Lexicon-Q-Z

Second Generation Biofuels:

iofuels

extracted

from biomass

non-edible

plant

Third generation

biofuel

is sourced from algae.

emantic Web:

An 'intelligent' extension of the Web that will allow the user to

access, share, and

combine

information more easily.

Silvopasture:

The integration of trees,

forage

and livestock

ick

uilding

Syndrome

A t

erm

used to

define particular

symptoms that affect

a percentage of

building

occupants during the time they

are

in the building

but

diminish or go away when

they leave the building.

Slimes

(subsurface lithoautotrophic microbial ecosystems)

Subsurface microorganisms

that occupy pores

in rock

(lithoautotrophic

means

'gets all its energy from rocks'

)

and derive their energy from chemical

synthesis and not from

photosynthesis.

Those slimes found so far on Earth, (in the Indian Ocean) use

hydrogen generated by the rocks as food.

Smog

dense and

visible haze caused primarily by particulate matter and ozone.

now

ine

line

above which

snow and ice cover the

ground throughout

the

whole

year.

Socioenvironmental

: When social systems and their energy mechanizations are in

harmony with the

environment.

Solar Thermal Power

: The focusing of sunlight to heat a fluid, which in turn makes steam, which then

runs

turbine generator.

ox and Nox:

Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide.

SRES Scenarios

Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES)

cenarios developed by the

Intergovernmental

Panel on

Climate

Change to explore a

range of potential future greenhouse gas

emissions

rojections

over the

21st

century and their subsequent

implications for global

climate change.

Stakeholder

: All parties that have a direct or indirect interest, financial or otherwise,

in an entity or

company

and its activities, decisions or policies.

STARS:

Sustainability, Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS), developed by

the

Association

for

the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education

Stratosphere

: The region of the Earth's atmosphere 10-50 km above the surface of the

planet.

Sulfate Particles:

Polluting particulate matter which is

light in color and therefore reflects heat.

Sulfur Dioxide

(SO2): Is produced when fossil fuels high in sulfur are burned during industrial processes.

After traveling in the

atmosphere

returns to earth with precipitation as acid rain.

Sulfur Hexafluoride

(SF6):

synthetic industrial gas

nd one of

the six types of greenhouse gases to be

curbed

under the

Kyoto

Protocol.

Emission sources include

heavy industry uses such as

high-

voltage

equipment

insulation

and

the

manufacturing of cable-

cooling systems.

SF6's

Global Warming Potential

estimated to be 22,200 times that

CO2

, and

has

an atmospheric lifetime

of 3,200 years.

Surging Glacier:

A short-lived periodic hastening of a glacier at rates as fast as 100 times the norm

Sustainable

ackaging

One or preferably all of the following

;

biodegradable, compostable and made from

renewable resources.

Sustainability Reporting

: Is the practice of measuring, being accountable for, and the

disclosing of

organizational performance, with a goal of sustainable development.

Sustainable Development

(SD): Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising

future generations.

Swamp Gas

: When water cuts off the oxygen supply to soil, such as in peat bogs, mud flats, marshes,

wetlands and swamps, this

leads to anaerobic digestion or fermentation of organic matter, which creates

methane.

Syngas:

A synthetically produced mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and

hydrogen (H2) which is the product

of high temperature gasification processes. Used in cleaner coal technologies.

Synthetic

iology

enome

nanotechnology

combine

d with

genetically m

odified engineering

ich has

the

potential to

design and build

modified or completely new forms of life

alkable

rbanism

: Car-less recreation and living.

Environments

with a mix

ture of offerings

such as

parks,

schools

and

entertainment

are

all

in close proximity

Waste Reduction

Decreasing the amount of waste at its source.

ater and

iamonds

aradox

We cannot live without water- it is extremely valuable, but its monetary

value is low. For diamonds the opposite is true.

ater

ass

A distinguishable

body of water w

ith

certain characteristics

distinct from

its

surrounding

water.

Its measured characteristics could be

temperature, salinity, chemical

s, etc

Some major

water masses in the ocean

are: Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW), North

Atlantic

Deep Water

(NADW), Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW), Antarctic Intermediate

Water (AAIW),

etc.

Web 2.0:

Interactive multi-media software using the network as platform. It consumes and remixes

data

from

multiple sources and then allows remixing by others. It becomes richer as more people

use it. Web

2.0 has

been called an "architecture of participation" or domain of 'Mass

amatuerization".

Wind-

riven

irculation

arge-scale ocean circulation result

ing

from the

movement

wind

hole building

esign

: A way of building that considers the gestalt of

architectu

re,

eco-

engineer

ing

and

the buildings

environment

from day one of the design phase.

World Ecological Footprint:

The use of natural resources as expressed in planets needed to

fulfill

humankind's demands.

Vampire Energy

: The energy used by electronics when supposedly turned off or not in use. Today's TVs,

DVD

players, computers/printers, stereos, microwaves, coffee machines, etc...all draw energy, when in off

mode or

stand-by, unless unplugged

or switched of via a power strip

Volatile Organic Compounds

(VOCs): Are chemical compounds that vaporize (become a gas) at room

temperature and enter the atmosphere. Formaldehyde, benzenes, ketones,

alcohols

and hydrocarbons are

just a few

of the

thousands of common VOC's. VOCs are found in building materials, furnishings, cleaning

products,

gasoline,

newspaper, air fresheners, cosmetics, tobacco smoke etc. VOCs are also produced

during the

combustion of

fuel and react with NOx in the presence of sunlight and form ground level ozone.

Many

VOCs are cancer causing.

Ultracapacitors

: Electrochemical polarized capacitors that store energy and are capable of never ending

cycles of charge and discharge. Currently being developed as an energy devise in numerous motor vehicle

applications such as recovery of braking energy.

ltrafine

erosols

articles smaller than 100 nanometers

- easily find a home deep in the lungs.

Ultra fine aerosols also

form a core upon which cloud droplets form affecting density of cloud cover.

U-Value

: The measurement of heat loss through a wall, ceiling or floor.

The lower

number the better, as

the

lower the

U-Value, the slower the heat loss.

Radiactive Forcings:

Climate influences that drive temperatures up or down. A

n example of a

cooling

force would be the

addition of black aerosols into the atmosphere.

Radon:

(Rn) A

n odorless

radioactive gas formed

during

the decay of uranium.

It is abundant in certain hard

rock and soil. Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer.

Rankine cycle

A power plant

steam engine

consisting of a closed series of four processes: (1) liquid

pressurization

(2) heating

evaporation (3) vapor expansion

which generates power

(4) condensation

/cooling

This type of turbine produces about 80% of all the electric power used throughout the world.

Recycling:

The process of collect

ing

discarded materials

sort

ing

, process

ing

and

then

convert

ing the

discarded materials

into raw materials and

reus

ing them

in the

production of new products.

Renewable Energy

: Energy obtained from inexhaustible sources, like the sun and wind.

Renewable Energy Certificate

: Certifies the generation of one MW hour of electricity from a clean

energy

source.

enewable Portfolio Standards

: Require utilities to generate or purchase a certain percentage of their

energy from renewable resources.

Rotor

iameter

The diameter of the

circle swept by the rotor

, which is the rotating part of a wind turbine.

RSS

: Really Simple Syndication is an XML-based format for content distribution.

RSS feeds supply

news

content as it becomes available.

R-Value

: A measure of insulating ability. The higher the R-value the less heat loss.

Techno Utopianism

: The belief that science and technology will solve all problems and bring about an ideal

world

Terawatt:

A terawatt (TW) is a unit of power equivalent to 1 trillion Watts (1,000,000,000,000 or 10

)

Terra Nullius

: An inhabitable no-man's land.

Theoretical Potential

: The highest level of potential.

Thermal Power Plant

: A facility that uses heat to power an electric generator. The heat may be supplied by

fossil

fuels, biomass or other fuel, by nuclear fission, or by solar or geothermal sources.

Thermal Solar Power

: The use of solar energy to heat liquid.

There are

low, medium,

and

high

temperature

collectors.

Low and medium temperature flat panel collectors are used residentially and commercially to heat

water.

There

are currently three

major

types

igh temperature

collectors

(tower

power

arabolic dish,

and

arabolic

trough)

these use lenses and reflectors to concentrate the sun's

energy

to heat water and thereby run

a turbine which generates electricity.

Unlike

solar cells that use

silicon and

chemicals

to convert

solar

energy directly into electricity

, high-temperature t

hermal solar

uses heat to power an electric generator.

Thermohaline Circulation:

Water put into motion by differences in temperature (thermo-) and salinity

(haline).

Third Generation Biofuel:

Biofuel sourced from algae.

Thirty-year time lag

: The climate takes 30 years to respond to emitted carbon.

oxicokinetics

: The

tracking of the

take of toxic substances, the

changes they make

the

distribution in

the tissues, and the elimination of the

toxins

and their

metabolites from the body.

racer

ases

Gases

which are used to identify suspected pollutant

pathways

Transfer Emissions:

The environmental costs of products produced in one country and then exported to

another.

richloroethylene

: From the Department of Health and Human Services ToxFAQs:

A highly toxic

chlorinated hydrocarbon today mainly used as a solvent and degreaser. In the past it has been

used as an anesthetic, as an extractor of vegetable oils, a decaffeinater of coffee and as a dry cleaning agent.

From the Department of Health and Human Services ToxFAQs:

Drinking or breathing high levels of trichloroethylene may cause nervous system effects, liver and lung

damage, abnormal heartbeat, coma, and possibly death. Trichloroethylene has been found in at least 852 of the

1,430 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Trichloroethylene is not thought to occur naturally in the environment. However, it has been found in

underground water sources and many surface waters as a result of the manufacture, use, and disposal of the

chemical.

Triple Bottom Line

A companies responsibility to its social and environmental performance added to its

economic bottom line. The gestalt of "people, planet, profit".

Tropospheric

zone

(or ground-level ozone)

reates

smog

t is formed when volatile

organic

compounds

(VOCs), oxygen and

nitrogen oxides

react in the presence of sunlight.

Though

ozone is

beneficial

in the

stratosphere, ground-level ozone is a respiratory irritant and

air

pollutant.

Turbine

: A

motor

ose

blades are rotated by the force

movement of a liquid, such as water, or a gas, such

steam.

Home

X,Y,Z

Xenoestrogens:

Chemicals that mimic estrogen.

Xylene

: An aromatic hydrocarbon used to increase octane. After making its way out of the tailpipe it reacts

with sunshine and causes smog

Zero Emissions

: Aims for maximal utilization of materials and zero emissions of harmful substances.

Green Words for the 21st Century

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