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HomeMy WebLinkAboutglossary draftDraft Glossary 25x25: a rallying cry for renewable energy and a goal for America — to get 25 percent of our energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by the year 2025. adaptive reuse: the process of using old structures for purposes other than those initially intended. alternative transportation: in this document alternative (and /or sustainable) modes of transportation include transportation by public transit (bus or rail), bicycle, walking, or alternative fuel vehicles. benchmark: a standard by which something can be measured or judged; in this document, targets set for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. biodegradable: capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other biological means biodigester: a container in which methane, or biogas, is captured in the processing of organic material by anaerobic bacteria. The gas is often used for heating, lighting or cooking. biofilter: a filter system using microorganisms to convert organic compounds of a pollutant to carbon dioxide, water and salts biofuel: a fuel, such as wood, methane or ethanol, composed of or produced from biological raw materials. biomass: plant material, vegetation, or agricultural waste used as a fuel or energy source. Bird City Wisconsin: a designation by a partnership of state birding groups indicating a community has met certain criteria for making itself healthy for birds. Oshkosh was one of 15 communities designated in 2011. brownfield: abandoned, idled or under -used property where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by the presence or potential presence of environmental contamination. business incubator: facility established to nurture young (startup) firms during their early months or years, usually providing affordable space, shared offices and services, hands -on management training, marketing support and often access to some form of financing. carbon footprint: a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by an entity, e.g. a country, company, household or individual, through day to day activities over a given period of time. climate action plan (CAP): a customized roadmap to reduce global warming pollution by a target a city has identified. The CAP includes an implementation timeline for reduction measures, costs and financing mechanisms, assignments to city departments, and actions the city must implement to achieve its target. The inventory and quantification of existing climate protection measures helps guide a city to understand where it can get the greatest emissions reductions. The majority of measures in a CAP fall into energy management, transportation, waste reduction and land use categories. climate change: any change in global temperatures and precipitation over time due to natural variability or to human activity. Present thinking is earth is getting warmer because of an accumulation of greenhouse gases in the lower atmosphere primarily attributed to combustion of fossil fuels and deforestation. community garden: a garden cultivated by a group; in this document usually an area designated by the city or county where garden plots are rented to community members on an annual basis to plant vegetables and flowers. compost: a mixture of decaying organic matter, as from food wastes, leaves or manure, used to improve soil structure and provide nutrients. conditional land use: in a zoning district, additional requirements tailored to the site conservancy area: an area protected from development because of special environmental characteristics cool, green or white roof: an "environmentally friendly" roof intended to conserve energy by employing a white reflective or insulated coating, or being planted with vegetation. ecology: the study of the relationship between living organisms and their environment energy conservation: reduction in the amount of energy consumed through economy, elimination of waste, and rational use. energy independence: generally means using less foreign oil, but also refers to areas off the grid and employing renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. ENERGY STAR: a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help businesses and consumers save money by making energy - efficient product choices. e- waste: any refuse created by discarded electronic devices and components or substances involved in their manufacture or use. Facility Improvement Measures (FIMs): standards to improve building and system performance, such as reducing electricity, water or natural gas usage. flexible -fuel vehicle (FFV): or dual -fuel vehicle (colloquially called a flex -fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in a common tank. Focus on Energy: a program for eligible Wisconsin residents and businesses to install cost effective, energy efficient and renewable energy projects. Focus information, resources and financial incentives help to implement projects that otherwise would not get completed, or complete projects sooner than scheduled. Its efforts help Wisconsin residents and businesses manage rising energy costs, promote in -state economic development, protect the environment and control the state's growing demand for electricity and natural gas. food co -op: a grocery store organized as a cooperative. Food cooperatives are usually consumers' cooperatives owned by their members. Food cooperatives follow the 7 Cooperative Principles (voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic control, member economic participation, autonomy and independence, education, training and information, cooperation among cooperatives and concern for community) and typically offer natural foods. fossil fuels: fuels formed by natural resources such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms. Fossil fuels include coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Fossil fuels are non - renewable resources because they take millions of years to form, and reserves are being depleted much faster than new ones are being made. Full Cost Accounting (FCA): generally refers to the process of collecting and presenting information about environmental, social, and economic costs and benefits /advantages (collectively known as the "triple bottom line ") for each proposed alternative when a decision is necessary. It is a conventional method of cost accounting tracing direct costs and allocating indirect costs. geothermal energy: thermal energy generated and stored in the earth. Thermal energy is energy that determines the temperature of matter. Earth's geothermal energy originates from the original formation of the planet, from radioactive decay of minerals, from volcanic activity, and from solar energy absorbed at the surface. The geothermal gradient, which is the difference in temperature between the core of the planet and its surface, drives a continuous conduction of thermal energy in the form of heat from the core to the surface. Use of geothermal energy heating of buildings with ground source heat pumps has been steadily increasing. green: in this document, green is shorthand to refer to any environmentally preferable product, activity, service or process. green power: a subset of renewable energy representing renewable energy resources and technologies providing the highest environmental benefit. EPA defines green power as electricity produced from solar, wind, geothermal, biogas, biomass, and low- impact small hydroelectric sources. Customers often buy green power to avoid negative environmental impacts and for its greenhouse gas reduction benefits. green or sustainable business: an enterprise having no negative impact on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy; a business that strives to meet the triple bottom line. green team: in this document, green team is used to describe a team of city department representatives chosen to lead sustainability initiatives for the City of Oshkosh. greenhouse gas (GHG)- natural and manmade gases in the earth's atmosphere allowing incoming solar radiation to pass through the atmosphere and warm the earth, while trapping radiant heat given off by the earth. The radiant heat absorbed by these gases heats the atmosphere. This is a natural process known as the "greenhouse effect" that keeps the earth habitable. The four primary greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (NO) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Since the onset of the industrial period, human activities have lead to sharp increases in the levels of GHGs in the atmosphere, enhancing the greenhouse effect and contributing to rising global temperatures. greenhouse gas inventory: an audit of activities causing greenhouse gas emissions, such as electricity use, transportation and waste generation. The inventory provides baseline data for local governmental operations and community scale activities to help target projects and programs to reduce emissions. greenhouse gas reduction target: a specific quantified emissions reduction goal, usually a percentage by which greenhouse gases will be reduced from base year levels by a chosen target year. greenhouse gas "sink ": the physical site where carbon is stored; e.g. atmosphere, oceans, vegetation and soils and fossil fuel deposits. hybrid vehicle: a vehicle using two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors. hydration station: an indoor or outdoor site provided with drinking fountains, water coolers or other means to obtain drinking water. hydropower /hydraulic power or water power: power derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes. Prior to development of electric power, hydropower was used for irrigation and operation of various machines,such as watermills, textile machines, sawmills, dock cranes, and domestic lifts. International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI): an association of over 1220 local government members who are committed to sustainable development. It provides technical consulting, training and information services to build capacity, share knowledge and support local government in the implementation of sustainable development at the local level. impervious surface: mainly artificial structures- -such as pavements (roads, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots) covered by impenetrable materials such as asphalt, concrete, brick, and stone - -and rooftops. Soils compacted by urban development are also highly impervious. Industrial Ecology (IE): the study of material and energy flows through industrial systems. The global industrial economy can be modeled as a network of industrial processes that extract resources from the Earth and transform those resources into commodities which can be bought and sold to meet the needs of humanity. Industrial ecology seeks to quantify the material flows and document the industrial processes that make modern society function. Industrial ecologists are often concerned with the impacts that industrial activities have on the environment, with use of the planet's supply of natural resources, and with problems of waste disposal. Industrial ecology is a young but growing multidisciplinary field of research which combines aspects of engineering, economics, sociology, toxicology and the natural sciences. infill: use of land within a built -up area for further construction, especially as part of a community redevelopment or growth management program or as part of smart growth. It focuses on the reuse and repositioning of obsolete or underutilized buildings and sites. invasive species: non - native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive species can be plants, animals, and other organisms (e.g., microbes). Human actions are the primary means of invasive species introductions. International Organization for Standardization (ISO): promotes the development and implementation of voluntary international standards, both for particular products and for environmental management issues. ISO 14000/14001: a series of voluntary standards in the environmental field under development by ISO. Included in the ISO 14000 series are the ISO 14001 EMS Standard and other standards in fields such as environmental auditing, environmental performance evaluation, environmental labeling, and life -cycle assessment. The EMS and auditing standards are now final. The others are in various stages of development. land banking: the practice of acquiring land and holding it for future use. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design): a rating system developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) that sets definitive standards for what constitutes a green or environmentally preferable building. The certification system is self - assessing and is designed for rating new and existing commercial, institutional, and high -rise residential buildings. It evaluates environmental performance of the entire building over the building's life cycle. LEED certifications are awarded at various levels (certified, silver, gold, and platinum) according to a point -based scoring system. light- emitting diode (LED): a semiconductor light source. LED bulbs draw considerably less power and are up to 90% more efficient than incandescent and halogen bulbs. They can last 10 or more years under normal usage. Life -Cycle Design: a framework recognizing each step in product development from extraction of raw materials through final disposal of all residuals. It focuses on discovering and reducing environmental impacts. Life -Cycle Cost (LCC): a life cycle assessment (LCA, also known as life cycle analysis, ecobalance, and cradle -to -grave analysis) is a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life from- cradle -to -grave i.e., from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. McKinstry Study: a study commissioned by the City of Oshkosh to audit municipal buildings and create a plan for energy savings. mixed -use development: development which incorporates both residential and commercial uses. nanomaterials: materials which have structured components with at least one dimension less than 100nm. Materials with one dimension in the nanoscale are layers, such as a thin films or surface coatings. Some of the features on computer chips are in this category. native vegetation: plant species native to the northeastern Wisconsin bioregion. organic: of, relating to, or derived from living organisms. Organic foods are those produced using methods not involving modern synthetics such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, not containing genetically modified organisms, and not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives. Pay -As- You -Throw policy: substituting variable rate pricing for flat rates, meant to provide an incentive to households to divert an increased portion of its discards away from traditional disposal to recycling. payback: the period of time elapsed before an investment is recouped Polycyclic Aromic Hydrocarbon (PAHs): a group of organic contaminants formed from incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, such as coal and gasoline. PAHs are an environmental concern because they are toxic to aquatic life and because several are suspected human carcinogens. They are present in coal tar sealants often sprayed or painted on asphalt pavement to protect and beautify driveways, parking lots and other asphalt surfaces. potable water: suitable for drinking programmable thermostat: a thermostat designed to adjust the temperature according to a series of programmed settings taking effect at different times of the day. Programmable thermostats may also be called setback thermostats or clock thermostats. Purchase of Development Rights (PDR): a strategy for protecting natural and farmland from development. Development rights are one of the many rights, such as mineral rights or timber rights, that come with a parcel of land. When a landowner sells development rights the right to develop or subdivide a parcel of land is permanently relinquished. The landowner retains all other rights, such as the right to farm or timber the property, and must continue to pay property taxes. Landowners often sell or make a charitable donation of development rights to land trusts, or local and state government agencies. radon: a colorless, odorless, short-lived radioactive gas that can seep into homes and become a lung cancer risk. rain barrel: a barrel used as a cistern to hold rainwater, often a component of a community's stormwater reduction strategy. rain garden: a shallow (2 " -18 ") depression, typically planted with colorful native plants, strategically located to collect, infiltrate and filter rain falling on hard surfaces like roofs, driveways, alleys, or streets to minimize negative impacts of excessive runoff from these surfaces on lakes and streams. Regional Transit Authority (RTA): a legislatively created organization with the sole purpose of operating a transit system within a given jurisdiction, usually with the ability to tax and bond for operating and capital expenditures. RENEW Wisconsin: a nonprofit organization promoting clean energy strategies for powering the state's economy in an environmentally responsible manner. renewable energy: any naturally occurring, theoretically inexhaustible source of energy, as biomass, solar, wind, tidal, wave, and hydroelectric power, not derived from fossil or nuclear fuel. roundabout: a circular road structure where several roads meet, often replacing stop and go lights. Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS): a program enabling community leaders, schools and parents across the United States to improve safety and encourage more children, including children with disabilities, to safely walk and bicycle to school. In the process, programs are working to reduce traffic congestion and improve health and the environment, making communities more livable for everyone seasonal load control: a program in which utility companies offer a lower rate in return for having permission to turn off gas or electricity for short periods of time by remote control. This control allows the utility to reduce peak demand. single stream recycling: a system in which all paper fibers and containers are mixed together in a collection truck, instead of being sorted into separate commodities (newspaper, cardboard, plastic, glass, etc.) by the resident and handled separately throughout the collection process. In single stream, both the collection and processing systems are designed to handle this fully commingled mixture of recyclables, with materials being separated for reuse at a materials recovery facility. smart growth: community growth consciously seeking to avoid wastefulness and damage to the environment. solar energy: radiant light and heat from the sun harnessed by humans using a range of ever - evolving technologies. stratopheric ozone layer: atmospheric ozone relatively concentrated in the lower stratosphere in a layer between 9 and 18 miles (15 and 30 kilometers) above the earth's surface. It plays a critical role for the biosphere by absorbing damaging ultraviolet radiation with wavelengths 320 nanometers and lower. Also known as ozone layer. subsurface drainage chamber: the use of underground pipes and other fittings to direct the flow of water from unwanted places to another place sustainable: can mean slightly different things depending on the context in which it is used. In this document it means "use of a resouce so the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged." Sustainability is defined as "meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs "(1987 UN conference) Tax Incremental Financing District (TIF): an economic development tool for Wisconsin, allowing a municipality to promote growth in a specific district by borrowing on the district's future growth in taxable property value. In Wisconsin, TIFs may be created for three types of projects: blight or environmental remediation, industrial development, and mixed -use development. Tax revenue from improvements in the district pay back debt until all project costs are repaid. telecommuting: to work from home using a computer terminal linked to a place of employment total maximum daily load (TMDL): a calculation of the maximum amount of a pollutant a waterbody can receive and still safely meet water quality standards. tot lots: small parks or playgrounds usually located in an urban area. Transfer of Development Rights (TDR): a tool used to manage land development. TDR is the exchange of zoning privileges from areas with low population needs, such as farmland, to areas of high population needs, such as downtown areas. These transfers allow for the preservation of open spaces and historic landmarks, while allowing urban areas to expand and increase in density. Travel Green Wisconsin: a Wisconsin Department of Tourism program promoting smart, environmentally friendly business practices. The program is the first state - sponsored sustainable tourism certification program in the nation and has become a model for sustainable travel efforts across the nation. Tree City USA: a program, sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, providing direction, technical assistance, public attention, and national recognition for urban and community forestry programs in thousands of towns and cities that more than 135 million Americans call home. Triple Bottom Line: a method of "true cost accounting," which considers the impact of production and operating decisions in terms of ecological and social value, as well as economic value. U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement: participating cities commit to take the following three actions to meet or beat the Kyoto Protocol targets in their own communities; urge their state governments, and the federal government, to enact policies and programs to meet or beat the greenhouse gas emission reduction target suggested for the United States in the Kyoto Protocol -- 7% reduction from 1990 levels by 2012; and urge the U.S. Congress to pass the bipartisan greenhouse gas reduction legislation, which would establish a national emission trading system. urban growth boundary(UGB) or urban service area: a regional boundary, set in an attempt to control urban sprawl by mandating the area inside the boundary be used for higher density urban development and the area outside be used for lower density development. An urban growth boundary circumscribes an entire urbanized area and is used by local governments as a guide to zoning and land use decisions. Vision Oshkosh 2010: an A. Nelessen Associates report which identified and analyzed emerging trends and community issues, articulated core community values, developed a community vision based on communities' core values, established a vision action plan to implement the vision, and defined a method to revisit and update the vision and action plan WasteCap Wisconsin: a nonprofit, industry- supported 501(c)(3) organization providing waste reduction and recycling assistance to businesses. WasteCap assists and encourages companies to effectively drive costs out of their operations through improved solid waste management practices. Services are made possible through membership, sponsorship, and grants. watershed: an area of land where all water beneath it or draining off it has a shared destination of river, lake or stream. Well City USA: an initiative designed to engage entire business communities in improving the health and well -being of their workforce. Similar in approach to Well Workplace, the primary requirement for achieving a Well City USA designation is that 20 percent of any community's working population must be employed by either Small Business, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum designated Well Workplace Award winning companies. Well Workplace: Seven -step, benchmarking initiative by the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) which gives organizations a roadmap to successfully build results- oriented wellness programs into their working environments while avoiding common pitfalls. wind energy: the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines for electricity, wind mills for mechanical power, wind pumps for pumping water or drainage, or sails to propel ships. Wisconsin Energy Independent Community: a voluntary agreement between the State of Wisconsin and communities adopting the State's 25x25 goals (a rallying cry for renewable energy and a goal for America — to get 25 percent of our energy from renewable resources like wind, solar, and biofuels by the year 2025). zero waste: reuse or recycling of all natural and man made materials back into nature or the marketplace rather than landfilling or similar disposal options for these materials.