Environmental issues glossary

A glossary of words and phrases used in green construction and sustainable development.

P

Participatory budgeting

Budgeting which involves communities and citizens in meetings with local councillors to discuss priorities and enter them in the local budget.

Particulate

Tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter, such as soot, dust, fumes, or mist.

Parging

A thin coat of mortar or plastic applied to masonry work to seal the surface.

Particle board

Sawdust and resin compressed into sheets that can substitute for plywood in many situations.

Passive building design

Building configurations which take advantage of a natural, Renewable resource (like sunlight, cooling breezes, etc.) Passive design strategies typically do not involve any moving part or mechanical processes.

Passive cooling

Using passive building strategies to relieve the cooling load of a building by capitalising on such things as predictable summer breezes or by shading windows from direct summer sunlight.

Passive solar heating

Using the sun’s energy (in the form of heat) to diminish a building’s heating load, usually through the use of large window areas which permit light penetration upon some massive material to utilise the material’s Thermal storage capacity.

Passive system

A system of heating and cooling buildings by natural energy sources without electrical or mechanical assistance.

Payback period

The period it takes for the stream of net cash flows to equal the initial investment. For Renewable energy systems, it can also be used to refer to the period of time over which energy cost savings derived from accessing renewable energy, offset the up-front capital costs of the system. See – Life cycle cost analysis

Performance Based Regulation (PBR)

Regulatory approaches rely on the application of financial incentives and disincentives related to specific outputs to induce desired behaviours on the part of regulated companies. PBR links company outputs to revenue and can be applied to achieve benefits such as increased innovation, increased standards for quality of supply, reduced losses and a range of other things which are perhaps otherwise not addressed by regulatory approaches such as rate-of-return.

Perlite

Expanded volcanic glass, very light in weight and useful as insulation although it is not as effective as some materials. Can be added to plaster and is fire resistant.

Permaculture

A unique approach to the practice of sustainable farming, ranching, gardening and living, by designing constructed ecosystems that serve the needs of human populations without degrading the natural environment. Permaculture sites integrate plants, animals, landscapes, structures, and humans into symbiotic systems while requiring a minimum of materials, energy, and labour to maintain.

Permeability

A measure of the ease with which a fluid can flow through a porous medium. It depends on the physical properties of the medium, for example grain size, porosity and pore shape.

Permeable surface

A surface formed of material that is itself impervious to water but, by virtue of voids formed through the surface, allows infiltration of water to the sub-base through the pattern of voids, eg concrete block paving.

Persistant organic pollutant

A complex organic chemical which resists decomposition in the environment and can migrate over great distances, which Bioaccumulates and Biomagnifies, and which is suspected of being toxic to humans or other organisms exposed to even low concentrations if such exposure occurs over a long period of time. Examples include certain pesticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, and toxaphene), industrial chemicals (PCBs and hexachlorobenzene), and unwanted by-products of combustion and industrial processes (Dioxins and furans).

Pervious surface

A surface that allows inflow of rainwater into the underlying construction or soil.

Phenols

Hydrocarbons used to make resins and glues. Very toxic and may outgas

Photosynthesis

Generally, is the synthesis of sugar from light, Carbon dioxide and water, with oxygen as a waste product.

Photovoltaic (solar) cell

Generally speaking, a device incorporating a semiconductor that generates electricity when exposed to sunlight (or any other form of white light). The technology may be further sub-divided into crystalline, multi-crystalline, thin-film and concentrator variants.

Polluter pays principle

The principle that polluter should bear the expenses of carrying out pollution prevention and control measures decided by public authorities, to ensure that the environment is in an acceptable state (i.e. costs of these measures should be reflected in the cost of goods and services which cause pollution).

Pollution

The presence of a substance in the environment that because of its chemical composition or quantity prevents the functioning of natural processes and produces undesirable environmental and health effects.

Polyethylene

A semi-transparent plastic used in sheets as vapor barriers or for packaging and containers; made in high density (HDPE) and low density (LDPE) varieties. Low in toxicity, it produces low risk vapours when burned.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)

Polyester resin used in the manufacture of polyester fibers and sheet plastics such as recyclable soft drink bottles.

Porous surface

A surface that infiltrates water to the sub-base across the entire surface of the material forming the surface, for example grass and gravel surfaces, porous concrete and porous asphalt.

Portland cement

A type of cement made by burning limestone and clay; a basic ingredient in concrete.

Positive correlation

Describing a pattern: when two sets of statistics are compared, as one statistic or parameter increases, so does the other.

Post-consumer recycled content (%)

Composed of such material as paper or glass that has been recycled after being used, which means it is kept out of Landfill.

Post occupancy evaluation (POE)

A systematic way of comparing actual building performance with stated performance criteria usually undertaken by organisational or facility managers. A POE is usually undertaken after the building has been occupied for at least one year and seeks to measure and evaluate user satisfaction and whether the building suits its intended use, technical performance and value for money.

Potable water

Water that is satisfactory for drinking, culinary and domestic purposes and that meets the requirements of relevant health authority legislation.

Pound

A section of a swale designed to detain Runoff.

Pozzolan

A type of silicon/alumina material that occurs naturally and is produced as a by product of coal combustion. When powdered and moistened it will react with calcium hydroxide and water; its most useable form is fly ash.

Pre-consumer recycled content (%)

Refers to leftover materials from the manufacturing process. Using or selling this scrap doesn't divert material from the landfill; it is not truly recycled because it has never been used.

Pressure-state-response

A framework for the presentation of environmental information in terms of indicators of the pressures that human activities exert on the environment, of the state of the environment, and of society's responses.

BackToTop