Governor Perdue Launches Conservation Campaign

Governor Sonny Perdue today (April 24, 2008) launched a new conservation campaign aimed at creating a culture of conservation among Georgia residents, businesses, organizations, local governments and schools. Conserve Georgia is a statewide multi-agency marketing and public education effort aimed at promoting the conservation of energy, land and water; the prevention of litter; and the promotion of recycling.

“If there is one benefit of Georgia’s record drought, it is the renewed emphasis on the importance of conservation in the daily lives of all Georgians,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “Our state is blessed with a wealth of natural resources, but the drought has shown us that they are not unlimited. The stewardship of energy, land and water resources is vital to the lives of our state’s citizens. Most importantly, conservation is the right thing to do, in times of scarcity or abundance.”

Conserve Georgia’s website – conservegeorgia.org – is a one-stop-shop portal to the state’s conservation programs. Any Georgian or organization seeking more information on how to conserve the state’s natural resources, can visit conservegeorgia.org and easily access all of the state’s conservation programs and information.

The state’s current conservation efforts are organized among as many as nine different agencies, including the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, Department of Natural Resources, Department of Community Affairs, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission, Department of Education, Department of Transportation and the Department of Agriculture.

Creating a unified marketing campaign for the state’s conservation programs will help the state of Georgia achieve greater results through coordination, common goals, and shared branding. The leadership of the ten state agencies and divisions will form the Conserve Georgia Council and will serve as the decision making body for Conserve Georgia.

The Conserve Georgia Council will identify and partner with public and private sector organizations and entities to further the mission of Conserve Georgia. The Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) will coordinate the effort. GEFA Executive Director Chris Clark will serve as chairman of the Conserve Georgia Council.

Governor Perdue signed the Executive Order forming Conserve Georgia at Pratt Industries’ recycling facility in East Point. The facility receives and processes material from homes and businesses throughout Georgia and the Southeast, offering a convenient manner for citizens to recycle and divert material from the landfill. Pratt Industries, which is based in Conyers, recently committed $1 billion to construct and operate at least three new 100 percent recycled paper mills, four waste-to-energy plants, and 30 recycling facilities.

The text of the Governor’s Conserve Georgia Executive Order is below:

BY THE GOVERNOR:

WHEREAS: Georgians enjoy a high quality of life bolstered by the state’s rich natural resources; and

WHEREAS: It is of paramount importance for Georgia’s continued prosperity to conserve Georgia’s natural resources and to instill in all Georgians an ethic of stewardship and conservation; and

WHEREAS: The government of the State of Georgia should lead by example in adopting, implementing and promoting conservation practices; and

WHEREAS: The State of Georgia is a large business enterprise and a substantial consumer of energy and water and manages more than one million acres of land; and

WHEREAS: The State of Georgia experienced a severe drought in 2007 and continues to experience record low rainfall and it is expected that the low rainfall will continue into the immediate future; and

WHEREAS: The State of Georgia recognizes that energy and land uses contribute to the state’s water supply and availability; and

WHEREAS: The state’s current conservation efforts are organized among many different agencies and can achieve greater outcomes through coordination, common goals, and shared marketing; and

NOW, THEREFORE, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWER VESTED IN ME AS THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA, IT IS HEREBY

ORDERED: The creation of Conserve Georgia, a statewide, multi-agency marketing and public education effort aimed at promoting the conservation of energy, land and water; the prevention of litter; and the promotion of recycling in order to develop a “culture of conservation” among Georgia businesses, governments, organizations, educators, residents, and landowners; and

IT IS FURTHER
ORDERED: That www.ConserveGeorgia.org will serve as the “one stop shop” portal website for conservation resources in Georgia; and

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED: A Conserve Georgia Council consisting of the leadership of participating state agencies and divisions will serve as the decision making body for Conserve Georgia. Conserve Georgia Council shall include, but is not limited to, the following state agencies and divisions:

Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority
Department of Natural Resources
Environmental Protection Division
Department of Community Affairs
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
Georgia Forestry Commission
Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission
Department of Education
Department of Transportation
Department of Agriculture

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED: The Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority (GEFA) will serve as the coordinating agency of Conserve Georgia; and

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED: The Conserve Georgia Council will identify and partner with public and private sector organizations and entities to further the mission of Conserve Georgia; and

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED: The Conserve Georgia Council will develop a strategic marketing plan, which will be updated annually, for state-sponsored conservation activities that includes:

· A unified vision for state-sponsored energy, land and water conservation initiatives, including litter and recycling programs;
· A marketing strategy to maximize the impact of state-sponsored conservation initiatives through shared resources; shared branding; and cooperative marketing, advertising, and education;
· A marketing budget for state-sponsored energy, land and water conservation initiatives, including litter and recycling programs;
· A comprehensive set of outcome-oriented metrics to evaluate the success of Conserve Georgia; and

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED: The Conserve Georgia Council will advise the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget on the funding needs and allocations for Conserve Georgia marketing and public education; and

IT IS FURTHER

ORDERED: The Conserve Georgia Council will publish an annual performance assessment of the state’s coordinated energy, land, litter, recycling and water conservation programs.

This 24th Day of April, 2008