eco glossary

Few eco terms we come across in the new green world.

The glossary will be constantly updated, so stay tuned.

Please feel free to contribute.

• Absorption - Process by which a substance of particle is drawn into the structure of another
• Acid Free - papers which are free from traces of acid. i.e. made under neutral sizing conditions
• Acid Rain - The precipitation of dilute solutions of strong mineral acids, formed by the mixing in the atmosphere of various industrial pollutants (primarily sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) with naturally occurring oxygen and water vapour.
• Aerosal - Suspended droplets of liquid or liquid dispersions in air.
• Air Pollution - The presence of contaminants or pollutants substances in the air that interfere with human health or welfare, or produce other harmful environmental effects
• Alternative Energy - Energy from a source other than the conventional fossil-fuel sources of oil, natural gas and coal (i.e. wind, running water, the sun).
• Aluminium - Aluminium is a lightweight, silver-white, metallic element that makes up approximately 7% of the Earths crust. Aluminium is mined and used in a variety of ways, but perhaps most familiarly in the manufacture of soft drink cans. Recycles well and suffers no loss in quality when recycled.
• Biodegradable - A 'biodegradable' product has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly by biological means into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment.
• Bioplastic – Plastics manufactured from renewable resources such as natural sugars or starch extracted from potato, wheat, corn or tapioca. An additional environmental benefit is the fact that they are biodegradable under certain conditions. Mechanical properties vary depending on the specific polymer, however bioplastics are already in use in the packaging, automotive and consumer electronic sectors.
  
• Biosphere - The part of the earth and its atmosphere in which living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life.
• Carbon Dioxide (Co2) - Produced by burning fossils fuels or wood based, which raise atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and contribute to the greenhouse effect.
• Carbon Emissions - Emissions to the atmosphere principally from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Increased atmospheric concentrations of CO2 and other greenhouse gases trap more of the earth's heat leading to the phenomenon known as global warming
• Carbon Footprint - A representation of the effect human activities have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gases produced (measured in units of carbon dioxide).
• Carbon Offsetting - Offsetting the amount of carbon emissions (Co2) produced in the manufacture, production, transport, energy, food etc with the planting of trees
• Carbon Tax - A charge on fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) based on their carbon content. When burned, the carbon in these fuels becomes carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a significant greenhouse gas.
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) - Stable, artificially created chemical compounds containing carbon, chlorine, fluorine and sometimes hydrogen. Chlorofluorocarbons, used primarily to facilitate cooling in refrigerators and air conditioners, have been found to deplete the stratospheric ozone layer which protects the earth and its inhabitants form excessive ultraviolet radiation.
• Climate Change - The term 'climate change' is sometimes used to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency. The term more often used to imply a significant change from one climatic condition to another. In some cases 'climate change' has been used synonymously with the term 'global warming'.
• Compost - Process whereby organic wastes, including food wastes, paper and yard wastes, decompose naturally, resulting in a product rich in minerals and ideal for gardening and farming as a soil conditioner, mulch resurfacing or landfill cover.
• Conservation - Preserving and renewing, when possible, human and natural resources. The use, protection and improvement of natural resources according to principles that will ensure their highest economic or social benefits.
• Contaminant - Any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter that has an adverse effect on air, water or soil.
• Contamination - Introduction to water, air and soil micro organisms, chemicals, toxic substances, wastes or wastewater in a concentration that makes the medium unfit for its next intended use.
• Cradle to Cradle Design – William McDonough and Michael Braungarts' (MBDC) design paradigm, based on principles and an understanding of the pursuit of value, as well as MBDC's processes for product and material research and development, and for educating and training. At a fundamental level, the new paradigm proposes that human design can learn from nature to be effective, safe, enriching, and delightful. Cradle to Cradle Design models human industry on nature's processes, in which materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms. MBDC http://www.mbdc.com/overview.htm
• Design for Disassembly (DfD) – Designed to be easy to
  disassemble (with minimal, basic tools) at end of life, for repair,
  remanufacture or recycling.
• Design for Durability (DfD) – Designed to last longer thus
  avoiding multiple products being used for a particular task
  over time, resulting in less overall environmental impact.
• Design for Environment (DfE) or EcoDesign – A way of
  designing products with a view to eliminating or minimising
  environmental, social and human health impacts across the
  entire product life cycle from materials extraction and
  processing through to production, distribution, operation
  and end-of-life. Underpinned by a life cycle approach to
  impact identification and reduction. Focus on 'locking-in'
  positive environmental features (eg. renewable and postconsumer
  recycled materials), and 'locking-out' negative
  environmental features (eg. hazardous and toxic substances,
  premature obsolescence). See also SPD.
• Design for Recycling (DfR) – Designed to maximise recycling;
  easy to disassemble, materials are easily separated, labelled
  and commonly recycled.
• Dematerialisation – This term generally refers to a reduction
  in materials intensity in situations where products nonetheless
  remain essential. It can refer to production-side initiatives such
  as light-weighting or use of recovered materials, or more
  radically, products designed for closed-loop take-back and
  components or materials reuse. But increasingly it is used
  to refer to user-side product-service mixes, that is, services
  designed to enhance the operational life or number of lives
  of a product, and/or the number of uses or users of products.
  These are often called Product Services and Systems (PSS).
  EcoDesign Foundation, http://www.edf.edu.au
• Dioxin - Any of several heterocyclic hydrocarbons that occur especially as persistent toxic impurities in herbicides. Also formed by burning plastics that contain chlorine, i.e. PVC
• Disposal - Final placement or destruction of toxic, radioactive or other wastes; surplus or banned pesticides or other chemicals; polluted soils; and drums containing hazardous materials from removal actions or accidental releases.
• Ecolabelling – A voluntary method of environmental
  performance certification and labelling that is practised around
  the world. An ecolabel is a label which identifies overall
  environmental preference of a product or service within a specific
  product/ service category based on life cycle considerations. The
  International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has identified
  three broad types of voluntary labels, with ecolabelling fitting
  under the Type I designation. Global Ecolabelling Network,
  http://www.gen.gr.jp/
  
• Ecology - a branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environment.
• Eco-Spun - a textile product using PET (Recyclable plastic bottles) and processed to create fibres to be knitted or woven into the fabric.
• Ecosystem - An interconnected and symbiotic grouping of animals, plants, fungi and micro-organisms that sustains life through biological, geological and chemical activity.
• Embodied Energy – An indication of the amount of energy
  used in production and distribution of a material or product;
  the cost in energy to produce. The total energy stored in a
  product or material and includes the energy in the raw
  materials, transport and that consumed in manufacture.
  Eco-Design Handbook by Alastair Faud-Luke, Thames & Hudson 2002.
  
• Emissions - The release of gases, liquids and/or solids from any process or industry. Liquid emissions are commonly referred to as effluents.
• EMS (Environmental Management System) - An internal system for handling environmental issues within a company. It sets requirements for how activities impacting the environment shall be accounted for and documented. The existing standardisation systems in Europe are ISO 14001 and EMAS.
• Environmental Footprint - For an industrial setting this is a company's environmental impact determined by the amount of depletable raw materials and non-renewable resources it consumes to make its products and the quantity of wastes and emissions that are generated in the process.
• Environmental Impact - Any change to the environment whether adverse or beneficial, wholly or partially resulting from human activity, industry or natural disasters.
• Environmental Management System (EMS) – An environmental
  management system (EMS) is a systematic approach to dealing
  with the environmental aspects of an organization. It is a 'tool'
  that enables an organization of any size or type to control the
  impact of its activities, products or services on the natural
  environment. The ISO 14001 standard "Environmental
  management systems--Specification with guidance for use"
  is the standard within the ISO 14000 series that specifies the
  requirements of an environmental management system.
  ISO, http://www.tc207.org/
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – Designed to reduce
  the amount of waste from consumer goods and its impact on the
  environment. It involves producers taking more responsibility for
  managing the environmental impact of their products throughout
  their life. Producers can play a role beyond the point of sale or
  warranty by, for example, designing products that produce less
  waste, use fewer resources, and contain more recycled and less
  toxic components. NSW Department of Environment and Conservation,
  http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/waste/epr/faq.htm#one
  
• Fossil Fuels - Fossil fuels are the remains of plant and animal life that are used to provide energy by combustion, coal, oil and natural gas.
• Fairtrade - Producer or organisations that supply Fairtrade products are inspected and certified by FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International) and receive a minimum price that covers the cost of sustainable production together with an extra premium which is invested in social or economic development projects.
• FSC Wood - Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) certified forests are managed to ensure long term timber supplies while protecting the environment and live of forest-dependent peoples.
• Glass - Most commercial glass is made from molten mixture of soda ash, sand and lime. An excellent material for re-using and recycling. The recycling process can be repeated endlessly without any loss of quality.
• Global Warming - A process that raises the air temperature in the lower atmosphere due to heat trapped by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, CFCs and ozone. Applied to the warming predicted to occur as a result of human activities. (i.e. emissions of greenhouse gases)
• Greenhouse Effect - The warming of the earth's surface and lower atmosphere as a result of carbon dioxide and water vapour in the atmosphere, which results in an increase in temperature.
• Greenhouse Gases - The most important greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and ozone.
• Habitat
  • The natural home of an animal or plant
  • The sum of the environmental conditions that determine the existence of a community in a specific place.
• Hydrocarbons (HC) - Chemical compounds that consist entirely of carbon and hydrogen.
• HDPE - High Density Polyethylene. A type of plastic that is commonly used in milk cartons.
• Hazardous Substance – A substance which has the potential to
  harm the health or safety of humans. Types of substances which
  may be hazardous include solvents, pesticides, paints, adhesives,
  petroleum products, heavy metals and other industrial chemicals.
  http://www.comcare.gov.au/publications/factsheets/fact-sheet-17b.html
  http://www.nohsc.gov.au/
• Heavy Metals – Metallic elements mainly of high atomic
  weight, generally toxic to plant and animal life in low
  concentrations. These elements are often present in the
  environment in trace concentrations and exhibit biological
  accumulation. Examples include mercury, cadmium, arsenic
  and lead, which are toxic to humans in any form or quantity.
  Department of the Environment and Heritage (NPI),
  http://www.npi.gov.au/epg/npi/contextual_info/glossary.html
  
• Landfills
  • Sanitary landfills are disposal sites for non hazardous solid wastes spread in layers, compacted to the smallest practical volume and covered by material applied at the end of each operating day
  • Secure chemical landfills are disposal sites for hazardous waste, selected and designed to minimize the chance of release of hazardous substances into the environment.
• Life Cycle of a Product - All stages of a product's development, from extraction of fuel for power to production, marketing, use and disposal.
• Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) - The assessment of a products full environmental costs, from raw materials to final disposal, in terms of consumption of resources, energy and waste - 'from the cradle to the grave'
• Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) - An accounting of the energy and waste associated with the creation of a new product through use and disposal.
• Life Cycle Thinking – The concept of life cycle thinking
  integrates existing consumption and production strategies,
  preventing a piece-meal approach. Life cycle approaches avoid
  problem shifting from one life cycle stage to another, from one
  geographic area to another and from one environmental
  medium to another. Human needs should be met by providing
  functions of products and services, such as food, shelter and
  mobility, through optimised consumption and production
  systems that are contained within the capacity of the ecosystem.
  UNEP http://www.uneptie.org/pc/sustain/lcinitiative/background.htm
• Light weighting – Reducing the weight of a product so as to
  have less environmental impact in production and distribution.
  Less material used and less weight to transport.
• Materials Labelling – The labelling of materials in a product
  so as to assist in sorting for recycling. Words, letters, numbers,
  symbols or a combination can be used to designate composition
  of components of a product or packaging. Note: a material
  identification symbol does not indicate whether an item can
  be recycled. EcoRecycle Victoria
  http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au/www/default.asp?casid=2499
  
• Non-renewable Energy - Energy derived from depletable fuels (oil, gas, coal) created through lengthy geological processes and existing in limited quantities on the earth.
• Non-renewable Resource - A resource that cannot be replaced in the environment (i.e. fossil fuels) because it forms at a rate far slower than its consumption.
• Organic Cotton - A typical conventional cotton t-shirt uses about 150 grams of acutely toxic pesticides and insecticides; that's the size of a cup of sugar. (source: Soil Association). Organic cotton is manufactured from organically grown cotton plants. No chemical pesticides or fertilisers are used to grow it, and the final cloth is unbleached and dyed with natural plant dyes.
• Ozone Hole - A thinning break in the ozone layer. Seasonal ozone holes have been observed over the Antarctic and artic regions, part of Canada, and the extreme north eastern United States.
• Ozone Layer - The protective layer in the atmosphere, about 12-15 miles above sea level, which absorbs some of the sun's ultraviolet rays, thereby reducing the amount of potentially harmful radiation that reaches the earth's surface.
• Pathogens - Micro-organisms (i.e. bacteria, viruses or parasites) that can cause disease in humans, animals and plants.
• PET - Polyethylene Terepthalate. A type of plastic used to make soft drink bottles and other kinds of food containers. PET is also used to make fabric.
• Post-Consumer Waste - Post consumer waste is collected through commercial and household recycling schemes and recycled content could include both post-consumer waste and post-industrial waste.
• Post-Industrial Waste - Post industrial waste (or pre-consumer waste) is produced during the manufacturing process, for instance paper off-cuts from printing processes or mill-broke.
• Product Service System (PSS) – A Product Service System
  (PSS) can be defined as: 'a marketable set of products and
  services capable of jointly fulfilling a user's need'. PSS-s will
  offer powerful concepts towards the marketplace and can
  contribute to sustainable growth. Basic idea is that a company's
  commercial value creation goes beyond the spreading of
  material goods. PSS is about function fulfilment of the needs
  of clients. PSSI Network, http://www.pss-info.com
• Product Stewardship – Producers and brand owners
  proactively managing the environmental impacts throughout
  the life-cycle of their products in partnership with other
  stakeholders eg. suppliers, consumers, government. Playing
  a greater roll in keeping their products out of the waste stream.
  See EPR and SPR.
  
• Recycling - Process by which materials that would otherwise become solid waste are collected and separated or processed and returned to the economic mainstream to be reused in the form of raw materials or finished goods.
• Recycled Content – Proportion of recycled material in a blend,
  component or product; typically sourced from materials recovered
  from end-of-life products and components as opposed to
  the use of 100 per cent virgin materials. See Post Consumer
  and Post Industrial Waste.
  
• Re-Use - To find a new function for an item that has outgrown its original use, use again waste saving.
• Shared Product Responsibility (SPR) – A variation on EPR and Product Stewardship i.e. seeks to expand the assignment of responsibility for waste management of packaging and spent consumer goods beyond the producer and consumer to include all participants along the life cycle of a product including designers and manufacturers, as well as consumers and governments. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts http://www.mass.gov/epp/info/define.htm
  
• Sustainable - Sustainability is all about preserving the world's natural resources for future generations. A fully sustainable industry would be one that has zero impact, or a positive impact on the environment.
• Sustainable Consumption – Sustainable resource use. A change to society's historical patterns of consumption and behaviour that enables consumers to satisfy their needs with better performing products or services that use fewer resources, cause less pollution and contribute to social progress worldwide. EcoRecycle Victoria
  http://www.ecorecycle.vic.gov.au/www/default.asp?casid=2499
• Sustainable Product Design (SPD) – A design philosophy and practice in which products contribute to social and economic well being, have negligible impacts on the environment and can be produced from a sustainable resource base.
  Eco-Design Handbook by Alastair Faud-Luke, Thames & Hudson 2002.
• Sustainable Production – The creation of goods and services using processes and systems that are non-polluting; conserving of energy and natural resources; economically viable; safe and healthful for employees, communities, and consumers; and socially and creatively rewarding for all working people.
  http://www.sustainableproduction.org/abou.what.shtml
  
• Toxicity – A toxic substance can be defined as one with an inherent ability to cause systemic damage to living organisms. Toxic substances occur in the air, the soil, the water and in other living things, and they can enter the body in various ways. Australia Academy of Science, http://www.science.org.au/nova/036/036key.htm
• Triple Bottom Line - People, Planet and Profit - the idea being that environmental quality and social equity are just as important as black ink at the bottom of the ledger.
• Waste to Energy - Burning of industrial waste to provide steam, heat or electricity. Sometimes referred to as waste-to-fuel process.
• Waste Neutral - When a greater weight of products made from recycled materials is the same or greater weight of materials sent to be recycled, Waste Neutral will be achieved.
• Unbleached - Unbleached cotton is Ecru colour, sounder for the environment than bleached or dyed cotton. Unbleached paper may not attain the same high white finish as that of bleached paper but is good for general use, however buying recycled paper could even be seen as more important than recycling used paper because demand for recycled paper in the U.K. currently lags behind supply!
• Vegetable based Inks - Using vegetable oil, rather than petroleum solvents, as the vehicle for carrying pigment. Vegetable ink colours tend to be more vibrant than petroleum-based inks, but may take longer to dry
• VOCs - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemicals that evaporate easily at room temperatures. The term "organic" indicates that the compounds contain carbon. VOC exposures are often associated with odours however at other times there are no odours. Both can be harmful.