Carbon Footprint – a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organization, or location at a given time.
Cool Roof – a roof that reflects the sun’s heat and emits absorbed radiation back into the atmosphere.
Closed-loop process – an environmentally friendly production system in which any industrial output is capable of being recycled to create another product.
ENERGY STAR® – a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Greenwashing – the practice of promoting environmentally friendly programs to deflect attention from an organization’s environmentally unfriendly or less savory activities.
Green building – the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.
ISO 1400 – addresses various aspects of environmental management. The first two standards, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 14004:2004 deal with environmental management systems (EMS). ISO 14001:2204 provides the requirements for an EMS and ISO 14004:2004 gives general EMS guidelines.
Post-consumer recycled content – material from products that were used by consumers or businesses and would otherwise be discarded as waste.
Post-consumer waste – materials or finished products that have served their intended use and have been diverted or recovered from waste destined for disposal, having completed their lives as consumer items.
Recycled content – made from materials that would otherwise have been discarded. Items are made totally or partially from material destined for disposal or recovered from industrial activities-like aluminum soda cans or newspaper. Also, can be items that are rebuilt or remanufactured from used products such as toner cartridges or computers.
Recycling – to treat or process (used or waste materials) so as to make suitable for reuse.
Reuse – to use again, especially after salvaging or special treatment or processing.
Sustainability – meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sources: dictionary.com; usgs.gov; iso.org; epa.gov; dictionary.bnet.com; coolroofs.org
