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Annual Consumption – Annual consumption refers to the amount of electricity used by a consumer in one year and is typically measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). This information is available on your electricity bill or by contact in your energy provider. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower /whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Biodegradable - Capable of decomposing under natural conditions.

 

By-product - Material, other than the principal product, generated as a consequence of an industrial process or as a breakdown product in a living system. (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Carbon Dioxide – Carbon dioxide is an atmospheric gas that is a major component of the carbon cycle. Although produced through natural processes, carbon dioxide is also released through human activities, such as the combustion of fossil fuels to produce electricity. Carbon dioxide is the predominate gas contributing to the greenhouse effect, and as such is known ton contribute to climate change. (http://www.epa.gov/ greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Carbon Footprint – A measure of your impact in the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Carbon Neutral — An activity or event that has successfully balanced the carbon footprint with carbon offsets, thereby negating the environmental impact. Businesses have been known to attempt carbon neutrality on certain projects. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

Carbon Offset — One way to compensate for a carbon footprint, essentially by investing money in a project that will benefit the environment and cancel out the emission of carbon dioxide from a certain activity. The most common form of carbon offset is planting trees because they will absorb carbondioxide.  (http://earth911.com)
 

Clean Renewable Energy – Green power is electricity generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as solar, wind, geothermal, low-impact biomass, and low-impact hydro resources.

(http://www.epa.gov/greenpower)

 

Cradle-to-Cradle - A holistic economic, industrial and social framework that seeks to create systems that are not just efficient but essentially waste free.[1] It suggests that industry must protect and enrich ecosystems and nature's biological metabolism while also maintaining safe, productive technical metabolism for the high-quality use and circulation of organic and synthetic materials. (http://www.c2ccertified.com)

 

Demand Side Management – This term refers to energy conservation and efficiency programs developed for and used by residential and business consumers to reduce their use of electric energy. (http://www.epa.gov /greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Eco-Label – A seal or logo indicating that a product has met a set of environmental or social standards. (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Emission - Pollution discharged into the atmosphere from smokestacks, other vents, and surface areas of commercial or industrial facilities; from residential chimneys; and from motor vehicle, locomotive, or aircraft exhausts. (http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefEdList. aspx?refid=210012270)

Energy Star - A joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy to save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. Devices carrying the Energy Star logo, such as computer products and peripherals, kitchen appliances, buildings and other products, save 20%-30% on average. (http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=about.ab_index)

 

Environmentally Preferable – Products or services having a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services serving the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquistion, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, mainenance, or product or service disposal. (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Ethical Sourcing - The intentional purchase of products and services that the customer considers to be made ethically. This may mean with minimal harm to or exploitation of humans, animals and/or the natural environment. (http://www.csreurope.org/events.php?action= show_event&event_id=73)

 

Fair Trade - An organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as social and environmental standards in areas related to the production of a wide variety of goods. (http://www.fairtradefederation.org/ht/d/sp/i/177/pid/177)

 

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) -  A set of standards that represent the world’s strongest system for guiding responsible forest management, including the chain of custody in the manufacturing of paper. When you buy paper products that are FSC certified you are promoting responsible use of forest resources. The FSC also supports responsible forest management by certifying papers that are made with high post-consumer recycled content. (http://www.newleafpaper.com)

 

Green-e Energy – The nation’s leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy. It is a voluntary consumer-protection program that verifies superior, certified renewable energy options offered by utilities and marketers in the retail market. It is administered by the Center for Resource Solutions, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, CA. (http://www.resource-solutions.org)

 

Green Design – A design, usually architectural, which conforms 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. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis /glossary.htm)

 

Greenhouse Effect – 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. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Greenhouse Gases – Gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that produce the greenhouse effect. Changes in the concentration of certain greenhouse gases due to human activity such as fossil fuel burning increase the risk of global climate change. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, halogenated fluorocarbons, ozone, perfluorinated carbons and hydrofluorocarbons. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere because of human activities such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide

and fluorinated gases. (http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/index.html)

 

GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI) -  An industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification ProgramSM.  As an ANSI Authorized Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings. A GEI Advisory Board consisting of independent volunteers, who are renowned experts in the areas of indoor air quality, public and environmental health, building design and construction, and public policy, provides guidance and leadership to GEI. (http://www.greenguard.org/Default.aspx?tabid=22)

 

Green Seal - Provides science-based environmental certification standards that are credible, transparent, and essential in an increasingly educated and competitive marketplace. Their industry knowledge and standards help manufacturers, purchasers, and end users alike make responsible choices that positively impact business behavior and improve quality of life. (http://www.greenseal.org/about/index.cfm)

 

Greenwashing -  A term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly. (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Greenwashing)

 

Landfill – An area where water is dumped and eventually covered with dirt and topsoil. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Leadership in energy and Environmental Design (LEED) – A nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a while-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selections and indoor environmental quality. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Lean Manufacturing Methods - A production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination. (http://www.lean.org/WhatsLean/)

 

Life Cycle of a Product -All stages of a product's development, from extraction of fuel for power to production, marketing, use, and disposal.  (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) -  A demographic defining a particular market segment related to sustainable living, "green" ecological initiatives, and generally composed of a relatively upscale and well-educated population segment. Researchers have reported a range of sizes of the LOHAS market segment from an estimated $300 billion and approximately 30% of the U.S. consumer market in 2006; to a study by the Natural Marketing Institute in 2007 that showed 40 million Americans were included within the LOHAS demographic.  (http://www.lohas.com)

 

Offsets - A concept whereby emissions from proposed new or modified stationary sources are balanced by reductions from existing sources to stabilize total emissions. (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Post-Consumer – A term used to describe material that is being reused/recycled after it has been in the consumer’s hands (e.g., a newspaper going back to the paper mill to be recycled into new recycled content paper products). Material or product used by the consumer for its original purpose and then discarded. (http://www.gdrc.org/uem/ait-terms.html)

 

Post-Consumer Material – A material or finished product whose life as a consumer item has concluded, after having served its intended use and being discarded for disposal or recovery. Post-Consumer material is part of a broader category of recovered materials. (www.epa.gov)

 

Post-Consumer Paper Waste – Recycled material that has been collected after is has been used and disposed of. Office and household recycling programs are the main sources of post-consumer paper waste. These waster materials would have previously gone to landfills or incinerators. (http://www.newleafpaper.com)

 

Post-Consumer Waste – A material or product discarded for disposal after passing through the hands of a final user, having served its intended purpose. Post-Consumer material is part of a broader category of recovered materials.

 

Processed Chlorine Free Paper – Describes a bleaching process free of chlorine or chlorine compounds. Using PCF paper eliminates most of the toxic by-products of traditional chlorine bleaching, such as cancer-causing dioxins and other organochlorides. (http://www.newleafpaper.com)

 

Recovered Material – Waste materials and by-products recovered or diverted from solid waste, excluding those materials and by-products generated from, and commonly reused within an original manufacturing process. (www.epa.gov)

 

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

 

Recycled material – A material utilized in place of raw or virgin material in product manufacturing consisting of materials derived from postconsumer waste, industrial scrap, material derived from agricultural wastes, and other items, all of which can be used in new product manufacture. (www.epa.gov)

 

Recycled Paper – Uncoated paper with at least 30% PCW and coated paper with at least 10% PCW. (http://www.newleafpaper.com)

 

Recycling – The series of activities, including collection, separation and processing, by which materials are recovered from the solid waste stream for use as raw material in the manufacture of new products (other than fuel for producing heat or power by combution). (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Reduce/Recycle/Reuse - Recycle/Reuse is minimizing waste generation by recovering and reprocessing usable products that might otherwise become waste (.i.e. recycling of aluminum cans, paper, and bottles, etc.).

Reduce - act of purchasing or consuming less to begin with, so as not to have to reuse or recycle later. (http://www.nrdc.org)

 

Renewable Energy Certificates – Also known as RECs, green tags, green energy certificates or tradable renewable certificates, certificates represent the technology and environmental attributes of electricity generated from renewable sources. Renewable energy credits are usually sold in 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) units. A certificate can be sold separately from the mega-watt hour of generic electricity it is associated with. This flexibility enables customers to offset a percentage of their annual electricity use with certificates generated elsewhere. (http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/whatis/glossary.htm)

 

Renewable Resource — A resource that is capable of being naturally restored or replenished, such as a tree. It is most commonly used to describe alternative forms of energy such as solar and wind power, which can be continually reproduced using natural resources. (http://earth911.com)

 

The Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) -  This directive restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. (http://www.rohs.gov.uk/)

 

SCS - A global leader in independent certification of environmental, sustainability, food quality and food purity claims. SCS has developed internationally recognized standards and certification programs aimed at spurring the highest level of environmental improvements, social accountability and product performance. (http://www.scscertified.com/about_scs.php)

 

Socially Responsible/ Social Responsibility/Corporate Social Responsibility - The obligation of organization management to make decision and take actions that will enhance the welfare and interests of society as well as the organization. Corporate Social Responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. Ideally, CSR policy would function as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby business would monitor and ensure their adherence to law, ethical standards, and international norms. (http://socialresponsibility.vinsign.com)

 

Sustainable - Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need. (http://earth911.com)

 

Sustainability — Term for a system that has potential longevity in our current ecosystem, and is usually applied to the use of renewable vs. non-renewable resources. For a system to be sustainable, it must be able to survive indefinitely, which would imply the use of renewable resources because they are in infinite supply. (http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/ refpages/RefEdList.aspx?refid=210031663)

 

Synthetic Organic Chemicals (SOCs) - Man-made (anthropogenic) organic chemicals. Some SOCs are volatile; others tend to stay dissolved in water instead of evaporating. (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Third Party Certifications - The procedure by which third party gives written assurance that a product, process, or service conforms to specific requirements. (http://www.grdc.org)

 

Triple Bottom Line - An expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational (and societal) success: economic, ecological and social. In the private sector, a commitment to corporate social responsibility implies a commitment to some form of TBL reporting. (http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/264/1/Triple-bottom-line.html)

 

USDA Organic - The National Organic Program (NOP) develops, implements, and administers national production, handling, and labeling standards for organic agricultural products. The NOP also accredits the certifying agents (foreign and domestic) who inspect organic production and handling operations to certify that they meet USDA standards. (http:// http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop)

 

Virgin Material – Previously unused raw material, including previously unused copper, aluminum, lead, zinc, iron, other metal or metal ore; or any undeveloped resource that is, or with technology will become, a source of raw materials. (http://www.epa.gov)

 

Zero Waste - A philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Any trash sent to landfills is minimal. In industry this process involves creating commodities out of traditional waste products, essentially making old outputs new inputs for similar or different industrial sectors. (http://www.californiagreensolutions.com/cgi-bin/gt/tpl.h,content=58)