Terms & Definitions

A good understanding of the Termes & Definitions used is necessary to become an informed consumer of "Green" Products and Services.

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B
Bio Based Products
Products that are composed mostly of biological products or renewable domestic materials.
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C
Certified or Sustainably Harvested Wood
Wood products obtained from "well-managed forests," usually certified through third-party organizations. While there is currently no industry consensus on what constitutes sustainable forest management, several organizations have established criteria, most notably the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In general, well-managed forests conserve biological diversity, water resources, soils, and the overall ecosystem of the forest.
Closed-Loop Recycling
A recycling process in which a manufactured product is recycled back into the same (or similar) product without significant deterioration of the quality of the product. Materials that can be recycled in this fashion include steel and other metals, as well as glass and some types of plastics (e.g., nylon carpet fiber).
Compost
The relatively stable humus material that is produced from a composting process in which bacteria in soil mixed with garbage and degradable trash break down the mixture into organic fertilizer.
Conservation
Conservation is the wise use of natural resources (nutrients, minerals, water, plants, animals, etc.). Planned action or non-action to preserve or protect living and non-living resources.
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E
Embodied Energy
The total energy required to produce a finished product, including the energy used to grow, extract, manufacture, and transport it to the point of use.
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F
Fossil Fuel
Fossil fuels are the remains of plant and animal life that are used to provide energy by combustion; coal, oil, natural gas.
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G
Global Warming
An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth. Global warming has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is most often used to refer to the warming predicted to occur as a result of increased emissions of greenhouse gases.
Greenhouse Effect
The effect produced as greenhouse gases allow incoming solar radiation to pass through the Earth’s atmosphere, but prevent most of the outgoing infrared radiation from the surface and lower atmosphere from escaping into outer space. This process occurs naturally and has kept the Earth’s temperature about 60 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than it would otherwise be. Current life on Earth could not be sustained without the natural greenhouse effect.
Greenhouse Gas
Any gas that absorbs infra-red radiation in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone (O3), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
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H
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
A product that is discarded from a home or a similar source that is either ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic (e.g. used motor oil, oil-based paint, auto batteries, gasoline, pesticides, etc.).
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I
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
According to the U.S. EPA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the definition of good indoor air quality includes: (1) the introduction and distribution of adequate ventilation air; (2) the control of airborne contaminants; and (3) the maintenance of acceptable temperature and relative humidity.
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M
Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
OSHA-required documents supplied by manufacturers of products containing hazardous chemicals. MSDSs contain information regarding potentially significant levels of airborne contaminants, storage and handling precautions, health effects, odor description, volatility, expected products of combustion, reactivity, and procedures for spill cleanup.
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P
Post-Consumer Recycled Material
A reclaimed waste product that has already served a purpose to a consumer, and has been diverted or separated from waste management collection systems for recycling. Example: used newspaper that is made into cellulose building insulation.
Pre-Consumer Recycled Material
A material that is removed from production processes (including scrap, breakage, or by-products) and reused in an alternative process before consumer distribution. Example: mineral (slag) wool, a by-product of the steel blast furnace process, used for mineral fiber acoustical ceiling panels.
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T
Third-Party Certification
The certification of a specific product or process that is performed by an organization independent from those who produce the product or process. Certification is often used to substantiate the environmental attributes of specific products (such as the percentage of recycled content) or processes (such as a sustainable harvesting operation for forests).
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V
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC)
Chemicals that contain carbon molecules and have high enough vapor pressure to vaporize from material surfaces into indoor air at normal room temperatures (a process known as off-gassing). While most VOCs are relatively inert at typical indoor concentrations, they can react with oxidants such as ozone and possibly nitrogen oxide and nitrogen dioxide to form reactive species and possibly strong irritants, including various acids and aldehydes. VOCs may cause eye and upper respiratory irritation,
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