Additionality

Emissions reductions are additional if they occurred because of funding through carbon credits and would not have occurred otherwise

Afforestation

Establishing a forest on land that is not a forest, or has not been a forest for a long time by planting trees or their seeds.

Alternative Energy

Renewable sources of power not derived from burning hydrocarbons, which emit less (or no) greenhouse gas.  "Old renewables" include nuclear and less (or no) greenhouse gas.  "Old renewables" include nuclear and hydroelectric power, "new renewables" include solar and wind power

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

A colorless, odorless gas produced by animal respiration, the decay of plant or animal remains and the burning of fossil fuels.  Of the six principal greenhouse gases, CO2 is the one most directly affected by human activity

Carbon Footprint

The amount of CO2 created by all activities within a given sphere, a person's daily life, a city, a manufacturing process, etc.

Carbon Neutral

The means for individuals and corporations to neutralize their GHG emissions by set standards and offsets through carbon credits

Certificate of Emissions Reductions

A certificate reflecting the reduction or avoidance of one ton of CO2e

Compost

A collectiopn of organic material (yard, garden and kitchen waste) that can be mixed together over a period of time then used on soil to assist plants in the growth process.

Composting

The process of mixing organic waste in a compost container for the purpose of producing compost.

Emissions

The release of substances, such as greenhouse gases, into the atmosphere.  Emissions caps are legal limits on how much greenhouse gas a business, city or nation can emit

GHG

Greenhouse gas, the primary gases (both naturally existing and man made) that contribute to global warming by trapping more energy in the earth’s atmosphere than would occur in their absence.  Greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol are:  Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6), Hydro fluorocarbons (HFC’s), and Pefluorocarbons (PFC’s)

Gold Standard

An offset standard based on the Kyoto Protocols clean development mechanism and developed by several international non-profit organizations.  This standard certification is for renewable energy efficiency projects

Kyoto Protocol

An internationally binding agreement that falls under the more general United Nations Framework Convention and Climate Change (UNFCCC).  The Protocol sets GHG targets for countries that sign and ratify the agreement.  Even though the United States has not ratified the agreement, the United States is responsible for 25% of the world's hydrocarbon emissions and has a voluntary program.  States and municipalities are putting legislation in effect to meet the Kyoto Protocol guidelines

LEED Certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

The main route to certifying a green building.  This includes new building construction and major renovation projects. LEED certified buildings enjoy government incentives, marketing benefits, increased property values and lower utility/energy costs.

MWh
1 Megawatt = 1000 KW or 1,000,000 watts.  One megawatt is enough electrical energy to power 1000 average homes.

Preconsumer

Products made from scraps and trimmings.

Postconsumer

Products made from things that have been used and reprocessed.

Recover

Recovering materials or energy from waste that cannot be reused or recycled. Recovering energy from waste materials is a growing technology.

Recycle

Prevents materials from being wasted by reprocessing them into new products. Many things like soda cans, milk containers, newspapers and some plastics are easily recycled. Recycling is the process of taking a product at the end of its useful life and using some or all of it to make another product. When using things that cannot be reused try to make sure that those things are made of materials that can be recycled.

Reduce

Lessen the amount of waste that we, you and I, produce each day. By using less we help conserve resources, reduction is the first choice in reducing the waste stream. For example when buying products look for those that use the least amount of packaging.

Reuse

The next best way to reduce waste is to reuse something before we either recycle it or throw it away. Storing food in reusable containers rather than disposable bags or purchasing items from a resale shop such as the Salavation
Army instead of buying a new product are examples of reusing.

Reforestation
Restoring and recreating areas of woodlands or forest that once existed but were deforested or otherwise removed or destroyed in the past.

Renewable Energy Certificate

A certificate that represents the environmental attributes of 1 MWh of electricity from a renewable energy source.

Sinks

A natural reservoir that withdraws and traps a pollutant.  Soil and plants act as carbon sinks, for instance.

Waste

Unwanted material (rubbish, trash, garbage, junk).

White Tag

A certificate equivalent to 1 MWh of energy savings