Forgotten what a bioswale is? Can't recall what CDM stands for? Here is a quick reference guide to common terms used in environmental and sustainability literature.
A
anthropomorphic climate change: changes in the climate that can be attributed to human activity, rather than other cyclical natural phenomena, such as solar activity or the El Niño and La Niña effects.
B
biodynamic: an organic gardening or farming method with a spiritual tinge, using a holistic approach to the soil, plants and animals as a unified ecological system. Methods unique to diodynamic gardening and agriculture include use of herbs and minerals to nuture soil, and planting according to the astronomical cycle.
biodegradable: capable of decaying rapidly as a result of the action of micro-organisms that break the material down into naturally recyclable elements.
biodiversity: all life on earth, including the variability within and between ecological communities or systems.
biofuel: low-emission petroleum substitute made from renewable or recycled sources; includes ethanol made from cereals and sugarcane and biodiesel made from vegetable oils or animal waste.
biomimicry: imitating biological solutions in the design of products and processes.
bioswale: landscape element designed to capture rainwater runoff and remove silt and pollution before it enters the water table.
C
carbon footprint: the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by an individual, organisation or nation; usually measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted annually.
carbon neutral: achieving zero net greenhouse emissions through activities to reduce gas creation and paying for offsetting schemes such as renewable energy generation and tree-planting.
carbon sequestration: a process to reduce carbon in the atmosphere; a variety of sequestration methods, including removing carbon from flue gases then storing it underground, are being explored.
carbon sink: any mechanism that removes greenhouse gases or aerosols from the atmosphere. Oceans, trees and soil are all carbon sinks.
carbon trading: a market to encourage carbon abatement through selling and buying ‘carbon credits’, enabling heavy emitters to meet reduction commitments by buying surplus emission reductions. Trading markets are well-established in Europe and the United States.
climate change: changes to planetary climatic conditions as a result of global warming; scientific consensus links warming to the extra carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases added to the atmosphere by human activity.
corporate social responsibility: the concept that all companies, regardless of ownership structure, have obligations to customers, employees and the wider community. The idea of good corporate citizenship extends further than the obligation to obey all laws.
cradle to cradle: an extension of concept of cradle to grave aimed at designing products so efficiently that they can benefit the earth through their waste.
cradle to grave: the whole of a product's life-cycle, from the extraction and processing of natural resources used to manufacture through to transportation, use and ultimate disposal.
D
dioxin: the popular name for a family of organic compounds that bio-accumulate with toxic effect in humans and wildlife. Two of the most widely studied sources of dioxins are the making of the herbicide Agent Orange and the chlorine bleaching of wood pulp.
E
ecological footprint: the estimated amount of productive land required to provide all the resources consumed and absorb all the wastes created by an individual or group. The result is usually expressed in terms of how many planets would be needed for all the world’s population to live the same.
environmental audit: an assessment the environmental impacts of an organisation’s operations.
ethical investment: a range of investment strategies that incorporate environmental and social measures alongside financial returns; also known as socially responsible investment (SRI).
e-waste: discarded electrical equipment such as mobile phones, computers, DVD players and cabling.
extended producer responsibility: a policy approach in which a producer's responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of the product's life cycle.
G
greenhouse gas: any atmospheric gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing energy from the sun. Naturally occurring gases include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Human activities add to these gases.
greenhouse abatement: activity that contributes to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
green power: electricity generated from renewable sources such as hydro, wind and solar, avoiding the emissions associated with the burning of fossil fuels.
H
high-octane fuel: a petrol formula that has a third less sulphur than regular unleaded petrol and provides more engine power, lower consumption and cleaner exhaust emissions
hybrid engine: an engine that combines both a petrol and an electric motor, capturing the energy used in braking and dramatically reducing fuel consumption.
I
intergenerational equity: the fair treatment of future generations.
K
Kyoto Protocol: international agreement on global warming and emissions targets set at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Kyoto, Japan, in 1997. The United States and Australia are the only two industrialised nations to not have ratified.
L
landfill: disposal of solid waster by burying it between layers of dirt in low-lying ground or excavated holes.
life-cycle assessment: the study of all inputs and outputs of materials and energy to determine the environmental impact attributable to the functioning of a product or service over its whole life cycle.
M
methane: a gas with a greenhouse effect 23 times greater than carbon dioxide. Methane is produced naturally, including from volcanoes, wetlands, termites and the ocean, and by human activity, including from flatulent livestock and the decomposition of organic matter buried in landfill.
O
organic: produced without the use of fossil-fuel based fertilisers, synthetic pesticides or genetically modified crop varieties.
P
plastic code: A number identifying the most common plastic type in a product or packaging. All plastics marked 1 to 7 are theoretically recyclable though in practice many are not: 1 - polyethylene terephalate (PET); 2 - high density polyethylene (HDPE); 3 - unplasticised polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) or plasticised polyvinyl chloride (PPVC); 4 – low density polyethylene (LDPE): 5 - polypropylene (PP); 6 - polystyrene (PS) or expandable polystyrene (EPS); 7 - other, including nylon and acrylic.
R
RCP: a recycled content product, containing pre-consumer recycled content from craps, trimmings and overruns left over from manufacturing processes and/or post-consumer recycled content from products that have served their original use.
S
sustainability: the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability to meet the needs of the future.
T
thermal mass: a structure capable of absorbing and store heat energy, leading to increased comfort for building occupants and a reduced need for artificial heating and cooling.
V
volatile organic compound: a chemical that can vapourise and enter the atmosphere under normal conditions. Trees are the major outdoor source of VOCs. Paints, cleaning agents and furnishings made from petrochemicals are major sources of indoor VOC pollution.
W
waste management: action to reduce waste, through material efficiency, waste reduction and the recovery and reuse of discarded material.
