Green Glossary

The green world uses a lot of terms you won't see anywhere else. If you've come across a term that isn't defined here, contact us and we'll update the list!

Alphabetic Listing

You can also look at the categorized listing.

Categorized Listing

You can also look at the alphabetic listing

Active solar

Active solar technologies use electrical or mechanical equipment such as photovoltaic cells, pumps or fans to convert solar energy into usable light or heat, cause air movement for ventilation or cooling, or store heat for future use. See also passive solar.

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Black water

Water containing human waste from toilets and urinals.

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Building envelope

The area that spearates the exterior and conditioned (heated or cooled) areas of a building, including the roof, exterior walls, windows and floors or foundation.

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Carbon footprint

A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide produced by a person, organization or state in a given time. Carbon footprint is predominantly a measure of energy use.

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Carbon-neutral

Carbon-neutral buildings or businesses remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they create.

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CFL

Compact Flourescent (CFL) lightbulbs are flourescent lightbulbs designed to fit a standard incandescent light socket. They typically use 75% less energy than an incandescent bulb.

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CSDP

Certified Sustainable Development Professional (CSDP) is an accreditation provided by the Association of Energy Engineers that is designed to provide recognition for professionals who have distinguished themselves as leaders in the sustainable development field. The designation CSDP identifies individuals who have demonstrated high levels of technical expertise in energy management and environmental practices.

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Ecological footprint

A measure of how much biologically productive land and water area an individual, population or activity requires to produce all the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates.

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Eco-friendly

Having minimal or no harm on the environment. Synonym for a number of inconsistently defined terms such as green and environmentally friendly.

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Electric vehicle

A vehicle that runs on on batteries only.

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Energy efficiency

Energy efficiency generally refers to achieving the same result—lighting a home, for example—by using less energy. It can be used to describe everything from small-scale changes such as more energy-efficient refrigerators and lightbulbs in homes to more efficient power stations or energy savings across a company's supply chain.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that energy efficiency should effectively be viewed as just another energy source, much like coal or wind power. The concept of a negawatt arose from this idea.

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Energy Star

An international standard for energy efficient consumer products.

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Environmentally friendly

Having minimal or no harm on the environment. Synonym for a number of inconsistently defined terms such as green and eco-friendly.

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EPP

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) refers the practice of buying products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.

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First cost

The total cost of acquiring and installing the item in question. In the context of a building, first cost would include land acquisition costs in addition to the cost of construction.

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Fuel cell vehicle

Any vehicle that runs on power from a fuel cell rather than a battery or gasoline engine. Fuel cell technology has not yet advanced to the point where fuel cell vehicles are a sustainable means of transportation for the general populace.

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Gray water

Wastewater from sinks, showers, kitchens, washers, etc. Gray water does not contain human waste.

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Green

Acting or operating with consideration for the environment. Synonym for eco-friendly and environmentally friendly.

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Green Energy

Sources of energy that are considered to be environmentally friendly and non-polluting, such as geothermal, wind, solar, and hydro. Sometimes nuclear power is also considered a green energy source. Green energy sources are often considered "green" because they are perceived to lower carbon emissions and create less pollution.

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Green Globes

A green building standard operated in the U.S. by the Green Building Initiative and in Canada by by BOMA Canada.

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Greenwashing

The practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing.

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Holistic

A wide-reaching approach that encompasses all the elements of the system rather than the independent parts. A holistic approach recognizes the interdependency of the elements in the system.

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Hybrid vehicle

A vehicle that runs using a battery and a gasoline or diesel engine.

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IAQ

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) refers to the nature of the air inside a building as it affects the health and well-being of occupants. See also Indoor Environmental Quality.

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Indoor Environmental Quality

Indoor Environmental Quality refers to the nature of the environment inside a building, including the air, surfaces and materials, as it affects the health and well-being of occupants. See also Indoor Air Quality.

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LED

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are made of the same materials as semiconductors and produce light even more efficiently than CFLs.

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LEED

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

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Lifecycle cost

The entire monetary and environmental impact of a product or building. The impact includes all the cost, resource and energy impacts associated with every stage of a product's lifecycle, including:

  • Acquisition of raw materials
  • Manufacturing
  • Disposal of manufacturing byproducts
  • Packaging
  • Distribution and transportation
  • Installation
  • Use and maintenance
  • Recycling
  • Disposal

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National Green Building Standard

The National Green Building Standard is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) certified standard for green residential buildings. It was created in 2008.

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Natural

In accordance with nature. There is no more specific definition.

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Negawatt

A negawatt is a negative megawatt: a megawatt of power that was not required to be produced or expended. In other words, it is a unit of energy saved that would otherwise have been made and used. Negawatts are "produced" via energy efficiency or reducing consumption.

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Organic

The term organic means different things in different countries. In the U.S., the USDA (Dept. of Agriculture) defines organic as follows:

  • 100% Organic- means that every ingredient in the product was raised and harvested in an organic environment as approved and certified by the USDA.
  • Organic- means that 70 to 95 percent of all the ingredients have been raised in a USDA approved manner.
  • Any product containing ingredients with less than a 70 percent organic content can separately list each ingredient that falls into the USDA organic category, but the product may not display a label claiming the product as organic.

In order to qualify as organic, the producers must use renewable resources and endeavor to conserve soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones during their lives. Organic food is produced without using harmful, conventional pesticides; fertilizers containing synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.

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Passive solar

Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun's energy for the heating and cooling of spaces without the use of electrical or mechanical equipment. Typical passive solar designs include planting deciduous trees on the side of the building facing the equator to shade the building during the summer, and including lots of windows to gather sun (and heat) during the winter.

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Payback

The period of time required for the return on an investment to "repay" the sum of the original investment. For example, a $1000 investment which returned $500 per year would have a two year payback period.

The payback period is both conceptually simple and easy to calculate. It is also a seriously flawed method of evaluating investments. Because payback is widely viewed as a flawed methodology, it is now sometimes referred to as "Simple ROI".

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PV

Photovoltaic (PV) means "producing a voltage when exposed to radiant energy", typically light. Solar panels use a group of photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight to electricity.

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Renewable

Something that is renewable can replace itself over a (relatively short) period of time. Solar and wind energy are considered renewable; energy from coal is not.

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ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) quantifies how much profit or cost saving is realized for a particular monetary investment. Unlike payback, ROI includes ALL future cash flows, the time value of money and cost of financing.

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R-value

A measure of the heat conductivity of material. The higher the R-value, the better the material serves as insulation from heat transfer.

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Simple ROI

Simple Return on Investment is a synonym for payback.

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Sustainable

To be sustainable, a product or solution must meet three requirements: it must be economically viable (able to be supported financially), socially acceptable (individuals are willing to adopt or at least tolerate the solution) and environmentally friendly.

Sustainability is sometimes referred to as the intersection of People, Planet and Profit, as represented by the Venn diagram below:

insert Venn here

This definition of sustainability evolved from the Triple Bottom Line.

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Triple Bottom Line

According to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, "Sustainable development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity, environmental quality and social equity. Companies aiming for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial bottom line, but against [this] triple bottom line."

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USGBC

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the supporting organization for the LEED green building standards.

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Vampire drain

Many electrical appliances consume electricity even when turned off; this is called "vampire drain". Examples include the clock on your microwave or coffeemaker, or your VCR or DVR waiting to record a program.

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VOC

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that evaporate at room temperature and are often hazardous to human health. They are frequently found in paints and adhesives.

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