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Business has its own language. So, too, does sustainability. Navigating through the specialized maze of carbon and sustainability terms can be confounding. Anytime your subject uses a specialized term, ask for a definition. Here are a few terms to get you started:
Corporate social responsibility (CSR): In 2010, the International Organization for Standardization released the ISO 26000 social responsibility standard. It defines social responsibility as: “Responsibility of an organization for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment through transparent and ethical behavior…”
Carbon footprint: Measurement of how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are emitted from the consumption of fossil fuel.
Clean technology: Often called clean tech, any number of technologies that is less harmful to the environment than conventional technologies. Solar and wind power are examples of clean tech.
Sustainable design: A practice of creating product or building designs in environmentally responsible ways, including using less material, using materials that don’t deplete or harm the natural environment.
Biofuels: Fuel that is made from living matter.
Renewable energy: Energy that comes from natural resources such as wind, solar, tidal and geothermal sources.
Zero waste: Discarded materials are designed to become resources for other uses.
Life-cycle assessment: An analysis of environmental aspects associated with a product, process, or service, all the way from production and usage to disposal.
Smart grid: Digital communication to control electricity use.
Green building: A practice of creating structures and processes in environmentally responsible ways, including siting, design, materials, construction, operation, and maintenance.
Green supply chain: Measurement and management of environmental impacts and greenhouse gases emissions from producing materials used in a product.
