A collective of all things ESRG – Environmental, Sustainable, Renewable & Green terms.
- Biodiversity: The variety of all forms of life on Earth, including species diversity, genetic diversity, and ecosystem diversity.
- Biodegradable: A substance or object capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms, thereby avoiding pollution.
- Carbon Footprint: The total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly by an individual, organization, event, or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent.
- Carbon Neutral: Achieving a balance between emitting carbon and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere in carbon sinks, resulting in a net zero carbon footprint.
- Carbon Offset: A reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions produced elsewhere.
- Circular Economy: An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources through principles like recycling, reuse, and refurbishment.
- Climate Change: Significant and lasting changes in global weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years, attributed largely to increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.
- Composting: The process of recycling organic waste, such as food scraps and yard waste, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants.
- Decarbonization: The process of reducing carbon dioxide emissions resulting from human activity, with the goal of achieving a low-carbon economy.
- Ecological Footprint: A measure of human demand on Earth’s ecosystems, representing the amount of natural capital used by a person or community.
- Ecosystem Services: Benefits humans obtain from ecosystems, such as clean water, pollination, climate regulation, and recreation.
- Energy Efficiency: Using less energy to perform the same task, thereby eliminating energy waste and reducing energy consumption.
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA): A process of evaluating the likely environmental impacts of a proposed project or development, considering inter-related socio-economic, cultural, and human-health impacts.
- Environmental Justice: A movement that focuses on the fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens, ensuring that no group of people bears a disproportionate share of negative environmental impacts.
- Environmental Stewardship: The responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices.
- Green Building: The practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle.
- Green Economy: An economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment.
- Green Infrastructure: A network providing the “ingredients” for solving urban and climatic challenges by building with nature, such as green roofs, parks, and wetlands.
- Greenhouse Gases (GHGs): Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse effect; includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases.
- Greenwashing: The practice of making misleading claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company to appear more environmentally friendly than they are.
- LEED Certification: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design; a widely used green building rating system that provides a framework for healthy, efficient, and cost-saving green buildings.
- Organic Farming: Agricultural system that uses ecologically based pest controls and biological fertilizers derived largely from animal and plant wastes and nitrogen-fixing cover crops.
- Permaculture: A system of agricultural and social design principles centered around simulating or directly utilizing the patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems.
- Renewable Energy: Energy sourced from natural processes that are replenished constantly, such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, and biomass.
- Sustainable Agriculture: Farming practices that meet current food needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, focusing on environmental health, economic profitability, and social equity.
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030, aiming to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all.
- Sustainable Supply Chain: Management of raw materials and services from suppliers to manufacturer/service provider to customer and back with the improvement of the social and environmental impacts explicitly considered.
- Sustainability: Practices that meet current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, focusing on environmental, social, and economic balance.
- Upcycling: The process of transforming by-products, waste materials, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or environmental value.
- Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning them and without discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.