester publicly affirms its belief that local governments have a responsibility for the environment, and must conduct all aspects of their affairs as responsible stewards of the environment by acting in a manner that protects the Earth. The County of Westchester believes that local governments must not compromise the ability of future generations to sustain themselves.

The principles of environmental conduct enumerated and defined below are now and forever the policy of the County of Westchester:

(1)

Protection of the biosphere—reduction of emissions of substances that may cause environmental damage; safeguarding of ecosystems that may be affected by our operations.

(2)

Sustainable use of natural resources—careful use of renewable resources; conservation of nonrenewable resources.

(3)

Reduction and disposal of wastes—waste reduction through source reduction and recycling; safe and responsible disposal.

(4)

Energy conservation—improvement of energy efficiency in our operations and services; use of safe and sustainable energy sources.

(5)

Risk reduction—minimization of environmental, health and safety risks to our employees and surrounding communities.

(6)

Safe services—reduction or mitigation of services that pose environmental, health or safety hazards; informing the public of environmental impacts.

(7)

Environmental restoration—correction of damaging conditions that might be caused to health, safety or the environment; redressment of such injuries.

(8)

Informing the public—informing those who may be negatively or positively affected by our activities; dialogue with neighboring communities.

(9)

Management commitment—involvement of upper-level management in environmental issues.

(10)

Audits and reports—annual self-evaluations; appraisal of the environmental performance of the county government by an independent citizen board.

(Added by L.L. No. 22-1993)