Glossary

Bioenergy

Used in different senses: in its most narrow sense it is a synonym for biofuel, fuel derived from biological sources. In its broader sense it encompasses also biomass, the biological material used as a biofuel, as well as the social, economic, scientific and technical fields associated with using biological sources for energy.

Calorie

A basic measure of energy that has been replaced by the SI unit the joule; in physics it approximates the energy needed to increase the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 C which is about 4.184 joules. The Calories in food ratings (spelled with a capital C) and nutrition are big C Calories or kcal.

Calorific value

The energy content of a fuel measured as the heat released on complete combustion.

Carbon credit

A market-driven way of reducing the impact of greenhouse gas emissions; it allows an agent to benefit financially from an emission reduction. There are two forms of carbon credit, those that are part of national and international trade and those that are purchased by individuals.

Carbon footprint

A measure of the carbon emissions that are emitted over the full life cycle of a product or service and usually expressed as grams of CO2-e.

Carbon labeling

Use of product labels that display greenhouse emissions associated with goods.

Carbon neutral

Generally refers to activities where net carbon inputs and outputs are the same. For example, assuming a constant amount of vegetation on the planet, in the short term burning wood will add carbon to the atmosphere but this carbon will cycle back into new plant growth.

Cleaner production

The continual effort to prevent pollution, reduce the use of energy, water and material resources and minimize waste all without reducing production capacity.

Consumption (ecology)

The use of resources by a living system, the inflow and degradation of energy that is used for system activity.

Eco

A prefix now added to many words indicating a general consideration for the environment e.g. ecohousing, ecolabel, ecomaterial.

Ecolabel

Seal or logo indicating a product has met a certain environmental or social standards.

Ecological Footprint (Eco-footprint, Footprint)

A measure of the area of biologically productive land and water needed to produce the resources and absorb the wastes of a population using the prevailing technology and resource management schemes; a measure of the consumption of renewable natural resources by a human population, be it that of a country, a region or the whole world given as the total area of productive land or sea required to produce all the crops, meat, seafood, wood and fiber it consumes, to sustain its energy consumption and to give space for its infrastructure.

Ecological sustainability

The capacity of ecosystems to maintain their essential processes and function and to retain their biological diversity without impoverishment.

Ecological sustainable development

Using, conserving and enhancing the human community's resources so that ecological processes, on which all life depends, can be maintained and enriched into the future.

Ecology

The scientific study of living organisms and their relationships to one another and their environment; the scientific study of the processes regulating the distribution and abundance of organisms; the study of the design of ecosystem structure and function.

Embodied energy

The energy expended over the entire life cycle of a good or service. See Emergy.

Emergy

Energy memory all the available energy that was used in the work of making a product directly and indirectly, expressed in units of one type of available energy (work previously done to provide a product or service); the energy of one type required to make energy of another.

Emissions

Substances such as gases or particles discharged into the atmosphere as a result of natural processes of human activities, including those from chimneys, elevated point sources, and tailpipes of motor vehicles.

Emission standard

A level of emissions that, under law, may not be exceeded.

Energetics

The study of how energy flows within an ecosystem: the routes it takes, rates of flow, where it is stored and how it is used.

Energy

A property of all systems which can be turned into heat and measured in heat units.

• available energy – energy with the potential to do work (exergy);

• delivered energy – energy delivered to and used by a system;

• direct energy - the energy being currently used, used mostly at home (delivered energy) and for fuels used mainly for transport;

• embodied energy - t the energy expended over the entire life cycle of a good or service OR the energy involved in the extraction of basic materials, processing/manufacture, transport and disposal of a product OR the energy required to provide a good or service;

• indirect energy – the energy generated in, and accounted for, by the wider economy as a consequence of an agent’s actions or demands;

• kinetic energy - the energy possessed by a body because of its motion;

• operational energy – the energy used in carrying out a particular operation;

• potential energy – the energy possessed by a body as a result of its position or condition;

• primary energy – forms of energy obtained directly from nature, the energy in raw fuels (electricity from the grid is not primary energy), used mostly in energy statistics when compiling energy balances;

• secondary energy – primary energies are transformed in energy conversion processes to more convenient secondary forms such as electrical energy and cleaner fuels;

• useful energy – available energy used to increase system production and efficiency;

Energy accounting

Measuring value by the energy input required for a good or service. A form of accounting that builds in a measure of our impact on nature (rather than being restricted to human-based items).

Energy efficiency

Using less energy to provide the same level of energy service.

Energy Footprint

The area required to provide or absorb the waste from coal, oil, gas, fuel, wood, nuclear energy and hydropower: the Fossil Fuel Footprint is the area required to sequester the emitted CO2taking into account CO2absorption by the sea etc.

Energy management

A program of well-planned actions aimed at reducing energy use, recurrent energy costs, and detrimental greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy recovery

The productive extraction of energy, usually electricity or heat, from waste or materials that would otherwise have gone to landfill.

Environment

The external conditions, resources, stimuli etc. with which an organism interacts.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) (product take-back)

A requirement (often in law) that producers take back and accept responsibility for the responsible disposal of their products; this encourages the design of products that can be easily repaired, recycled, reused or upgraded.

Footprint (Ecological Footprint)

In a very general environmental sense a "footprint" is a measure of environmental impact. However, this is usually expressed as an area of productive land (the footprint) needed to counteract the impact.

Green

(sustainability) like eco - A word frequently used to indicate consideration for the environment e.g. green plumbers, green purchasing etc., sometimes used as a noun e.g. the Greens.

Green design

Environmentally sustainable design.

Greenhouse effect

The process in which the emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere warms a planet's surface.

Green power

Electricity generated from clean, renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro power) and supplied through the grid.

Green products and services

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. Green products or services may include, but are not limited to, those which contain recycled content, reduce waste, conserve energy or water, use less packaging, and reduce the amount of toxics disposed or consumed.

Green purchasing

Purchasing goods and services that minimize impacts on the environment and that are socially just.

Heat

Energy derived from the motion of molecules; a form of energy into which all other forms of energy may be degraded.

Horsepower

(hp) = 745.7 watts.

ISO 14001

The international standard for companies seeking to certify their environmental management system. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 standard was first published in 1996 specifying the requirements for an environmental management system in organization (companies and institutions) with the goal of minimizing harmful effects on the environment and the goal of continual improvement of environmental performance.

Joule

(J) The basic unit of energy; the equivalent of 1 watt of power radiated or dissipated for 1 second. Natural gas consumption is usually measured in megajoules (MJ), where 1 MJ = 1, 000,000 J. On large accounts it may be measured in gigajoules (GJ), where 1 GJ = 1 000,000,000 J.

Kyoto Protocol

An international agreement adopted in December 1997 in Kyoto, Japan. The Protocol sets binding emission targets for developed countries that would reduce their emissions on average 5.2 percent below 1990 levels.

Lifecycle (of a product)

All stages of a product's development, from raw materials, manufacturing through to consumption and ultimate disposal.

Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)

An objective process to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with a product, process, or activity. A means of identifying resource use and waste released to the environment, and to assess management options.

Low entropy energy

Refers to high-quality energy, or energy that is concentrated and available. Electricity is considered the energy carrier with the lowest entropy (i.e. highest quality) as it can be transformed into mechanical energy at efficiency rates well above 90%. In contrast, fossil fuel chemical energy can only be converted into mechanical energy at a typical efficiency rate of 25% (cars) to 50 percent (modern power plants). The chemical energy of biomass is of lower quality.

Overshoot

Growth beyond an areas carrying capacity; ecological deficit occurs when human consumption and waste production exceed the capacity of the Earth to create new resources and absorb waste. During overshoot, natural capital is being liquidated to support current use so the Earth's ability to support future life declines.

Plant quality

A standard of plant appearance or yield.

Power

The rate at which work is done; electrically, power = current x voltage (P = I V).

Primary productivity

The fixation rate at which energy is fixed by plants.

Producer responsibility

The legal responsibilities of producers/manufacturers for the full life of their products.

Product stewardship

The principle of shared responsibility by all sectors involved in the manufacture, distribution, use and disposal of products for the consequences of these activities; manufacturing responsibility extending to the entire life of the product.

Renewable energy

Any source of energy that can be used without depleting its reserves. These sources include sunlight (solar energy) and other sources such as, wind, wave, biomass, geothermal and hydro energy.

Resource recovery

(Waste) The process of obtaining matter or energy from discarded materials.

Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

A system of incorporating environmental considerations into policies, plans and programs especially in the EU.

Sustainability

The Brundtland definition is: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Sustainability science

The multidisciplinary scientific study of sustainability, focusing especially on the quantitative dynamic interactions between nature and society. Its objective is a deeper and more fundamental understanding of the rapidly growing inter-dependence of the nature-society system and the intention to make this sustainable. It critically examines the tools used bysustainability accountingand the methods ofsustainability governance.

Sustainable comsumption

Sustainable resource use - a change to society's historical patterns of consumption and behavior that enables consumers to satisfy their needs with better performing products or services that use fewer resources, cause less pollution and contribute to social progress worldwide.

System

A set of parts organized into a whole, usually processing a flow of energy.

Total energy use

The total of combined direct and indirect energy use.

Work

Physical effort; a force exerted for a distance; an energy transformation process which results in a change of concentration or form of energy.