As state employees showcased exhibits of new environmentally sound practices in state government, Gov. Jim Hunt today urged further innovation in state agencies to promote environmental stewardship in North Carolina. Today, he joined with state employees at a fair to highlight NC Project Green, an ongoing environmental initiative that has spawned 77 environmentally aware projects from 13 state agencies and that brought praise today from the White House's expert on environmental sustainability. His work to have state government operate in an environmentally sensitive manner is not only evidence of his personal commitment to the environment and the well-being of future generations, it sets a high and worthy example for Gov. Hunt's peers and other states in the union. Hunt told a crowd of several hundred state employees today that the key element of NC Project Green is state government's ability to influence citizens, businesses and local governments to practice environmental stewardship.
State government is the largest employer and the largest organization in North Carolina.
We consume tremendous resources on a daily basis. And if we do, the example won't be lost on those we serve. The fair featured environmentally sensitive projects ranging from worm composting of cafeteria wastes to high-tech alternative fuel vehicles. State government, which operates the largest motor fleet in the state, already has placed more than vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, propane, ethanol and other sources into service. The clean-air legislation was based on a package Hunt had proposed at the Summit on Mountain Air Quality in Asheville last April.