Acrylic – a synthetic textile, resin, or paint derived from acrylic acid.

Air Pollution – contaminants or substances in the air that interfere with human health or produce other harmful environmental effects.

Alternative Energy – usually environmentally friendly, this is energy from uncommon sources such as wind power or solar energy, not fossil fuels.

Alternative Fuels – similar to above. Not petrol or diesel but different transportation fuels like natural gas, methanol, bio fuels and electricity.

Biodegradable – A material or substance which, when left exposed to nature, will decompose without harmful effects to the environment; capable of being decomposed by the action of living organisms. Something when left alone break down and be absorbed into the eco – system.

Biodiversity –  the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of an ecosystem.

Bisphenol – A (BPA) – An industrial chemical best known for making polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Found in hard plastic water bottles and baby bottles, in coatings inside metal food and drink cans, and in paints, adhesives, dental sealants, computers, and other products. BPA is an estrogen – mimicking chemical that, in tests on animals, has been shown to interfere with the reproductive system.

Black water – the wastewater generated by toilets.

Captured Rainwater – Through the use of appropriate roofing materials and gutter systems, rainwater can be harvested or collected then stored for future non – potable use such as showers and hand washing.

Carbon Dioxide – CO2 is a naturally occurring greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. However the amount of it increases when we burn fossil fuels, leading to global warming.

Carbon Footprint – a measure of your impact on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. A personal carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases that his or her way of life produces overall.

Carbon Monoxide – a colorless, odorless and highly toxic gas commonly created during combustion.

Carbon Neutral – a company, person or action either not producing any carbon emissions or if it does have been off sett elsewhere.

Carbon Rationing – limiting the amount of carbon you use each year.

Carbon Sink – carbon dioxide is naturally absorbed by things such as oceans, forests and peat bogs. These are called carbon sinks.

Carbon Tax – a charge on fossil fuels based on their carbon content. Find out more at the Carbon Tax Center.

Chlorofluorocarbons – CFCs are man – made chemical compounds containing carbon, chlorine, fluorine and sometimes hydrogen. Often used in older fridges and air conditions, the chlorine in CFCs damage the ozone layer.

Climate Change – a change in temperature and weather patterns due to human activity like burning fossil fuels.

Composting  – a process whereby organic wastes, including food and paper, decompose naturally, resulting in a produce rich in minerals and ideal for gardening and farming as a soil conditioner, mulch, resurfacing material, or landfill cover.

Conservation – preserving and renewing, when possible, human and natural resources.

Cradle – to – Cradle – A concept introduced by architect William McDonough that prescribes at the end of a product’s useful life, the product will decompose entirely with no negative environmental impact; otherwise it can be used as post – consumer material when recycled into a new product.

Cradle – to – Grave – With no consideration for sustainability, these types of products are used for a period of time and then discarded, often long before their useful life is actually complete.

Eco – Assessment – an evaluation of your home or workplace with the aim of cutting your energy and water usage.

Eco – Bag – ethically, organically made bag to use instead of plastic carrier bags.

Eco – Bus – a bus which uses a combination of diesel and electric power.

Emissions Cap – a limit placed on companies regarding the amount of greenhouse gases it can emit.

Embodied Energy – All the energy used to grow, extract and manufacture a product including the amount of energy needed to transport it to the jobsite and complete the installation.

Energy Efficiency – ways and technology that can reduce the amount of electricity or fuel used to do the same work.

Energy Saving Grant – money awarded to you to help improve the efficiency of your home and use less energy.

Energy Starâ„¢ Rating – The label given by the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to appliances and products that exceed federal energy efficiency standards. This label helps consumers identify products that will save energy and money. ENERGY STAR  – labeled appliances often exceed the efficiency levels of other new products.

Environmentally Friendly – A term that refers to the degree to which a product may harm the environment, including the biosphere, soil, water and air.

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing – The federal government requires the purchase of products or services that have the least negative effect on the environment and human health in consideration of the acquisition of raw materials, manufacturing methods, packaging, distribution, recyclability, operation, maintenance and final disposal.

EPA (http://www.epa.gov) – the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Flame Retardants – materials that inhibit the ignition and spread of fire. Flame retardants can be minerals, synthetic chemicals, or other materials. Chemical flame retardants are used in carpets, mattresses, clothing, furniture, furniture padding, plastics, and other products.
Flush Out – To help ensure the indoor air quality, mechanical systems are operated for a minimum of two weeks using 100 percent outside air at the end of construction and prior to building occupancy.

Formaldehyde – A gaseous chemical used to bind together and preserve building materials and household products. A potential carcinogen, its use should be avoided whenever possible.

Fossil Fuel – Fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas extracted from beneath the Earth’s surface. A fuel that has been made by the decomposition of fossilized plants and animals.

Fuel Cell – a technology that uses an electrochemical process to convert energy into electrical power. Often powered by natural gas, fuel cell power is cleaner than grid – connected power sources. In addition, hot water is produced as a by – product.

Geothermal Energy – heat that comes from the earth.

Glass Recycling – Glass bottles and jars can be recycled endlessly. That means that unlike some other recycled products, a recycled bottle can be recycled into another glass bottle. And another, and so on forever.

Global Warming – an increase in the average temperature of the earth, attributed to the burning of fossil fuels.

Graywater – waste water that does not contain sewage or fecal contamination (ie. dishwater, shower, car washing, etc.) and can be reused for irrigation after filtration.

Green Design – a design, usually architectural, is conforming to environmentally sound principles of building, material and energy use. A green building, for example, might make use of solar panels, skylights, and recycled building materials.

Greenhouse Effect – explains global warming. It’s the process that raises the temperature of air in the lower atmosphere due to heat trapped by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and ozone.

Green Living – living life in such a way as to help take care of the earth and preserve our resources.

Green Products – products that are environmentally friendly.

Greenwashing – Deceptive Green Marketing to promote an organizational  policies of using environmentally friendly practices or selling environmentally products when there is some question or controversy as to the actuality of the Green claims.

Hazardous Waste – Byproducts of society with physical, chemical or infectious characteristics that pose hazards to the environment and human health when improperly handled.

Hydroelectric Energy – electric energy produced by moving water.

Hydrofluorocarbons  – used as solvents and cleaners in the semiconductor industry, among others; experts say that they possess global warming potentials that are thousands of times greater than CO2.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) – The supply and introduction of adequate air for ventilation and control of airborne contaminants, acceptable temperatures and relative humidity.

Jet Stream – High speed air in the atmosphere. Usually very wide.

Kilowatt – Hours (KWH) – used to measure electricity and natural gas usage.

Landfill  – area where waste is dumped and eventually covered with dirt and topsoil.

Life Cycle Assessment – methodology developed to assess a products full environmental costs, from raw material to final disposal.

Life – Cycle Cost – The amortized annual cost of a product that includes first costs, but also extends to include installation, operating, maintenance and disposal costs over the product’s lifetime.

Lead  – harmful to the environment used in a lot of paints. It’s also toxic to humans.

Light Pollution – environmental pollution consisting of the excess of harmful or annoying light.

Low – Emission Vehicles – cars etc which emit little pollution compared to conventional engines

MSDS (material data safety sheet) – provides information for workers and safety personnel about potentially hazardous substances in the workplace.

Non – Toxic – This refers to a product that is non poisonous to people or living organisms.

Non – Renewable Resources – Resources that are in limited supply, such as oil, coal, and natural gas.

Offsetting – the process of reducing carbon emissions by offsetting it. An example is by taking a flight and in compensation paying a company to plant trees to equal the carbon use out. For example.

Oil – fossil fuel used to produce petrol etc and other materials such as plastics.

Organic – while it technically refers to molecules made up of two ore more atoms of carbon, it’s generally now used as a term for the growth of vegetables etc without the use or artificial pesticides and fertilizer.

Ozone Layer – in the upper atmosphere about 15 miles above sea level it forms a protective layer which shields the earth from excessive ultraviolet radiation and occurs naturally.

Perceived Obsolescence – The art of making products that go out of fashion or out of style, so you buy more slightly different ones, for example the fashion industry.  Also see Planned obsolescence.

Photovoltaic Panels – solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity. Power is produced when sunlight strikes the semiconductor material and creates an electrical current.

Plastic – man – made durable and flexible synthetic – based product. Composed mainly of petroleum.

Plastic Bags – take 1,000 years to decompose and even then, they aren’t completely decomposed.

Plastic Recycling – there are seven different categories of plastics that can be recycled.

Pollution Prevention – Reducing the amount of energy, materials, packaging or water in the design, manufacturing or purchasing of products or materials in an effort to increase efficient use of resources, reduce toxicity and eliminate waste.

Post Consumer Waste – waste collected after the consumer has used and disposed of it.

Rapidly Renewable – Materials that are not depleted when used, but are typically harvested from fast growing sources and do not require unnecessary chemical support. Examples include bamboo, flax, wheat, wool and certain types of wood.

Recyclability – The ability of a product or material to be recovered or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling.

Recycle Symbol – the chasing arrow symbol used to show that a product or package can be recycled.
The three arrows on the symbol represent different components of the recycling process. The top arrow represents the collection of recyclable materials. The second arrow (bottom right) represents the recyclables being processed into recycled products and the third arrow on the bottom left represents when the consumer actually buys a product with recycled content.

Recycled/Recovered Materials – Waste materials and by – products that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste but do not include those materials and by – products generated from and commonly reused within an original manufacturing process.

Recycling – the process of collecting, sorting, and reprocessing old material into usable raw materials.

Reduce – not using or buying products in the first place, so less waste, less recycling and less reusing.

Renewable Energy – alternative energy sources such as wind power or solar energy that can keep producing energy indefinitely without being used up.

Renewable Resources – Like renewable energy, resources such as wind, sunlight and trees that regenerate.

Reuse  – before throwing away or recycling, a product that can be reused until it’s time to recycle.

Remanufacturing – A recycling concept by which an existing product can have its useful life extended through a secondary manufacturing or refurbishing process.

Solar Energy – natural energy from the sun.

Solar Heating – heat from the sun is absorbed by collectors and transferred by pumps or fans to a storage unit for later use or to the house interior directly. Controls regulating the operation are needed. Or the heat can be transferred to water pumps for hot water.

Styrofoam – exruded polystyrene foam. Used in building insulation and food containers. Known to cause harm.

Sulfur Dioxide – SO2 is a heavy, smelly gas which can be condensed into a clear liquid. It’s used to make sulfuric acid, bleaching agents, preservatives and refrigerants and a major source of air pollution.

Sustainable – capable of being supported or upheld, meaning a system that maintains its own viability.

Thermal Comfort – Appropriate temperature, warm or cool, combined with air flow and humidity, which provides comfort in a building.

Thermal Pollution – Refers to the degradation of water quality by any process that changes the ambient water temperature. When water hat was used as a coolant and is returned to its natural environment at a higher temperature than original.

U – Value – Applies the factor of time to the heat – loss measurement.

Upcycle – to convert discarded, used, or waste materials into something of a higher quality or value; hence upcycling,  instead of merely recycling.

Vermicomposting –  the process whereby worms feed on slowly decomposing materials (e.g., vegetable scraps) in a controlled environment to produce nutrient – rich soil.

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) – These substances are indoor air pollutants or chemical compounds that exist as vapor or gases at normal temperatures and are carbon – based molecules typically used as solvents in products such as household cleaners, paints, inks and dyes. Sources of VOCs include formaldehyde (a suspected carcinogen), xylene, toluene, benzene (a known carcinogen) and acetone.

Waste Reduction – This is a process to reduce or eliminate the amount of waste generated at its source or to reduce the amount of toxicity from waste or the reuse of materials.

Waste Stream – The total flow of solid waste from homes, businesses, institutions and manufacturing that is recycled, burned or disposed of in landfills.

Water Efficient Products – Those products that are in the upper 25% of water conservation for all similar products or at least 10% more water conserving.

Wastewater – Water that has been used and contaminated.

Watt – a unit of electric power.

Wind Farm – A group of wind generators that feed power into a main grid.

Windpower – Energy derived from the wind.