One tenet of the “smart growth” movement is that communities should strive to preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas.

In 2009, the Division of State and Local Government Accountability in the Office of the State Comptroller audited State agency and municipal government implementation of programs funded by the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF or Fund), a dedicated fund that provides support for State and municipal parks, municipal recycling programs and control of water pollution, as well as the majority of State support for conservation of open space and other important environmental programs.

New York State's Farmland Protection Program was created in 1992 to preserve high quality working farmland and to reduce pressures on farm families to sell their lands and leave the farming industry. Counties and towns receive financial support from the program to develop farmland protection plans and to purchase development rights on farmland.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued an Executive Order on Energy and the Environment on September 13, 2007 that established the goals and structure of a Green Initiative for the New York State Office of the State Comptroller (OSC).

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) continues its efforts to promote sustainable government practices.

Created in 1970, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is responsible for most of the State’s programs to protect wildlife, natural resources and environmental quality.

Since taking office in 2007, I have made the environment one of my office’s top priorities. I’ve enacted green agency operations at my own office while helping other State agencies become more environmentally friendly.

Consumer interest in organic products has grown in recent years, as reflected by rising sales nationwide—with a 56 percent increase in New York from 2008 through 2014.

On the 47th Anniversary of Earth Day, now more than ever, we should celebrate the progress we have made and recommit ourselves to the work that needs to be done.

It’s easy to take clean, safe drinking water for granted. However, as incidents of contamination in our public water supplies in recent years have reminded us, strong regulatory oversight is essential to assure the quality and safety of our water.