Glossary & Acronyms

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
Acronyms

A

B

Biodegradable - is defined as capable of being broken down by live organisms into humus material which can be easily assimilated into the environment without having any significant negative impact.

Biodiversity – is the variety of different species, the genetic variability of each species, and the variety of ecosystems that they form.

Bruntland Report - released in 1987, this report popularized the concept of sustainable development.

C

Carbon Dioxide – is a greenhouse gas that is produced by the natural and human-induced combustion of materials and fuels, the decay of materials and plant and animal respiration.

Climate Change – is the change in climate over a time period which ranges from decades to centuries, resulting from natural causes, or which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere.

D

Dangerous Good - is a product, substance or organism included by its nature or by the regulations in any of the 9 classes of dangerous goods. This includes substances that represent a danger to health, life, property or the environment.

Deleterious Substance – is any substance that would degrade the quality of water enough to affect its use by fish.

Due Diligence - is the level of judgement, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances.

E

Eco-efficiency – the delivery of competitively - priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and resource intensity throughout the life cycle, to a level at least in line with the Earth’s estimated carrying capacity.

Ecological Footprint - calculates the amount of natural resources that we consume and express it in hectares or in acres to come up with an ecological indicator of consumption. This area is called the ecological footprint.

Effective Energy – are products that allow for regulation and utilization of solar heat gain may also be covered under this criterion.

Embodied Energy - is the term used to describe the total energy consumption associated with a product.

Environmental Management System (EMS) – A systematic process for assessing, managing and reducing environmental risk.

Environmentally Preferable Products - are broadly defined as products which can be shown to be less harmful to the environment than other products with the same end use, when life cycle considerations are taken into account. Other terms such as environmentally responsible or sound are also used to describe such products and services.

Endangered Species – are species whose local or complete extinction is threatened in the near future, or which may be endangered if the factors that render it vulnerable are not corrected.

Energy Conservation – is energy use reduction, as a direct result of people's behavioural changes.

Energy Efficiency – are technological changes that allow us to pursue present behaviours while consuming less energy.

Environmental Management System (EMS) – is a systematic process for assessing, managing and reducing environmental risk.

Energy Savings - identify materials and products that are non-energy consuming, but contribute to improved energy consumption through their intended use.

F

G

Greenhouse Effect – is the absorption of heat energy radiated from the Earth by greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere making this planet habitable for life as we know it.

Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) – are gasses in the atmosphere that absorb heat energy radiated from the Earth, trapping it in the atmosphere. Important greenhouse gases include: water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and halocarbons.

Grey Water – is water that, although undrinkable, can easily be made useable for other purposes. Water from showers is considered grey water. By comparison, water from toilets is known as black water and requires more extensive treatment. Grey water can be saved for irrigation purposes.

H

Hazardous Substance - according to the Canada Labour Code: A controlled product and chemical, biological or physical agent that by reason of a property that the agent possesses is hazardous to the safety or health of a person exposed to it.

I

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) - is a determination of the quality of air in a particular building based on the concentration of chemicals harmful to human health. IAQ can be affected by a number of products such as glue, vinyl, new furniture, markers, cleaning products, aerosol products, laser printers and carpets. The impact of a product on IAQ should be taken into consideration under a green procurement program.

ISO 14001 Registered – refers to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) which is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies. They have drafted ISO 14001; 1996 Environmental management systems – Specification with guidance for use. This standard is being used by organizations around the world to develop their environmental management systems (EMS).

J

K

Kyoto Protocol – is an international agreement between more than 160 nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Protocol will enter into force after 55 signatory countries ratify it.

L

M

N

O

Ozone Friendly - is the term used by industry for products no longer containing materials damaging to the ozone layer. The most common ozone-damaging substances are CFCs. Canada and nations from around the world have agreed to stop using all CFCs by January 1, 1996. In Canada, CFCs have also been removed from food packaging foam (e.g, egg cartons, foam cups, meat trays, etc.).

P

Post-commercial/Pre-consumer Recycled Content – is the portion of a product, by weight or volume, that is composed of recycled content made up from materials recovered for recycling prior to use by the consumer, excluding materials and by-products generated from and commonly reused within an original manufacturing process.

Post-consumer Recycled Content – is the portion of a product, by weight or volume, that is composed of recycled content made up from products disposed of after final use by consumers and businesses, including office buildings and retail stores. Examples of post-consumer recovered materials include used beverage containers and old computer printouts.

Q

R

Refurbishable Products – are products that require cleaning or restoration by the manufacturer or an outside source before reuse.

Recovered Materials – are waste materials and by-products which have been recovered or diverted from solid waste, not including those materials and by-products from or commonly reused in an original manufacturing process. Examples of recovered materials include manufacturing and forest residues, obsolete finished paper inventories and fibrous by-products of harvesting and woodcutting processes.

Remanufacturable Products – are products designed to allow for complete upgrading. The product is restored to an 'as new' condition for resale by the fabricator.

Remanufactured Product – is a product or system diverted from the waste stream and re-fabricated to permit complete upgrading by either the original manufacturer or a second party.

Renewable Resources - have the potential for infinite availability, while non-renewable resources cannot be regenerated and are available in limited quantities.

Reusable Products - are reusable if the application exists that allows the end-user to directly reuse the product without alterations.

Reuse – is using a material, product or component of the waste stream in its original form more than once.

S

Sick Building Syndrome – refers to human health problems caused by reactions to indoor air pollutants

Smog - is a noxious mixture of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, ground-level ozone and fine particles.

Social Development - the process of organizing human energies and activities at higher levels to achieve greater results.

Source Reduction – is the non-use of materials that results in the decrease of waste at or near a generation source.

Sustainable Building – is a green building that provides the specified building performance requirements while minimizing disturbances to and improving the functioning of local, regional, and global ecosystems both during and after its construction and specified service life.

Sustainable Development (SD) - is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." SD takes into consideration three equal components: a vibrant economy, our social well-being and the health of our environment.

T

Toxic Substance - according to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act: A substance is toxic if it is entering or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that:

• have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity;
• constitute a danger to the environment on which life depends;
• constitute a danger to human life or health.

U

V

Value-Added Products - use our resources wisely. The production of a product in a manner that enhances its value. As a result of the change in physical state or the manner in which the commodity or product is produced and segregated, the customer base for the commodity or product is expanded and a greater portion of revenue derived from the marketing, processing or physical segregation is made available to the produce of the commodity or product.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - change rapidly from a liquid state to a gaseous state when exposed to air. VOC vapours react with oxides of nitrogen in the presence of sunlight to produce low level ozone, an air pollutant and a contributor to smog.

Vulnerable Species - are species of particular concern due to characteristics that render it sensitive to human activities or natural events.

W

X

Xeriscaping - incorporates the specification and selection of indigenous vegetation species that have less water requirements.

Y

Z

Acronyms

CBSC - Canada Business Service Centres provide 'one-stop' business services in urban centers.

CFDC - Community Futures Development Corporations are organizations dedicated to strengthening community entrepreneurs and the economy of the community as a whole.

FEDO - Francophone Economic Development Organizations strengthen business opportunities for francophone businesses.

SMEs - small and medium enterprises.

WCBSN - Western Canada Business Service Network is an alliance of five Western Economic Diversification offices, four Women's Enterprise Initiative centres, 90 Community Futures Development Corporations, four Canada Business Service Centres and four Francophone Economic Development Organizations.

WEI - Women's Enterprise Initiative provides business information and services specifically aimed at women entrepreneurs.