More Green Terminology Defined!!

Curious what that green term means? Previously we discussed environmental lingo and what it means. There are so many eco friendly words and phrases out there, that we're adding more green terminology definitions to a growing list.

AFFORESTATION is the establishment of a forest or stand of trees in an area where the preceding vegetation or land use was not forest.

BIOMASS, a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms,such as wood, waste, (hydrogen) gas, and alcohol fuels.

CHLOROFLUOROCARBON (CFC) is an organic compound that contains carbon, chlorine, and fluorine, produced as a volatile derivative of methane and ethane.

DOWNCYCLING is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of lesser quality and reduced functionality.

ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT is a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems.

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (EMS) refers to the management of an organization's environmental programs in a comprehensive, systematic, planned and documented manner.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.

GREENHOUSE GAS (GHG)  is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range.

HOLISTIC INTERIOR DESIGN is about making the most of your home using an integrated approach to health, wellbeing and the environment.

HYBRID VEHICLE, is a vehicle using more than one power source.

ORGANIC  is a term that emcompasses a wide variety of topics, but centers around the main idea of living as close to nature as possible.

POST-CONSUMER MATERIAL is an end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste.

RENEWABLE ENERGY is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished).

SIMPLE LIVING encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want.

WASTE REDUCTION is the process and the policy of reducing the amount of waste produced by a person or a society. It involves efforts to minimize resources and energy used during manufacture.

Join the Scrambled Eco-Friendly Words Game for a chance to win $5 each and every week, plus learn more terms and lingo that relate to being environmentally friendly and green.

Environmental Lingo Explored

Over the past few weeks, I've been hosting a game at FDR called Scrambled Eco Words where players jumble up the letters of environmentally friendly words and phrases for another player to solve. Each week a winner is randomly drawn to win a $5 gift card.

With all this green lingo being shared, I thought it would be good to break them down and explain what they mean! Here are the first 20 explained:

RENEWABLE ENERGY is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable (naturally replenished).

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY (also eco-friendly, nature friendly, and green) are synonyms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies considered to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment.

RECYCLING is processing used materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution (from incineration) and water pollution (from landfilling) by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse gas emissions as compared to virgin production.

REUSE is to use an item more than once. This includes conventional reuse where the item is used again for the same function, and new-life reuse where it is used for a new function.

COMPOST is plant matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting a year or more.

SUSTAINABILITY is the capacity to endure. In ecology, the word describes how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems.

BIODEGRADABLE is a type of waste, typically originating from plant or animal sources, which may be degraded by other living organisms. Waste that cannot be broken down by other living organisms are called non-biodegradable.

DUMPSTER DIVING is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners, but which may be useful to the dumpster diver.

RAIN BARREL is a water tank which is used to collect and store rain water runoff, typically from rooftops via rain gutters. Rain barrels are devices for collecting and maintaining harvested rain.

CLIMATE CHANGE is a long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in the average weather conditions or a change in the distribution of weather events with respect to an average, for example, greater or fewer extreme weather events. Climate change may be limited to a specific region, or may occur across the whole Earth.

EFFICIENT ENERGY USE, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal to expend less energy in the performance of tasks.

BIODIESEL refers to a vegetable oil- or animal fat-based diesel fuel consisting of long-chain alkyl (methyl, propyl or ethyl) esters. Biodiesel is typically made by chemically reacting lipids (e.g., vegetable oil, animal fat (tallow) with an alcohol. Biodiesel is meant to be used in standard diesel engines and is thus distinct from the vegetable and waste oils used to fuel converted diesel engines. Biodiesel can be used alone, or blended with petrodiesel. Biodiesel can also be used as a low carbon alternative to heating oil.

CARBON FOOTPRINT is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person". Greenhouse gases can be emitted through transport, land clearance, and the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, and services.

SOLAR PANEL (photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel) is a packaged interconnected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can be used as a component of a larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications.

VERMICOMPOSTING is the product of composting utilizing various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and earthworms to create a heterogeneous mixture of decomposing vegetable or food waste, bedding materials, and vermicast. Vermicast, also known as worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, is the end-product of the breakdown of organic matter by species of earthworm.

UPCYCLING is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

CONSERVATION is an ethic of resource use, allocation, and protection. Its primary focus is upon maintaining the health of the natural world: its, fisheries, habitats, and biological diversity.

CARBON RATIONING or Personal carbon trading is a general term referring to a number of proposed emissions trading schemes under which emissions credits are allocated to adult individuals on a (broadly) equal per capita basis, within national carbon budgets. Individuals then surrender these credits when buying fuel or electricity.

POLLUTION PREVENTION (P2) describes activities that reduce the amount of pollution generated by a process, whether it is consumer consumption, driving, or industrial production.

ZERO WASTE is a philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. Any trash sent to landfills is minimal. The process recommended is one similar to the way that resources are reused in nature.



As we progress through the game, I'll share the words/phrases and what they mean. This is a great way to learn about different environmental terms plus keep your mind sharp deciphering the anagrams! And of course, you can WIN too!