Biodegradable: Term applied to products that have the ability to break down safely and relatively quickly by biological means into raw materials, which can be absorbed into the ecosystem. Example: wood, bamboo.

Biodiversity: The number and variety of organisms found within a specified geographic region.

Biosphere: The part of the earth and its atmosphere capable of supporting life.

Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Produced by burning fossils fuels, which raise atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and contribute to the greenhouse effect.

Carbon Emissions: Emissions to the atmosphere mainly from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. Increased emissions are a cause of global warming, as they trap the earth’s heat.

Carbon Footprint: The measurement of the impact of human activities on the environment in terms of the amount of green houses gasses produced.

Carbon Neutral: A company, person, or action that does not produce or offset carbon emissions.

Carbon Offsetting:  A way to offset, or cancel out, the amount of CO2 released into the atmosphere by balancing the amount of these gases through investments made in environmentally friendly projects.

Compost: Process by which organic wastes such as food wastes, paper, and yard wastes, decompose naturally to create a product rich in minerals ideal for gardening and farming.

Conservation: The use, protection, and improvement of natural resources according to principles that will ensure their sustainability.

Cruelty Free: A term used to label products that do not harm animals.

Eco-assessment: An evaluation of a location, be it a home or place of work, with the aim of cutting energy and water usage.

Eco hotel:  An accommodation that has made important environmental improvements to its structure with the aim of minimizing its impact on the environment.

Ecological Footprint: Measurement of the area of land and water a human population uses to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its wastes.

Ecosystem: An interconnected and symbiotic grouping of animals, plants, fungi, and micro-organisms that sustains life through biological, geological, and chemical activity.

Ecotourism: Environmentally responsible travel to natural areas that promote conservation, have a low visitor impact, and provide for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local peoples.

Endangered: Species threatened with immediate extinction as a result of human action.

Environment: All of the natural and living things surrounding us that have an influence on us and our physical and biological existence.

Environmental Impact: Any change to the environment wholly or partially resulting from human activity, industry, or natural disasters.

Fair trade products: Products produced and traded respecting the rights of marginalized producers and workers and under more favorable conditions for these individuals. Wherever possible, production standards are verified by credible, independent assurance systems.

Fossil Fuels: The remains of plant and animal life used to provide energy. These include oil, coal, and natural gas.

Global Warming: A process that raises the air temperature in the lower atmosphere due to heat trapped by greenhouse gases.

Greenhouse Effect: The warming of the earth's surface and lower atmosphere which results in an increase in temperature.

Greenhouse Gas: A gas that absorbs infra-red radiation (ie the sun’s heat and energy) in the atmosphere. This includes water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), halogenated fluorocarbons (HCFCs), ozone (O3), perfluorinated carbons (PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

Habitat: The natural home of an animal or plant.

Non-renewable Energy: Energy derived from fuels created through lengthy geological processes and existing in limited quantities.

Organic: An alternative farming method for crops, dairy foods, and livestock which removes toxins, manufactured chemicals, synthetic additives, and genetically modified organisms, and provides biodegradable products. Standards vary from country to country.

Organic Certification: Certification which ensures that products advertised as organic comply with strict requirements that allow them to be sold as such.

Recycling: Process by which materials that would otherwise become waste are collected and separated or processed and returned to the economic mainstream to be reused in the form of raw materials or finished goods.

Renewable Energy: Energy obtained from sources that do not run out. This includes wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, and waste.

Reuse: To find a new function for an item that has outgrown its original use.

Sustainable Development: Environmentally friendly forms of economic growth activities that allow the continued production of a commodity without damage to the ecosystem or compromising the possibility of future generations to meet their own needs.