Column: July 2008

GREEN TIPS: Enviro-glossary

By Patrick Fulton

From photovoltaic panels to offsetting: Learn the lingo.

To help dealers understand eco-lingo, we offer some common green terms. For more, visit nada.org/green.

Biodegradable material—Material that can naturally break down and be reabsorbed into the ecosystem without human interference.

Building envelope—The entire volume of a building enclosed by the roof, walls, and foundation. Properly designed, the envelope can minimize the gain or loss of heat and moisture.

Carbon footprint—A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through fossil fuel combustion. A carbon footprint is often expressed as tons of carbon emitted on an annual basis.

Carbon neutral—A company or process producing zero carbon emissions.

Daylighting—Natural daylight introduced into interior spaces and controlled to reduce levels of electric lighting, minimize glare, and optimize lighting quality.

Eco-assessment—An evaluation of a home or workplace with the aim of cutting energy and water usage.

Fuel cell—Often powered by natural gas, fuel cell technology uses an electrochemical process to convert energy into electrical power.

Graywater—Wastewater from sinks, laundry, and car washes that can be collected and treated for reuse in such activities as watering landscape.

Greenprint—A term used by the Trust for Public Land for a smart-growth strategy that ensures quality of life, clean air and water, recreational opportunities, and local economic health.

Greenscaping—Pesticide-free landscaping that requires the use of all-natural corn and gluten fertilizers.

Greenwashing—When companies spend more effort promoting their environmental image than carrying out environmentally sound practices.

Life cycle assessment—Methodology used to assess a product’s full environmental cost, from the harvesting of raw material to final disposal.

Offsetting—Reducing or “canceling out” one’s carbon footprint by removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as one puts into it. This is often accomplished by planting trees.

Photovoltaic panels—Solar panels that convert sunlight into electricity with the aid of a semiconductor.

Renewable energy—Energy harvested from sources—like wind or the sun—that cannot be depleted, minimizing environmental impact.

Solar heating—A process whereby heat from the sun is absorbed by collectors and transferred by pumps or fans to a storage unit and used to heat a building’s interior directly.

Sustainable landscaping—Low-impact, low-maintenance, low-resource-use landscaping that fits a particular site and climate.

Wastewater—Water that has been used and contaminated, posing a potential environmental risk. Wastewater must be purified before being reused or returned to the environment. Also known as blackwater.

Xeriscape—Landscaping with water conservation as a major objective. Derived from the Greek “xeros,” meaning dry.