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239 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Acid Rain
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Pollution causes rain to be acidic adversely affecting flora, fauna and buildings etc.
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Acidification
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Acid rain increases the acidity of aquatic environments
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Accuracy
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The need to be precise and avoid generalities such as motherhood statements
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Adaptive Reuse
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Reusing something like a building but for a new use (a barn becomes a house)
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Agri-fibre
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Agricultural fibre such as hemp, jute, coir, sea grass, wood fibre, bamboo fibre)
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Allergy, Allergen, Allergenic
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An adverse reaction to an environmental excitant such as dust, pollen or dander
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Alternative Energy
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Energy generated by Wind, Solar, Biomass, low impact Hydro, Geothermal
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Anticipatory Design
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Designing now to accommodate perceived future needs e.g. plywood backing for handrails
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Appropriateness
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Ensuring that something is not used in an inappropriate manner (a fridge in an igloo)
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Asbestos
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A cancer causing fibre found in many old buildings and products (Asbestos Composite Tile)
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Attribute
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A positive quality (recycled wood content) or negative quality (off-gassing)
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Benchmarking
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Serves as a model to compare to (compare your air conditioner to the most efficient one)
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Bio-based
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Derived from a biological organism such as a plant
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Asthma, Asthmagen
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An adverse reaction to an environmental excitant such as perfume (an air pollutant)
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Biodegradable
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Something that can naturally decompose such as wood (rot)
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Biodiversity
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The range of living species in nature
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Bio-Energy
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Energy produced from a biological fuel such as wood or straw (renewable, carbon neutral)
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Biological Regeneration Systems
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Plant based systems used to clean air or water (e.g. Living Machines™)
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Biomass
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Organic matter used for fuel such as wood or straw
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Biomimicry
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Using ideas inspired by natural materials and systems (Velcro was inspired by Burrs)
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Biosphere
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The Earth’s ecosystems (land, water, air, organisms)
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Black Water
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Water containing solid human waste (waste water from a toilet)
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Blue Angel (products)
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German ecolabel
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Building Anthropology
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The study of the indoor culture of humans
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Building Assessment
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Assessing a building for any one of many issues such as Indoor Air Quality
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Building Information Modeling (BIM)
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Three dimensional Computer Aided Design (CAD) with encriched information option menus
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Building Psychology
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Psychology related to building attributes such as colour psychology, claustrophobia, etc.
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Building Related Illness (BRI)
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An illness traced to a known causative agent in a building eg. Legionella or lead poisoning
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Building Science
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The scientific study of buildings and building operations
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Building Sociology
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The study of human social interactions in buildings
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Built Environment
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Any environment constructed by people such as buildings, cities, parks
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Carbon (embodied carbon, carbon trading, carbon offset, carbon neutral)
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The basic chemical building block for all life forms. A greenhouse gas when two carbon atoms are combined with one oxygen atom (Carbon Dioxide=CO2)
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Carcinogen/Carcinogenic
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An agent that causes cancer
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Car Share (eg. Virtucar in Ottawa)
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Members reserve one of several cars that are shared and pay only the time/mileage used
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Carrying Capacity
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How much can be carried before failure (how many people the Earth can support)
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Characterization
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Description of characteristics such as toxicity
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Charrette
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A sustainable design workshop typically held early in the design process
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Checklist (negative)
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eg. a list of items that do not have a target characteristic such as formaldehyde
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Checklist (positive)
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eg. a list of items that do have a target characteristic such as recycled content
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Climate (outdoor/indoor)
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Indoor conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, air flow, light and noise levels
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Climate Change
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Changes in climate (including those caused by humans such as Global Warming)
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Climate Destabilization
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Disruption of normal climate behaviour
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Chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)
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A greenhouse gas targeted for phase out by the Montreal Protocol
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Closed Loop
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A self contained system such as the carbon cycle of biomass fuels
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Contaminant
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A substance at a level that can cause harm such as lead or asbestos
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Contexual Dependence
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Results are dependent on the the context in which something is used
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Commissioning
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The verification process used to ensure that design intent is realized in the finished building
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Composting
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(controlled) biological decomposition of organic matter (compost pile)
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Computer Aided Design (CAD)
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A computer program that automates aspects of drawing or drafting
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Conservation (built environment)
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The act or process of protecting, conserving, managing (resources)
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Continous Commissioning
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Automated continous monitoring and adjustment of systems (performance) eg. HVAC
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Corporate Champions
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Corporate leaders that strongly support and promote an issue such as sustainability
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Cost-benefit Analysis
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Comparing the benefit per dollar invested of one or more options
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C2C (MBDC)
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Cradle to Cradle a certification system with levels of certification
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Cradle to Gtae
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The life cycle of a material or product up to its arrival at the job site
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Cradle to Cradle
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The life cycle of a material/product that is revored, reused or recyled etc. into a new use
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Cradle to Grave
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The life cycle of a material or product that is disposed of at the end of its use (eg. to a landfill)
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Cumulative
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The effect grows over time eg. a cool draft eventually cause shivering
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Daylighting
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Using sunlight to light a building interior
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Daylight Harvesting
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Automated and integrated control of daylight, artificial light and HVAC together
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Decision Making Matrix (SD)
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A spreadsheet used to display many variables and relationships at the same time
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DEMATERIALIZATION!!!
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Using fewer resources to achieve the same or a better result
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Displacement Ventilation
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Supplying ventilation air at floor level and removing it at the ceiling level
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Down-cycle
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When a recyled material has lower value than the original material
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Early Adopters
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The first group of people to make a change such as using photovoltaic systems
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Eco Industrial Park
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An industrial park design to share resources (waste, energy) within the park
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Ecological Accounting (Environmental or Full Cost Accounting)
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Accounting that assigns value to things that are not included in conventional (money only) accounting such as social and environmental impacts
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Ecology
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The sudy or organism interacting with each other and their environments
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EcoMark (Japan)
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Japanese ecolabel
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Ecosystem
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A community of living things and their environment
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Efficacy
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Effectiveness-how well does it do what it is indtended to do (lighting=lumens per watt)
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Elegance
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An ingeniously simple/direct solution (work at home=no need for an office building)
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Embodied (eg. Carbon, Energy)
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The amount of (carbon, energy etc.) emitted to produce a material or product
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Emisssions/Emit
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Substances released from a material or product (formaldehyde from particleboard)
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EnerGuide (Appliances)
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Lists estimated annual energy efficiency of all applainces in a class (eg. washing machines)
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EnerGuide for Houses
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A building (energy/environment) rating system for houses
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Energy Star (Appliances)
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Lists a group of the most energy efficient appliances (such as the top 25% in a class)
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Engineered Wood
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New material made from ingredients such as wood flour, chips, strands, laminations etc. may have non-wood components such as carbon or steel fibre or steel laminations etc. and resin
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Environment
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The physical and / or social etc. world of an organism
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Environmental Accounting (Ecological or Full Cost Accounting)
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Including a monetary value for environmental attributes such as the health cost resulting from pollution or the loss of a resource such as a forest or lake
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Environmental Anthropology
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How humans shaped the built environment over time and how the built environment shaped human society over time
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Environmental Design
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Design intended to have an environmental outcome such as energy efficiency
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Environmental Footprint
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A measure of demand on global carrying capacity e.g. 7.7 hectares per Canadian
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Environmental Psychology
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The study of human behavior related to the built environment
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Environmental Procurement (Green Procurement, Green Purchasing)
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Purchasing focused on minimizing negative impacts
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Environmental Purchasing (Green Procurement, Green Purchasing)
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Purchasing focused on minimizing negative impacts
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Environmental Sociology
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The study of the relationship between human society and their (built) environment
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Environmental Stewardship
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Responsible management demonstrating respect for the environment
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Estrogenic Substance (Hormone Mimicker, Endocrine Disruptor)
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Substances that mimic the effects of estrogen / disrupt the endocrine system
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Eutrophication
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Water quality degraded by excessive additions of nutrients such as fertilizer
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Evidence (evidence based)
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A decision supported by rigorous and defensible scientific or experience evidence
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Extended Producer Responsibility
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Extending responsibility for a product or service beyond the point of sale
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Externality
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Something that falls outside of the (companies) area of responsibility
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Face Fibre
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The surface fibre of a carpet (e.g tufted nylon)
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First Principles (core principles)
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The fundamental defining characteristics or building blocks of a subject
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Flexible Design
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Able to accommodate a number of uses
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Flush-out
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Flushing a space / building with air to dilute contaminant levels such as formaldehyde
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Footprint (Personal or Building)
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Hectares of land or ocean needed to regenerate resources consumed for people
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Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
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Certification system (life cycle) for forests and wood products
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Formaldehyde
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A chemical that causes cancer - used in many building and furnishings materials
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Fossil Fuel
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Non-renewable carbon based fuel (e.g. oil, gas, coal) emit carbon dioxide when burned
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Full Cost Accounting (Ecological or Environmental Accounting)
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Including a monetary value for environmental and social attributes in addition to economic e.g. triple bottom line accounting
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GAIA
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Earth, mother earth, the spirit of earth (Greek goddess of earth)
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GAIA
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Earth, mother earth, the spirit of earth (Greek goddess of earth)
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Genetic Manipulation
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Artificial manipulation of genetic material and traits (e.g. gene splicing, implantation)
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Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)
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An organism with artificially manipulated genes or genetic traits
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Global Warming
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A rise in global atmospheric temperature (cause by human activity)
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Global Warming Potential (GWP)
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A rating of the impact level of a greenhouse gas (relative to CO2 with a GWP of 1.0)
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Graywater
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Waste water from a sink or shower but not from a toilet (no human waste)
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Green Cross
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An environmental certification system
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Green Globes (Sustainable Design)
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An environmental building rating system (competes with LEED)
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Green Guard (textiles)
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An environmental performance standard
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Greenhouse Effect
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Greenhouse gasses trap heat in the atmosphere causing global warming
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Green House Gasses (GHG)
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Gasses that trap heat in the atmosphere (CO2, methane)
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Green Procurement Program (Environmental or Green Procurement)
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Purchasing focused on minimizing negative impacts
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Green Seal
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An environmental certification system
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Green-washing
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Overrating or inflating the perceived environmental attributes
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Habitat
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The natural environment of an organism (e.g. plant or animal)
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Habitat
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The natural environment of an organism (e.g. plant or animal)
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Hydrocarbon
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Compounds containing only hydrogen and carbon (e.g. oil, gas)
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Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)
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A refrigerant consisting of Hydrogen-Fluorine-Carbon atoms (HFC lower GWP than CFC’s)
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Heritage (design/building)
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Legacy or inheritance of culture or property etc. from the past
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High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV)
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Vehicles with more than one occupant
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High Occupancy Vehicle Lane)
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A HOV lane is for use by vehicles containing more than one person (HOV’s)
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Holistic (Integrated Design Process)
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Looking at the system as a whole and not as a sum of individual parts
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Hoteling (office utilization)
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Assigning (office) space to a user only when they need it (e.g. one day per week)
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Impacts
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Positive or negative effects
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Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
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A subjective or objective measure of indoor air quality (e.g. particle count, VOC levels
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Indoor Climate
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A subjective or objective measure of indoor environmental conditions (temperature, humidity)
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Industrial Ecology
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Sharing resources such as waste within an industrntegrationial system or park – closing the loop
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Integration
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Combining information or parts to make a functional or structural whole
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Integrated Design Process (IDP)
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parts of an organism are made a functional and structural whole
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Intelligent (building, system)
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Computerized and networked control systems with smart components
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Interdisciplinary (Integrated Design Process)
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Interaction and cooperation with two or more disciples
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Internality
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Something that falls inside the (companies) area of responsibility (e.g. wages)
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Irritant, Irritation
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An agent that causes an irritating effect such as itching
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Iterative (as in Integrated Design Process)
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Repeating elements of the design process making improvements with each round
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Kyoto Accord
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International treaty to reduce greenhouse gasses
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Lease (products, extended producer responsibility)
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User pays for the (monthly) use of a (product) while the supplier retains ownership
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LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)
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The leading sustainable design rating system for buildings
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Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
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Assessing a material or products environmental impacts over its life cycle
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Life Cycle Costing
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Assessing the costs of a product or services over its life cycle
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Life Cycle Inventory
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Accounting for the life cycle (environmental )inputs and outputs of a product or service
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Life Cycle Inventory
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Accounting for the life cycle (environmental )inputs and outputs of a product or service
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Lifestyle
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A chosen pattern or way of life
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Light Emitting Diode (LED)
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A semiconductor that emits light (more energy efficient than conventional light bulbs)
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Low Impact Fuel (Hydrogen, Eco Hydro, Methane, Ethanol)
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Fuels that have relatively low environmental impacts compared to oil or coal
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Matrix (spreadsheet)
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Two dimensional grid of columns and rows used to organize and compare multiple variables
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McDonough-Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC)
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A company specializing in sustainable product and process design
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MERIT (products)
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A system that verifies that manufacturers environmental claims are reasonable
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Micro Hydro
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Electricity generated by very small turbines
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Modeling (Simulation)
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Computer program that estimates, simulates, predicts outcomes such as building energy use
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Modular (raised floor, carpet, ceiling
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Composed of interchangeable parts such as floor or ceiling tiles
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Montreal Protocol
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An international agreement to reduce ozone depleting substances such as CFC’s
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Natural Sourced
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The source of the material is natural such as plant based
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Net Zero (Carbon, Energy etc.)
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A carbon account that reads zero at the end of a period (carbon in = carbon out at yearend)
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Neutral Cycle (recycle)
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Value of recycled content is equal to the value of the source material (no change in value)
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Noise Reduction Coefficient (NRC)
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A measure of the sound absorption of a material such as drywall
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Non-renewable Energy
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Energy from a source such as mined oil or gas which can not be renewed like hydro or solar
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Non-renewable Resource
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A resource that can not be renewed like wood or grass
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Nordic Swan (products)
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The Scandinavian eco label
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Off-gas
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To emit gasses such as formaldehyde from particle board
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Open Plan (building)
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A space with large spans (few columns or support walls) to maximize reconfigurable space
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Organic (certified)
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Grown without harmful inputs such as synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, hormones etc.
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Ozone
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An unstable (reactive) molecule of three oxygen atoms
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Ozone Depleting Substance (ODP)
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Substances such as CFC’s that destroy ozone in the upper atmosphere
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Ozone Depleting Potential (ODP)
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The ozone depleting effectiveness of a substance compared to the reference gas CFC 11
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Parasitic Load
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Small amount of power used by an appliance when it is off but on standby (e.g. computer)
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Paradigm
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A view, assumption or opinion of reality that changes or shifts over time
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Paradigm Shift
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Change of a paradigm, e.g. replacement by a new paradigm
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Particulates (e.g. PM10, 5, 2.5, 1)
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Small particles (PM 10 = 10 microns in diameter, PM 5 = 5 microns in diameter etc.)
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Payback Period (simple)
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Time to recover investment cost ($10 / yr energy savings covers a $20 investment in 2 yrs)
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Performance Contracting
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A portion of fees are held back until design intent is proven to have been achieved in practice
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Performance Design
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A portion of fees are held back until design intent is proven to have been achieved in practice
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Performance Objectives
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Targets e.g. lighting or temperature range, energy or water use, maximum emission levels
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Permaculture
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Planting trees etc. that will produce food with little or no maintenance
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Persistent
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Toxic agents that take a long time to break down into less harmful substances
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Personal Environmental Footprint
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Hectares of land or ocean needed to regenerate resources consumed by one particular person
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Photovoltaic
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Converting light to electricity (e.g. using silicone wafers or cells)
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Plug Load
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The amount of electricity used by things that are plugged in (not hard wired)
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Pollution
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Contaminants such as exhaust or nuclear radiation (e.g. in an environment or product)
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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB’s)
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A toxic substance found in (e.g. old transformers or fluorescent ballasts)
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Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) (Vinyl)
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A plastic that may have harmful emissions during manufacturing and after installation
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Post-consumer Recycled Content
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Content that left the factory and was used for its intended use before being recycled
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Post-industrial (Recycled Content) pre-consumer
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Content recycled inside the factory or between factories (never left the manufacturing sector)
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Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE)
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Evaluating issues that affect occupants after they move in (e.g. IAQ, comfort, satisfaction)
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Potable Water
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Treated water from the municipal system that is fit to drink
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Preservation
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Protecting something from damage or loss (e.g. preserving artifacts)
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Product Stewardship
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Demonstrating responsible environmental management related to products / life cycle
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PVC Free
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Products that do not contain any PVC (vinyl) content
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Radon
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A colorless and odorless (radioactive) gas emitted by soil or some materials such as granite
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Rainwater Harvesting
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Collecting rainwater for reuse (e.g. storing in a cistern to use for irrigation)
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Raised Floor
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A floor system that sits on pedestals to provide a space (plenum) for wiring, HVAC etc.
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Reclaimed Wood
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Wood that has been recovered such as timber from the bottom of the Ottawa river
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Reconstruction
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Constructing again as in reconstructing after an earth quake
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Recover, Recovered
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Retrieving reusable materials or products such as lumber during building deconstruction
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Recycle
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Recovery and reuse often involving reprocessing
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Recyclable
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A material or product that can be recovered and recycled
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Recycled (content)
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Content that was recovered and recycled to make a new material or product (e.g. copper)
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Regenerative Design
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Design actions resulting in net improvement such as more biomass after design than before
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Regenerative Building
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A building that has a net environmental benefit (e.g. net positive supply of electricity to grid)
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Rehabilitate
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To restore usefulness or condition
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Remanufacture
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A product that is disassembled, cleaned, has worn parts replaced and is reassembled like new
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Repair
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To fix a something, replace parts (not as extensive as remanufacturing)
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Replace (Like for Like)
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To take a (part) out and put a (new) part back – like for like means with an identical (part)
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Restore
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Put it back into its original condition
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Restoration
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Putting a (building) back into its original condition
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Reuse, Reused
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Using a recovered material or product without substantially changing its properties
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Salvaged (e.g. wood)
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Recovered e.g. wood recovered during deconstruction of a building
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Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)
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An environmental certification system / label
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Scorecard
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A checklist used to develop a score (e.g. a LEED score)
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Semi Volatile Organic Compound (SVOC)
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A less volatile (heavier) substance than a VOC
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Simulation (Modeling)
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To computer model or replicate in two or three dimensional images
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Smart (material, technology, system or building) (Intelligent)
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Capable of making a decision and completing a dependent action such as to open and close a window in response to a change in outdoor temperature.
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Smog
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A hazy condition with negative health and environmental impacts caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun reacting with air pollutants such as hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen.
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Social Marketing
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Marketing targeted at changing social behavior
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Sound Transmission Class (STC Rating)
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A rating of a materials ability to block sound
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Spreadsheet (matrix)
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A chart used to plot, organize and analyze information such as sustainability attributes
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Standard
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Recognized as a reference point or reference set of criteria
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Standardization
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Designing materials and products conforming to a standard to improve utility
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Stewardship (Environmental Stewardship)
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Responsible valuing and management of resources to ensure they are preserved or enhanced and are available for future generations.
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Persuasion
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Using persuasive techniques to influence an outcome such as a decision
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Sub-metering
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Using additional meters to meter individual loads (vs one meter for all loads combined)
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Substances of Concern
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Any substance that is known or suspected to have adverse impacts (on health, environment etc.) e.g a carcinogen (causes cancer
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Sustainable Design
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Design that improves social, economic and environmental outcomes (in a balanced fashion)
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Sustainable Building Rating Systems (LEED, GreenLeaf)
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Programs that award points (a score) for satisfying listed requirements covering social, economic and environmental issues.
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Synergy
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When a whole system has a value or impact greater than the sum of its parts
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System
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Components that work together for a purpose
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Thermal Pollution
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Heat given off by man-made sources that adversely affects natural systems
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Tools (Sustainable Design)
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Instruments that facilitate sustainable design actions (e.g. spreadsheets, checklists)
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Transparent, transparency
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The criteria, rational and references etc. behind a system are visible
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Triple Bottom Line
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Inclusive of social, environmental and economic concerns.
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Third Party Verification (certification)
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Confirmation of fairness, compliance or performance by an unbiased, unrelated person
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Universal Design
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Provides equal opportunity and access for all people regardless of their abilities
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Upcycle (recycle)
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The recycled material or product has a higher value than the originating material or product
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US Textile Standard 2.0 (SMART)
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Consensus sustainable product standards developed by the Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability
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Value Added (design)
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Design that adds value in addition to the base value of the components
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Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)
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Solids or liquids that vaporize (typically at room temperature).
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Work Station
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A personal computer hooked up to a network often associated with a cubicle
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