Environmental issues glossary

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

E

Earth Berming

See – Earth sheltering

Earth construction

Construction incorporating earth as a material. See - Adobe and Rammed earth.

Earth sheltering

Building below ground level; an earth-sheltered structure provides an interior climate which is generally closer to comfort level than a conventional interior space. Savings on heating and cooling bills are often in the range of 40-60%.

Earth Summit

International meetings, every 5 years, organised by United Nations to discuss and try to offer solutions to the problems of development and Environment, beginning 1992 in Rio de Janeiro.

Eco-centric

Being centred on the natural environment as a starting point for understanding.

Ecodesign

Design philosophy and methodologies that promote a material and social ethic of care for the products and processes which are designed, so that full life cycle considerations and social impacts are integrated into the design of the product or process.

Eco-efficiency

The delivery of competitively priced goods and services while, at the same time, reducing ecological impacts and resource use throughout the product life cycle.

Eco-friendly

A development or decision which results in a beneficial effect on the environment or at least not causing environmental damage.

EcoHouse

A house which has systems attempting to minimise negative effects on the environment such as insulation, Solar panels, Recycled rain water.

Eco-label

Information (typically provided on a label attached to a product) informing a potential consumer of a product's characteristics, or of the production or processing method(s) used in its production.

Economies of Density

Generally, economies wherein unit costs are lower in relation to population density. The higher the population density, the lower the likely costs of infrastructure required to provide a service. One example would be the costs associated with providing electricity networks to urban vs rural areas.

Economies of Scale

In many cases, the bigger a company gets, the cheaper it is able to produce or distribute each additional unit. Generally, this is because some costs of production do not increase with each unit. These fixed costs are effectively averaged out over the cost of each unit, so that each unit produced reduces the average.

Economies of Scope

A situation in which one company can produce or distribute two or more different goods more cheaply than if the goods were made by different companies.

Ecosystem

A dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism communities and their non-living environment, interacting as a functional unit.

Ecological cost

The total impact on the environment including source depletion, pollution and degradation of habitats.

Ecological deficit

The amount by which the Ecological footprint of a country or region exceeds the biological capacity of the space available

Ecological footprint

See – Environmental footprint

Ecology

The study of how living things affect each other, and how they are affected by their environment.

Eco-taxation

A tax on pollution, e.g. the Swedish Carbon Tax on the use of Fossil fuels to help reduce Carbon emissions.

Eco-systems

The system of interactions between living organisms and their environment.

Edible landscaping

Landscaping containing vegetation which is cultivated for its ability to be eaten and digested by humans, for example, fruit trees.

Education for Sustainable Development

Enables people to develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in decisions about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future.

Efficacy

The amount of light output (lumen) per watt of input electricity to a lamp.

Embedded Generation

See - Distributed generation.

Embodied energy

All the energy required to grow, harvest, extract, manufacture, refine, process, package, transport, install and dispose of a particular product or building material. The energy used during the entire life cycle of a commodity i.e. manufacture, transportation and disposal.

End-of-pipe technology

A technology designed to control pollution from another node or geographical point, generally installed at the point of emission.

Energy Conservation

Using less energy, irrespective of whether the benefits increase, decrease or stay the same.

Energy efficiency

The more efficient use of energy in order to reduce economic costs and environmental impacts. Using less energy/electricity to perform the same function

Energy efficiency ratio (EER)

Ratio of net cooling capacity of an air conditioner per hour to total rate of electric input under designated operating conditions.

Energy recovery ventilator (ERV)

An air to air heat exchanger or preconditioner, designed to reduce the energy required to heat or cool required outdoor air in mechanical ventilation systems by as much as 80%. These products exchange temperature and moisture properties from one air stream to another. The result is capturing the cooling or heating energy from the exhaust air before it leaves the building.

Energy Services

The provision of energy supply and measures concerned with end-use in a single package.

Energy services company (ESCO)

Companies concerned with maximising efficient and cost-effective supply and end-use of energy for their customers. This can encompass a mixture of the following as appropriate; competitive purchasing of various fuels; CHP; end-use efficiency measures; consumption monitoring and management and others.

Engineered wood

Reconstituted wood products that result in strength appropriate for a given use and consistent quality with less material.

Environmental education

The process of recognising values and clarifying concepts in order to develop the skills and attitudes necessary to understand and appreciate the inter-relatedness among people, their culture and biological and physical surroundings.

Environmental footprint

A measure of Environmental impact based on thee distance that resources for a development are transported.

Environmental impact

The environmental consequences of land or site development.

Environmental impact statement (EIS)

Detailed report required by the government and prepared by qualified engineers and landscape architects for large projects or those in environmentally sensitive areas.

Environmental management system (EMS)

Is part of the management system of an organisation in which specific competencies, behaviours, procedures and demands for the implementation of an operational environmental policy are defined; the most popular kind of EMS is ISO 14000

Environmental sustainability

Satisfying the needs of the present without diminishing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Environmental tax

A tax that is of major relevance for the environment, regardless of its specific purpose or name.

Entreprises pour l'environnement (EPE)

The objective of this organisation, which comprises 45 major companies, is to integrate Environment in their company strategies as effectively as possible.

Eutrophication

The process by which a body of water accumulates nutrients, particularly nitrates and phosphates. This process can be accelerated by nutrient-rich Runoff or seepage from agricultural land or from sewage outfalls, leading to rapid and excessive growth of algae and aquatic plants and undesirable changes in water quality.

Evaporative cooling

A physical phenomenon in which evaporation of a liquid, typically into surrounding air, cools an object or a liquid in contact with it. Latent heat describes the amount of heat that is needed to evaporate the liquid; this heat comes from the liquid itself and the surrounding gas and surfaces. The greater the difference between the wet and dry bulb temperature, the greater the evaporative cooling effect.

Evapotranspiration

The process by which the Earth's surface or soil loses moisture by evaporation of water, and by uptake and then Transpiration from plants.

Existence value

The value to an individual of knowing that a particular environmental or cultural asset exists,  independent of any use that the person may make of the asset.

Expanded and extruded polystyrene (EPS)

Polystyrene, a plastic that is formed with CFCs or HCFCs into pellets and compressed into sheets, or extruded into closed cell sheets and used for insulation. Sometimes known as beadboard or by the trade name Styrofoam.

Extended detention basin

A detention basin in which the runoff is stored beyond the time normally required for Attenuation. This provides extra time for natural processes to remove some of the pollutants in the water.

Extended producer responsibility

An approach to reconcile economic growth with greater business responsibility for conserving resources and energy, and reducing pollution and waste. An obligation placed on one or more producers of a product to take back the product for Recycling or safe disposal.

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