GLOSSARY
DEFINITION OF KEY TERMS
| A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
| N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
Biodiversity – The word is a contraction of “biological
diversity,” and refers to the number, variety, and variability
of living organisms.
Top
of Page 
Communicate
Progress to Internal Stakeholders and
as Applicable to External Parties – A
requirement in the ISO 14001
Standard that an organization communicate its environmental
policy to internal
staff members and respond to communications
from external stakeholders.
Top
of Page
Ecological
Integrity – The
healthy functioning of biological
organisms within the ecosystem they inhabit.
Top
of Page
Environmental
Aspects - An element of an organization's activities,
products or services that can interact with the environment.
Top
of Page
Environmental
Policy – Is
a statement by the organization of its intentions and principles
in relation to its overall environmental
performance, which provides a framework
for action and for the setting of its environmental objectives
and targets.
Top
of Page
Environmental
Management System – The part of the overall
management system that includes
organizational structure, planning activities, responsibilities,
practices, procedures, processes and
resources for developing, implementing,
achieving, reviewing and maintaining the environmental policy.
Top
of Page
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions – Emissions of gases related to
human activities that accelerate the “greenhouse effect.” The
term "greenhouse effect" describes the natural heat-trapping
qualities of trace gases in the
Earth's atmosphere. Human activities have significantly increased
the concentrations of natural greenhouse
gases such as carbon dioxide. While
carbon dioxide is not the only greenhouse gas, it is the main contributor
to warming. Other important
greenhouse gases include nitrous
oxide and methane, both of which have increased in the last century.
Top
of Page
Life-cycle – Means
the total impact of a system, function, product or service from
the extraction of raw materials through
its end-of-life management.
Top
of Page
Renewable
Energy - A renewable energy source is defined as any
energy source that is replenishable
and replenished on some reasonable time scale. Renewable energy
sources include, but are not limited
to wind, solar, heat from the earth's
interior, oceans, rivers, and eligible biomass.
Top
of Page
Renewable Raw
Materials - A renewable energy source is any material
that is replenishable and replenished on some reasonable time scale.
Renewable material sources include, but are not limited to wood;
grass fibers, plant-based plastics, fuels and 100 percent recycled
content metals, papers, plastics and glass.
Top
of Page
Resource Effectiveness/Material
Intensity – Refers to the
concept of continuously improving
the utility and durability of the product or service provided
while reducing its total material
and energy throughput such as the
use of less energy, the generation of less waste, and the use
of less mass per unit produced.
Top
of Page
Significant Environmental
Aspect - A significant aspect is an environmental
aspect that has or can have significant environmental impact.
Top
of Page
Social Equity – Involves
the identification of issues, the development of standards and
the implementation of programs that
address corporate responsibility
for the ethical treatment of employees, communities and other
stakeholders.
Top
of Page
Source Reduction – This
refers to a pollution prevention technique that eliminates the
potential for pollution at the source,
or where the polluting material
enters the product or service cycle.
Top
of Page
Sustainable Practices - This
refers to efforts by industry
to achieve sustainable
development goals that call for
simultaneous performance improvements
in economic vitality; ecological integrity; and social equity.
Top
of Page
Sustainable Business
Codes or Practices – Refers to any voluntary
business code of conduct or code
of practice that calls for simultaneous improvements in economic,
environmental, and social performance.
Top
of Page
Triple Bottom
Line – Sustainable
development involves the simultaneous pursuit of economic prosperity,
environmental quality
and social equity. Companies aiming
for sustainability need to perform not against a single, financial
bottom line, but against the triple
bottom line.
Top
of Page
