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Here’s a quick cheat sheet about all those terms you’ve been hearing or reading about everywhere these days. If you’ve got one we missed, send it to us at info@iowagogreen.com.
Adaptive Reuse: Hopefully we’ll see more of this around Iowa because it’s the process of adapting or redeveloping old structures for new uses to reduce sprawl, preserve historically significant architecture, and save resources. Let’s use the inventory of great old buildings and homes we have and not always tear down to build new.
Carbon Footprint: How big is your footprint? You can measure the greenhouse gasses your activities produce and how it impacts global warming. Use an online calculator at www.carbonfootprint.com; it lets you factor in how much you travel, your driving habits, energy consumption to get a pretty good idea of how many natural resources you are using.
Certified Organic: Okay, this one is often misunderstood, certified organic is a designation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that food is at least 95% organic, meaning it’s produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and eco- friendly farming techniques. Depending on your concerns about the environment, organic is not always the best choice…check to see what packaging is used and how far your food traveled.
CSA (Community Supported Agriculture): This is starting to catch on more around central Iowa, check out Local Harvest to find one near you. Basically a CSA is an economic partnership between consumers who want safe, locally grown foods and small commercial farmers and gardeners looking for stable markets for their goods. You become a member or in some cases a shareholder and help ensure the farm's survival while also gaining access to the freshest foods year-round.
Energy Star: We’re sure everyone recognizes the name and logo of Energy Start, which is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that helps identify energy-efficient products and practices. By choosing appliances and products with the Energy Star seal Americans saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills.
Fair Trade: A movement to alleviate global poverty and promote sustainability by ensuring that exports from developing countries are sold at a fair price, the workers are paid fair wages, that manufacturers engage in environmentally sustainable practices, and that business owners promote healthy working conditions.
Forest Stewardship Council: a non-profit organization that sets high standards for the environmental, social, and economic management of the world’s forests. FSC-certified products must meet or exceed these standards.
Freecycling: the act of giving at no cost (often through mailing lists) usable but unneeded items instead of throwing them in a landfill.
Green Label: Look for the green label when buying carpet and cushions, it’s a designation by the Carpet and Rug Institute for products that meet high standards for low VOC emissions. Even better, very lowest emitting products on the market are labeled Green Label Plus.
Greenwash: Just say no to greenwashing, we’re savvy consumers and we know when someone is misleading us in order to create a pro-environmental image when their organizational practices or products aren’t even a little bit eco-friendly.
Hybrid: Not just an agricultural term anymore, it’s a mainstream way to say you are driving a very cool car which uses a mixture of power or fuel sources.
LEED-Certified: It’s a designation by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ that states a building, architect, or material meets sustainable green building and development standards.
Low/Zero VOC Paint: Come on, for your next paint project choose a water-based latex paints that will emit fewer harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than regular latex paint. To be considered low VOC, flat paint levels can't exceed 100 grams per liter and non-flat paint (semi-gloss, gloss, eggshell, or satin) can’t exceed 150 grams per liter.
Organic Cotton/Wool:A stylish, comfortable andeco-friendly bedding choice for sheets and mattresses, look for the "Certified Organic" seal. Cotton can be treated with toxic dyes and synthetic chemicals in the finishing process and still be labeled organic. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that is cultivated without pesticides and requires less water than cotton…bamboo sheets are as smooth as silk.
Natural Latex: When shopping for a new mattress you’ll see natural latex which is a type of mold- and mildew-resistant latex used in that contains no toxic substances and doesn’t emit fumes or ozone-depleting gases. It’s also popular because its hypoallergenic nature makes it a good choice for allergy sufferers.
Passive Solar Heating and Cooling: a design strategy for using the sun's energy to heat and cool living spaces by taking advantage of natural energy characteristics in materials and air created by exposure to the sun. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, passive solar design strategies, like a large wraparound porch or a big overhang that blocks the sun, can cut heating bills by as much as 50 percent. Learn more about passive solar energy.
Phantom Load/Energy Vampires: Take a load off your energy bill and save CO2 in the process - every appliance or electronic item that use energy even when turned off. Believe it or not, the average home has about 20 vampires that add about $200 to your annual energy bill and can use the equivalent of seven electrical generating plants. Get rid of the vampires in your house by unplugging appliances and unused chargers…use power strips to turn on and off several appliances at once.
Sustainability: This has so many definitions but the one we’ll use on IowaGoGreen.com is about a characteristic of certain products or practices that don’t harm the environment throughout their life cycle. Sustainable products are produced with a minimal amount of energy and packaging and may be repaired or recycled after use. |
