Você está na página 1de 15

Sustainability 1001 Glossary:

Anthropocentric: - a human centered view of the world. It considers human beings to be the most important living thing on earth and argues that all decisions should be made to benefit human beings.

Aquifer: - is a body of saturated rock through which water can easily move. Aquifers must be both permeable and porous and include such rock types as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone and unconsolidated sand and gravel. Fractured volcanic rocks such as columnar basalts also make good aquifers. The rubble zones between volcanic flows are generally both porous and permeable and make excellent aquifers. In order for a well to be productive, it must be drilled into an aquifer.

Biocentric: - an ethical point of view which extends inherent value to non-human species, ecosystems, and processes in nature - regardless of their sentience.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD): - the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms in a body of water to break down organic material present in a given water sample at certain temperature over a specific time period.

Biodiversity: Ecosystems with more species function with more efficiency, are better able to withstand disturbances, are more productive. To have a diversity of animal species, we first must have a diversity of plant species. Most insect herbivores can only eat plants with which they share an evolutionary history the plants that are native to the same area. Biodiversity refers to the need for many species to keep an ecosystem healthy.

Biomimicry: a science that studies natures phenomena and processes and uses them as inspiration for the design of new and useful processes.

Brownfields: are abandoned or underused industrial and commercial facilities available for re-use. Expansion or redevelopment of such a facility may be complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminations.

The carbon cycle: carbon dioxide is consumed by plants to produce sugars and oxygen; decomposers break down dead organic matter to release the carbon back into the air and water. Carbon composes 0.03% of the earths atmosphere. Emissions and burning fossil fuels add excess carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Carbon footprint The total set of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions caused directly and indirectly be an individual, organization, event or product (UK Carbon Trust 2008). An individual, nation, or organizations carbon footprint is measured by undertaking a GHG emissions assessment. Once the size of a carbon footprint is known, a strategy can be devised to reduce it.

Climate Mitigation: - is any action taken to permanently eliminate or reduce the long-term risk and hazards of climate change to human life, property.

Climate Adaptation: - refers to the ability of a system to adjust to climate change (including climate variability and extremes) to moderate potential damage, to take advantage of opportunities, or to cope with the consequences.

Climate Model: - use quantitative methods to simulate the interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, land surface, and ice. These models incorporate the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere and the oceans and aim to answer questions

such as when the next El Nio might occur, and what might happen if greenhouse gas concentrations double.

Coagulation Flocculation: - coagulation the process by which colloidal particles and very fine solid suspensions initially present in a wastewater are combined into larger agglomerates that can be separated via sedimentation, flocculation, filtration, centrifugation or other separation methods. Flocculation is the slow mixing process in which particles that have had their charge neutralized (coagulation) are encouraged to clump together with other particles, creating larger masses that will settle more rapidly. Consumerism -- the concept that an ever-expanding consumption of goods is advantageous to the economy; the fact or practice of increasing consumption of goods.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Corporate initiative to assess and take responsibility for the company's effects on the environment and impact on social welfare. The term generally applies to company efforts that go beyond what may be required by regulators or environmental protection groups. Corporate social responsibility may also be referred to as "corporate citizenship" and can involve incurring short-term costs that do not provide an immediate financial benefit to the company, but instead promote positive social and environmental change.

Criteria Pollutants: - air pollutants for which standards for safe levels of exposure have been set under the Clean Air Act. Current criteria pollutants are sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, ozone and lead.

Daylighting: is the redirection of a stream into an above-ground channel with the goal of restoring a stream of water to a more natural state. It is intended to

improve the riparian environment for a stream which had been previously diverted into a culvert, pipe, or a drainage system. Deep Ecology: ecological philosophy distinguished by its advocacy of the inherent worth of living beings regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs.

Downcycle Most recycled industrial nutrients (materials) lose viability or value in the process of recycling. This means they can only be used in a degraded form for components other than their original use. White writing paper, for example, is often downcycled into materials such as cardboard and cannot be used to create more premium writing paper.

Eco-efficiency A term for leveraging technological and process changes in order to generate solutions that offer more value than current offerings while reducing resource use and environmental impact throughout the product or services life. Ideally, eco-efficiency not only achieves the best possible efficiency in terms of materials and energy used in the creation, use and disposal of a product or service, but it might leave residual value equal to or higher than these inputs. See also: eco effectiveness.

Eco effectiveness The central strategy in the cradle to- cradle development method seeks to create industrial systems that emulate healthy natural systems. The central principle of eco effectiveness is that waste equals food. The concept was developed in response to some of the perceived limitations of eco efficiency which critics claim only slow down the rate of environmental depletion and dont reverse the production of unused or non recycled waste. See also: eco efficiency.

Ecology: Ecology is the study of the complex relationships between organisms and their environment (air, soil, water).

Ecosystem: an ecosystem is an interdependent system of abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) combinations of plants, animals and microbes that live together in a unified physical environment.

Ecosystem services: healthy ecosystems provide goods and services that benefit human beings and other organisms.

Economic Development -- Progress in an economy; often refers to the adoption of new technologies, transition from agriculture-based to industry-based economy, and general improvement in living standards. The term economic development can also be referred to as the quantitative and qualitative changes in the economy. Traditionally macro-level economic indicators, such as GDP, were used to measure economic development. Ecofeminism: - social movement that regards the oppression of women and nature as interconnected The energy cycle: incoming radiant energy from the sun is used by green plants to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars and oxygen, also called photosynthesis. Energy movement is unidirectional.

Environmental Discourse -- environmental discourses inform our general beliefs about the nature of reality and shape human-environmental relationships. Discourses are widely held ideas, words, concepts, beliefs that inform society. They often inform how society uses and impacts natural resources, how it values the living and non-living. There are multiple environmental discourses, but often a

particular discourse is hegemonic or dominant. Discourses are not stable, but dynamic and may shift and adjust over time.

Environmental Justice: - fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies

Eutrophication: - natural process of nutrient enrichment that occurs with sedimentation over time in a body of water. Biological growth of algae as a result of sewage and agricultural or industrial waste discharge into the water deprives the ecosystem of oxygen and causes stagnation.

Executive Order 13514:- is an executive order titled Federal Leadership in Environmental, Energy, and Economic Performance that U.S. President Barack Obama issued on October 5, 2009.This executive order mandates that at least 15 percent of existing federal buildings and leases meet Energy Efficiency Guiding Principles by 2015, and that annual progress be made toward 100 percent conformance of all federal buildings, with a goal of 100% of all new federal buildings achieving zero-net-energy by 2030.

Filtration: - is commonly the mechanical or physical operation which is used for the separation of solids from fluids (liquids or gases) by interposing a medium through which only the fluid can pass.

Food chain: the food chain indicates the flow of energy in an ecosystem, flowing from plants to herbivores to carnivores to decomposers.

Food web: real pattern of food consumption in an ecosystem. Its more like a complex interwoven web than a linear chain. Producers: or autotrophs are organisms in an ecosystem that produce their own food, using energy from the sun, and carbon from the air. Plants occupy the first trophic level Consumers: or heterotrophs, are organisms in an ecosystem that occupy the second and third trophic levels obtaining both their carbon and their energy from organic sources. Consumers include herbivores (second trophic level) and carnivores (third trophic level). Decomposers: are organisms that break down dead organic material to release their elemental components into the soil, air and water.

Fossil Fuel: - are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years.

Greenhouse gases: GHGs include carbon dioxide, methane, CFCs, and other gaseous elements that get trapped in earths atmosphere and exacerbate global warming. A greater drawdown of CO2 occurs in the NH spring and summer as plants convert CO2 to plant material through photosynthesis. It is then released again in the fall and winter as the plants decompose. Methane(CH4) it is released as part of the biological processes in low oxygen environments, such as in swamplands or in rice production (at the roots of the plants). Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) have no natural source, but were entirely synthesized for such diverse uses as refrigerants, aerosol propellants and cleaning solvents.

Gross Domestic Product -- the value of all goods and services produce within a country in one year.

Ground Water: - water located beneath the earth's surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. Groundwater is recharged from, and eventually flows to, the surface naturally; natural discharge often occurs at springs and seeps, and can form oases or wetlands. Human Development Index the standard used by the United Nations since 1993 to measure average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development: GDP purchasing power (decent standard of living) life expectancy (a long and healthy life) Literacy (knowledge)

Hydrofracking: - is a fairly new economic and technological method, which enables natural gas producers to recover natural gas from dense shale formations. During the drilling process, the drill will bore deep down into the earth and then horizontally for approximately 8, ooo feet in each direction. The Hydrofracking process uses a relatively substantial more amount of water compared to that used in conventional drilling about 6-8 million gallons more, as well as a mixture of chemical additives that are pumped into the shale to fracture the rock and release the gas.

LEED Certified Buildings: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is intended to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

Life cycle analysis - An examination, like an audit, of the total impact of a product or services manufacturing, use, and disposal in terms of material and energy. There are few standards yet in measuring and assessing these impacts but a Life Cycle Analysis is usually aider in scope than similar assessments, such as the Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) and the Substance Flow Analysis (SFA). This includes an analysis and inventory of all parts, materials, and energy, and their impacts in the manufacturing of a product but usually doesnt include social impacts.

Life cycle cost the total environmental and economic costs of a product or service over its full lifecycle cradle to grave. Can be used as a more comprehensive, long term decision making tool.

Limnology: is the study of the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of fresh water rivers and lakes.

Millennium Development Goals -- In September 2000, building upon a decade of major United Nations conferences and summits, world leaders came together at United Nations Headquarters in New York to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets - with a deadline of 2015 - that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. There are eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These are: 1) Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2) Achieve universal primary education 3) Empower women and promote equality between men and women

4) 5) 6) 7) 8)

Reduce under-five mortality by 2/3 Reduce maternal mortality by three quarters Reverse the spread of killer diseases, especially HIV-AIDs and malaria Ensure environmental sustainability Create a global partnership for development, with targets for aid, trade and debt relief

The nitrogen cycle: nitrogen is another fundamental building block of life on earth, (proteins are made up of 16%nitrogen), and composes 78% of the earths atmosphere. Nitrogen is not freely available to organisms the way carbon or oxygen are, it needs to be fixed or converted to a more usable state such as ammonium, nitrate or organic nitrogen which plants can then take up easily. Fixation happens in industry (burning of fossil fuels) in the soil by roots of certain plants of the bean family, by decomposition or in the atmosphere during lightning storms. The balance has been disrupted by combustion of fossil fuels and agricultural fertilizers, contributing to acid rain, smog, GHGs, algal blooms and aquatic dead zones. Organic and Inorganic compounds:- An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. Inorganic compounds are of inanimate, not biological, origin which lack carbon and hydrogen atoms and are synthesized by the agency of geological systems.

Potable Water:- water safe enough to be consumed by humans or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm.

Precautionary principle The Wingspread Statement on the Precautionary Principle summarizes the principle this way: When an activity raises threats of harm to the environment or human health, precautionary measures should be

taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not fully established scientifically. Pervious and impervious surfaces: Impervious surfaces prevent infiltration of water, such as roofs, streets and parking lots. Pervious surfaces allow water to infiltrate, and include soft surfaces like grass, gravel, and some modern paving materials. Point and Non-Point Source Pollution:- point source of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution. A point source has negligible extent, distinguishing it from other pollution source geometries Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution refers to both water and air pollution from diffuse sources. Nonpoint source water pollution affects a water body from sources such as polluted runoff from agricultural areas draining into a river, or wind-borne debris blowing out to sea.

Renewable Energy:- is energy that comes from resources which are continually replenished such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewable resources.

Non Renewable Energy: - is energy that comes from the ground and is not replaced in a relatively short amount of time. Fossil fuels are the main category of nonrenewable energy.

Smart growth Consciously planned community growth that creates a higher quality of life for all stakeholders. Smart growth requires a collaboration of perspectives, disciplines, and stakeholders. These principles can also be applied to organizations in the pursuit of growth that creates a better organization for all involved. Smart growth principles include:

Directing development toward existing communities (Vs. new developments) Preserving open space, farmland, natural beauty, critical environmental areas and historic and pre-historic resources. Mixing uses for land and buildings Pursuing compact building design Offering a range of housing opportunities Creating walkable neighborhoods Creating diversity of appealing neighborhoods with a strong sense of place Providing for a variety of transportation choices Considering short-term and long-term public health concerns Encouraging community and stakeholder collaboration www.smartgrowth.org

Social return on investment (SROI) The measure of an investments ability to produce social value in a community or broader society. An attempt to monetize social value in order to help investors assess potential investments based on returns outside of traditional financial measures.

Social Ecology: - is the science of the relationships between human populations and communities and their environments. Social ecology advocates an empowered and re-constructive view of environmental and social issues, and envisions a moral economy that moves beyond scarcity and hierarchy toward a world that re-harmonizes human communities with the natural world while celebrating diversity, and creativity.

Storm Water Runoff: - water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the storm water system.

Streambank erosion: gouging of the sides of a river or stream as a result of stormwater runoff rushing through after a storm surge.

Surface Water:- water collecting on the ground or in a stream, river, lake, wetland, or ocean; it is related to water collecting as groundwater or atmospheric water. Surface water is naturally replenished by precipitation and naturally lost through discharge to evaporation and sub-surface seepage into the ground.

Sustainability/Sustainable Development: There are many definitions of sustainability. All definitions of sustainable development require that we see the world as a systema system that connects space; and a system that connects time. Here are some examples: "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". ---The Brundtland Report living well within the limits of nature ---Mathis Wackernagel, author Sharing Natures Interest not cheating our children --- Former UK Environment Minister John Gummer An extension of the Golden Rule through time, so that you do unto future generations (as well as to your present fellow beings) as you would have them do unto you ----Robert Gilman, Director of the Context Institute A future with healthy and thriving resources for all ---- GWs definition

Systems thinking: - is the process of understanding how things, regarded as systems, influence one another within a whole. In nature, systems thinking examples include ecosystems in which various elements such as air, water, movement, plants, and animals work together to survive or perish

Three Es -- The Three Es of Sustainability are: Ecological integrity Economic development Equity (social justice/ human well-being)

Three Ps -- also called the Triple Bottom Line. These are three principles businesses follow with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility: Profit (Sustainable business) Planet (eco-efficiency) People (ethical business)

Transboundary Pollution: - pollution that originates in one country but is able to cause damage in another countrys environment, by crossing borders through pathways like water or air. Transportation Oriented Development: is a mixed-use residential and commercial area designed to maximize access to public transport, and often incorporates features to encourage transit ridership. A TOD neighborhood typically has a center with a transit station or stop (train station, metro station, tram stop, orbus stop), surrounded by relatively high-density development with progressively lower-density development spreading outward from the center.

Upcycle A term coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The process of converting an industrial nutrient (material) into something of similar or greater value, in its second life. Aluminum and glass, for example, can usually be upcycled into the same quality of aluminum and glass as the original products.

Vector- borne Disease: - is the term commonly used to describe an illness caused by an infectious microbe that is transmitted to people by blood-sucking arthropods. The arthropods (insects or arachnids) that most commonly serve as vectors include: 1.) blood sucking insects such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, biting flies and bugs, and 2.) blood sucking arachnids such as mites and ticks. The term vector refers to any arthropod that transmits a disease through feeding activity.

Wastewater: - is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence.

Watershed: a watershed is the total land area that drains to a water body, river, lake or ocean.

The water cycle: the classic cycle of water movement, including evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, groundwater, surface water.

Você também pode gostar