Green Glossary
Listed below are a few commonly used terms associated with sustainability.
Bio-fuel
Gas or liquid fuel made from plant material such as wood, wood waste, wood liquors, peat, wood sludge and other materials.
Biodiesel
A clean burning alternative fuel formulated exclusively for diesel engines; made from vegetable oil or animal fats; emits lower emissions than petroleum diesel.
Biodegradable
A substance capable of decomposing under natural conditions.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
A greenhouse gas that is emitted by the burning of fossil fuels. The U.S., China, and Russia emit the highest amounts of CO2.
Carbon Footprint
The total amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted over the life cycle of a person, product, or service.
Carbon Sequestration
The removal and storage of carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks (such as oceans, forests or soils) through physical or biological processes, such as photosynthesis.
Carbon Sink
A carbon reservoir that absorbs, rather than emits, carbon dioxide. The main natural sinks are oceans and plants that use photosynthesis.
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
Chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation, or as solvents and aerosol propellants. They are of concern because they destroy ozone.
Composting
The controlled biological decomposition of organic material. Controlled methods of composting include mechanical mixing and aerating, ventilating the materials by dropping them through a vertical series of aerated chambers, or placing the compost in piles out in the open air and mixing it or turning it periodically.
Greenhouse Gas
A gas; Carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, water vapor, nitrous oxide, CFCs and others which contribute to climate change.
Green Buildings
The process of building, using techniques which are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. Also referred to as a sustainable or high performance building. Some green building ‘certifications’ include the US Green Building Council’s LEED certification and the EPA’s Energy Star Qualified Homes.
Green Roof/ Eco-roof
A lightweight, vegetated roof over a protective root barrier and a roof membrane. Provides benefits by adding insulation in the winter, and shading the roof from solar heat in the summer. Helps with storm water filtration, heat island mitigation, improved air quality and increased wildlife habitat in urban spaces.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Established by the United Nations Environmental Program and the World Meteorological Organization, this panel assesses scientific, technical and socioeconomic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation.
Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED)
A nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. Architects, real estate professionals, facility managers, engineers, interior designers, landscape architects, construction managers, lenders and government officials can use LEED standards as an approach to help transform the built environment to sustainability.
Low-level Ozone (O3)
Found in the atmosphere, low-level ozone can seriously impair the respiratory system and is one of the most wide-spread of all the criteria pollutants for which the Clean Air Act required EPA to set standards. It can be produced from primary pollutants emitted by combustion sources; hydrocarbons, released into the atmosphere through the combustion; handling and processing of petroleum products; and sunlight.
Nitrogen Oxide (NOx)
The result of reactions of nitric oxide in air, which is a product of combustion from transportation and stationary sources. It contributes to the formation of low-level ozone.
Ozone Hole
A thinning break in the ozone layer. Seasonal ozone holes have been observed over the Antarctic and Arctic regions, part of Canada, and the extreme northeastern U.S.
Ozone Layer
The protective layer in the atmosphere, which absorbs some of the sun's ultraviolet rays. It helps by reducing the amount of potentially harmful radiation that reaches the earth's surface. However, the ozone layer is depleted by the breakdown of CFCs and other greenhouse gases.
Walkable Community
Communities that are designed to encourage walking as a measure of transportation to access goods, services and recreate.
Waste Minimization
Techniques that reduce the amount of waste generated during industrial production processes; the term is also applied to recycling and other efforts to reduce the amount of materials going into the waste stream.
Sources Used:
- About.com: Alternative Fuels / Biodiesel
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) / Terms of Environment
- Frostburg State University: Sustainability Terms
- Union of Concerned Scientists
- U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
- EPA: Green Buildings
Revised June 29, 2011
