A general term for drugs, chemicals, or other substances that either kill or slow the growth of microbes. In most green cleaning situations, a particular chemical called triclosan is to be avoided.
Alternative Energy
Renewable energy sources, such as biomass, small hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, tidal energy and photovoltaic conversion systems. It excludes fossil fuels.
Biodegradable
Biodegradable
A material or substance which, when left exposed to nature, will decompose without harmful effects to the environment.
Carbon Footprint The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Composting A biological decomposition of solid organic materials by bacteria, fungi, and other organisms into a soil-like product that can be used to enrich garden soils . This enrichment not only nourishes the soil but also helps increase moisture retention and thus decrease the need for additional watering.
Cross-contamination The spreading of bacteria among people, food, surfaces, and/or equipment. Proper cleaning processes can prevent this.
Daylighting Daylighting uses natural light to illuminate buildings. Rather than relying on banks of fluorescent lights, daylighting brings indirect sunlight deep into a building, connecting people to the rhythms of nature while providing pleasing illumination at a fraction of the cost of even the most efficient electric lights.
EPA The acronym for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal organization charged with setting and enforcing environmental regulations in the United States.
Energy Conservation Reducing the amount of energy used, for example, through the use of energy efficient lighting and appliances, turning off lights and appliances when not in use and using insulation and weather stripping. This may also be referred to as energy efficiency. It is possible to dramatically reduce energy consumption for powering our homes and buildings (and cars) without major sacrifices. This lessens our dependency on non-renewable resources and reduce the costs connected with excessive energy use.
Gray Water Recycling Gray water is wastewater composed of wash water from the kitchen, bathrooms sinks and showers/tubs, laundry sinks and tubs, and washing machines (clothes and dish) where only non-polluting, biodegradable soaps are used. Recycling this water is done via using it to water gardens and landscaping and as it filters through the soil on its way to ground and subterranean water sources it is cleaned. Using it on the gardens and landscaping reduces the amount of fresh water needed for that purpose.
Global Warming The Earth as an ecosystem is changing, attributable in great part to the effects of globalization and man. More carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere than has been in the past 650,000 years. This carbon stays in the atmosphere, acts like a warm blanket, and holds in the heat — hence the name ‘global warming.’
Embodied Energy All the energy used to grow, extract and manufacture a product including the amount of energy needed to transport it to the jobsite and complete the installation.
Energy Efficient Products and systems that use less energy to perform as well or better than standard products. While some have higher up-front costs, energy-efficient products cost less to operate over their lifetime.
Environmentally Friendly A term that refers to the degree to which a product may harm the environment, including the biosphere, soil, water and air.
Green Cleaning Cleaning to protect health without harming the environment.
GreenGuard Established performance-based standards to define goods such as building materials, interior-furnishings, furniture, cleaning and maintenance products, electronic equipment and personal care products with low chemical and particle emissions for use indoors.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Greenhouse gasses are primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which are naturally occurring.
Ozone Layer Defined by the EPA as the protective layer of atmosphere, 15 miles above the ground, that absorbs some of the sun’s ultraviolet rays and reduces the amount of potentially harmful radiation reaching the Earth’s surface
LEED Acronym for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
Recyclability The ability of a product or material to be recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream.
Xeric Gardens Xeriscape is a coined word derived from the Greek 'Xeros', meaning dry. It is used to describe landscaping with water conservation as a major objective. It often is also accomplished by using plants native to the region. A xeric garden is an attractive, sustainable landscape that conserves water and is based on sound horticultural practices.
All content copyright 2008 CBS Radio. All rights reserved.
Biodegradable
A material or substance which, when left exposed to nature, will decompose without harmful effects to the environment.
Carbon Footprint The total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Composting A biological decomposition of solid organic materials by bacteria, fungi, and other organisms into a soil-like product that can be used to enrich garden soils . This enrichment not only nourishes the soil but also helps increase moisture retention and thus decrease the need for additional watering.
Cross-contamination The spreading of bacteria among people, food, surfaces, and/or equipment. Proper cleaning processes can prevent this.
Daylighting Daylighting uses natural light to illuminate buildings. Rather than relying on banks of fluorescent lights, daylighting brings indirect sunlight deep into a building, connecting people to the rhythms of nature while providing pleasing illumination at a fraction of the cost of even the most efficient electric lights.
EPA The acronym for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal organization charged with setting and enforcing environmental regulations in the United States.
Energy Conservation Reducing the amount of energy used, for example, through the use of energy efficient lighting and appliances, turning off lights and appliances when not in use and using insulation and weather stripping. This may also be referred to as energy efficiency. It is possible to dramatically reduce energy consumption for powering our homes and buildings (and cars) without major sacrifices. This lessens our dependency on non-renewable resources and reduce the costs connected with excessive energy use.
Gray Water Recycling Gray water is wastewater composed of wash water from the kitchen, bathrooms sinks and showers/tubs, laundry sinks and tubs, and washing machines (clothes and dish) where only non-polluting, biodegradable soaps are used. Recycling this water is done via using it to water gardens and landscaping and as it filters through the soil on its way to ground and subterranean water sources it is cleaned. Using it on the gardens and landscaping reduces the amount of fresh water needed for that purpose.
Global Warming The Earth as an ecosystem is changing, attributable in great part to the effects of globalization and man. More carbon dioxide is now in the atmosphere than has been in the past 650,000 years. This carbon stays in the atmosphere, acts like a warm blanket, and holds in the heat — hence the name ‘global warming.’
Embodied Energy All the energy used to grow, extract and manufacture a product including the amount of energy needed to transport it to the jobsite and complete the installation.
Energy Efficient Products and systems that use less energy to perform as well or better than standard products. While some have higher up-front costs, energy-efficient products cost less to operate over their lifetime.
Environmentally Friendly A term that refers to the degree to which a product may harm the environment, including the biosphere, soil, water and air.
Green Cleaning Cleaning to protect health without harming the environment.
GreenGuard Established performance-based standards to define goods such as building materials, interior-furnishings, furniture, cleaning and maintenance products, electronic equipment and personal care products with low chemical and particle emissions for use indoors.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Greenhouse gasses are primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, which are naturally occurring.
Ozone Layer Defined by the EPA as the protective layer of atmosphere, 15 miles above the ground, that absorbs some of the sun’s ultraviolet rays and reduces the amount of potentially harmful radiation reaching the Earth’s surface
LEED Acronym for the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System, a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
Recyclability The ability of a product or material to be recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream.
Xeric Gardens Xeriscape is a coined word derived from the Greek 'Xeros', meaning dry. It is used to describe landscaping with water conservation as a major objective. It often is also accomplished by using plants native to the region. A xeric garden is an attractive, sustainable landscape that conserves water and is based on sound horticultural practices.
All content copyright 2008 CBS Radio. All rights reserved.
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