3R's: The accepted abbreviation for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Aquaculture: The farming of freshwater and saltwater organisms including mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Unlike fishing, aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, implies the cultivation of aquatic populations under controlled conditions.

Biodegradable:  A material or substance which will decompose quickly and without harmful effects to the environment, when left exposed to nature.

Bioaccumulation:  Where toxins taken up by plants and animals from their environment become concentrated in body tissues.

Biodiversity: The scope of different living things within an area - the plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms and the ecosystems they are part of.

BioFuel: A solid, liquid or gas fuel derived from recently dead biological material and is distinguished from fossil fuels, which are derived from long dead biological material. Theoretically, biofuels can be produced from any (biological) carbon source; although, the most common sources are photosynthetic plants, making it a sustainable with no or little harmful emissions.

Carbon footprint: A measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide.

Carbon Offset: Carbon offsetting is the act of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions through emissions trading. For example, a factory or production facility may not be able to reduce its own carbon footprint any further through its own actions, so it may voluntarily purchase credits for another party to offset their actions. The goal of carbon offsets is to attain a carbon neutral overall effect.

Certified Wood: Under the guidance of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), wood-based materials used in building construction that are supplied from sources that comply with sustainable forestry practices, protecting trees, wildlife habitat, streams and soil.

Circle Hooks: A type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. It has become widely popular among anglers in recent years because it hooks fish at a much higher percentage and rarely is swallowed by a fish (causing the hook to set in the gills or vital organs) and thus greatly decreases the mortality rates of released fish.

Compact Fluorescent Lamp ( CFL): an energy saving light bulb rapidly replacing traditional incandescent bulbs.

Climate change: Most common definition refers to the recent, and rapid, variation in the Earth's global climate due to anthropogenic (human) activity induced global warming.

CO2: chemical shorthand for carbon dioxide - the greenhouse gas that is contributing greatly to global warming.

Compostable: A material that breaks down to become what is effectively soil. It contains no toxins and can support plant life.

Corn Plastic: The common term for materials made with Polylactic Acid (PLA), a resin made from corn. Corn plastic has a low melting temperature and is 100% biodegradeable.

Cradle to Cradle Design (C2C): A system of designing things that mimics nature with the idea they will never become waste.

Cradle to Grave (C2G): A typical system of design where at the end of its useful life, something becomes waste.

Eco-friendly: An alternative to goods produced with chemicals and synthetics. These products are made with ecology and the environment in mind.

Ecology: The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their natural environment.

Eco-savvy: A person who is environmentally aware.

Ecosystem: The physical and biological elements of an area co-existing to form a self supporting environment.

Energy Efficient Products: and systems that use less energy to perform as well or better than standard products. While energy-efficient products sometimes have higher up-front costs, they tend to cost less over their lifetime when the cost of energy consumed is factored in. An example of this is fluorescent light bulbs vs. incandescent bulbs.

Emissions: Emissions are particles and gases released into the air as byproducts. There are many types of emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions, for example, contribute to global warming and are not sustainable to the health of the earth.

Fair Trade: A social movement that promotes standards for international labor and gives workers a sense of economic self sufficiency through fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged populations.

Forestry Stewardship Council: A nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. FSC-labeled wood products indicate that the wood is harvested from sustainably-managed forests.

Fair Trade Federation (FTF): An association of fair trade wholesalers, retailers and producers that adhere to social criteria and environmental principles that foster a more equitable and sustainable system of production and trade.

Flat pack: An increasingly popular way of producing goods that the end user assembles. The unfinished product takes up far less space, so more can be shipped - saving fuel and emissions.

Fossil Fuel: Any hydrocarbon deposit used for fuel such as oil, coal and natural gas. These are called "fossil" fuels as it takes many years for them to be created in the natural environment.

Free range: A method of farming where the animals are permitted to roam freely instead rather than being confined in an enclosure.

Fuel Cell: An electrochemical conversion device. It produces electricity from fuel and an oxidant, which react in the presence of an electrolyte. Research continues on the application of hydrogen fuel cells for automobiles. A hydrogen cell uses hydrogen as fuel and oxygen (usually from air) as oxidant.

Geothermal: Heat sources within the planet.

Global Warming: The increase in the average temperature of our planet's air and ocean temperature largely due to human influences.

Genetically Modified Organism (GMO): An organism whose genetic structure has been artificially altered through the introduction of genes not normally found in that organism.

Green: Anything considered environmentally friendly.

Green Building: A green building is designed to conserve resources and reduce negative impacts on the environment - whether it is energy, water, building materials or land. Compared to conventional construction, green buildings may use one or more renewable energy systems for heating and cooling, such as solar electric, solar hot water, geothermal, bio mass, or any combination of these.

Green Collar: a worker who is employed in the environmental sectors of the economy, or in the agricultural sector.

Greenhouse Gas: Any of a number of atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse (warming) effect of our atmosphere.

Greenwashing: A term used, similar to the term “whitewashing”, to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

Grey Business: A new term which refers to conventional companies which have not as yet adopted sustainable business practices.

Greywater: Effluent from the shower, bath, sinks and washing machines. Does not contain sewage.

Heavy Metal: A poisonous metal, including lead and mercury that builds up in the tissues of organisms.

Herbicide: Any chemical agent that kills or inhibits plant growth.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV): A vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine and an electric motor to propel the vehicle.

IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: An international organization established to investigate climate change, its potential impacts and options for reducing risk.

Landfill: An area where household trash or industrial waste is buried in the ground.

Light Emitting Diode (LED): Unlike an incandescent bulb where a filament is heated to generate light, light is emitted in a LED when electrons, excited from their chemical bonds by electrical energy from a battery, re-form these bonds, releasing the energy as light. The process of emitting light from an LED is more rapid and more efficient than in the incandescent bulbs where most of the energy is wasted as heat. LED’s are becoming more common as a replacement for traditional incandescent lighting.

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A leading certification process by the U.S. Green Building Council that evaluates new buildings constructed to common green standards.

Low-VOC: A term referring to reduced amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in paint and finishes. Low-VOC paints do not off-gas as much as conventional paints and contain less toxins that are harmful to the environment.

Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS): A term used to describe people who believe in a “green” lifestyle..

Mitigation: A term used to describe projects or programs intended to offset known impacts to an existing natural resource such as a stream, wetland, or endangered species. It may also be used in the business world, where certain industries, unable to reduce their carbon footprint, elect to contribute to another project which reduces carbon, thereby achieving overall carbon neutrality.

Natural: A product that is made from materials and ingredients found in nature, with little or no human intervention. For example, wood is a natural material while plastic is not.

Organic: Of or relating to a product that is solely made from plants or insects. Organic materials and products often carry certifications according to industry.

Organic food: Plants grown without conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage and processed without food additives. Food products from animals have not been subjected to routine antibiotics or growth hormones.

Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV): A vehicle that has zero evaporative emissions from its fuel system and meets SULEV tailpipe emission standards. This vehicle category was created as part of a bargain with the California Air Resources Board (CARB), so that the automobile manufacturers could postpone producing mandated zero emission vehicles (ZEVs), which will require the production of electric vehicles or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Polyethylene Terephathelate (PET): A petroleum based plastic used to manufacture soda and water bottles.

Photovoltaics (PV): The use of solar cells to convert light from the sun into electricity.

Post-consumer: Refers to recycled material that was used first by a consumer. A high post-consumer content helps divert materials from ending up in landfills.

Pre-consumer: Refers to recycled material that came from the manufacturing process. Pre-consumer recycling of scraps and discards diverts waste that may otherwise end up in landfills, and reduces use of raw materials.

Recycle: To extract and reuse useful substances found in items that may be otherwise considered as waste.

Recyclable: A product or material that can be converted back into material that can be used again in manufacturing new goods. Typically, recycleable materials (aluminum, steel, paper, etc.) must remain in their pure form. If too many adhesives are used, or a product is made from a composite, those materials may not be separated at the end of its life-cycle for recycling.

Renewable Energy: Energy harvested from sources that are not depleted when used, typically causing very low environmental impact. Examples include solar energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal and wind power.

Repurpose: To take what may be otherwise a waste item and use it for another purpose.

Solar Array: Also called a photovoltaic array. It is a linked collection of photovoltaic modules, which are in turn made of multiple interconnected solar cells. The cells convert solar energy into direct current electricity via the photovoltaic effect.

Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV): A conventionally powered or gas-electric hybrid vehicle designed to produce minimal air pollution at their point of use, typically 90% less than that of an equivalent ordinary full gasoline vehicle.

Sustainable: Actions and products that meet current needs without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet theirs. Sustainability is a broad term and often refers to the desire to provide the best outcomes for the human and natural environments both now and into the indefinite future.

Sustainably-harvested: A renewable resource that as been harvested in a way that allows its inherent regeneration and continued ongoing supply.

Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP): Also known as TSP. It is a meat substitute made from defatted soy flour.

Vegan: A person who only eats plant products and uses no products derived from animals, such as some types of soap and leather.

Vegetarian: A person whose diet consists mainly or entirely of plant products.

Waste stream: Waste coming from different sectors such as municipal, commercial, industrial and residential.

Wastewater: Water that has been used and contaminated. Wastewater must be purified before being used again or before being returned to the environment.

Wind Turbine: A rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. The mechanical energy is then converted to electricity. Other names include: wind generator, wind power unit (WPU) or wind energy converter (WEC).

Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV): A vehicle itself that produces no emissions or pollution from the vehicle when stationary or operating. Typically, these vehicles include bicycles, animal drawn vehicles, and electric vehicles.