Some useful terms you might not be familiar with.
- Acid Rain – Highly acidic rainfall or snowfall, formed as nitrogen and sulfur oxides, are trapped in clouds
- Atmosphere – A bubble of gases surrounding a planet. On Earth this extends from the surface to about 6000 miles into space.
- Biodegradable – A term of describing materials or substances that can be readily broken down by bacteria, insects or other natural substances
- Biodiversity – The number and variety of living species (including plants, animals, fungi and bacteria) on Earth or in a specific region.
- Biofuel – A fuel that is produced from biological sources, usually plants rather than from fossil fuels
- Carbon Dioxide – A colorless odorless gas formed when fuels and materials are burned, and by living organisms as they live, die or rot.
- Carbon Footprint – An estimate of the the impact of one persons activities on the environment, measured by the amount of greenhouse gas released.
- Carbon Offsetting – The act of balancing out the greenhouse gases released by a person or organiztion
- CFCs (Cholorfluorocarbons) – Artificial chemicals used in air conditioners, rerfigerators, and aerosol sprays, which damage the ozone layer and contribute to the greenhouse effect once released into the atmosphere.
- Climate – The weather that occurs in a region over a long period of time. The climate in a desert area for example is hot and dry.
- Climate Change – A change in the worlds climate and weather patterns caused by sustained global warming
- Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) – A Fluorescent lightbulb lined with phosphor, which uses much less energy than traditional lightbulbs.
- Composting – Converting food scraps, garden waste, or other organic materials into fertilizer by heaping leaves, wood chips, manure, or other materials on them to encourage the growth of bacteria
- Coral Bleaching – The loss of color in coral reefs that occurs as the algae that live in them are killed or forced out. Bleaching is linked to changes in sea temperature and acidity.
- Desertification – The process by which fertile land turns into desert as a result of changes to local climate and weather patterns, such as decreasing rainfall, as well as human activities
- Drought – Long periods of extremely dry weather when little or no rain falls.
- Eco Friendly – Short for ecologically friendly, the name given to goods, materials, technology, or services thought to be harmless or relatively safe for the environment.
- Emissions – Substances released into the air by machines or natural processes – often used to describe gases released from engines and power stations.
- Environment – The physical and biological circumstances that surround us.
- Fossil – The remains, or traces, of any living thing preserved in rock.
- Fossil Fuels – Carbon based materials such as oil, coal, natural gas, formed from the fossils of ancient plants and animals. Fossil fuels are burned to produce energy and electricity.
- Generator – A machine that uses movement, usually from a spinning turbine, to make electricity.
- Glacier – A huge mass of ice formed from compacted snow, which slowly flows across land over thousands of years.
- Global Warming – An observed increase in the average temperature of Earths atmosphere leading to climate change and other effects.
- Green Party – A political organization committed to the protection of the environment and our natural ecosystems.
- Green Technology – Machines and process developed to be less damaging to the environment than existing technologies.
- Greenhouse Effect – The process by which gases in Earths atmosphere trap solar radiation, absorbing it and bouncing it back to Earth to heat the atmosphere, oceans and surface.
- Greenhouse Gases – Gases in Earths atmosphere that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Carbon dioxide (CO2) makes up more than 99% of these gases.
- Gray Water – Dirty water drained from baths, showers, dishwashers, or washing machines, which can be recycled in order to reduce water usage in the home.
- Heat Wave – An extended period of extremely hot weather.
- Hurricane – A powerful storm that forms over warm, tropical waters, causing violent winds and rainstorms. Also known as a tropical cyclone.
- Hybrid Car – Hybrid electric vehicle that combines a standard internal combustion engine with a rechargeable, batter powered electric motor.
- Hydroelectric Power – A form of renewable energy, based on changing the movement of water into electricity. Dams capture river water and direct it past turbine generators at high speed.
- Ice Age – Long periods of time in Earths history when the climate was very cold and almost all of the planet was covered in ice and glaciers.
- Ice Cores – Samples of ancient ice that scientists study to learn about Earths atmosphere and climate in ancient times.
- Industry – The making of products usually through the construction and use of machinery and factories.
- Insulation – Material used to surround an object, person or hourse in order to reduce heat loss.
- Kyoto Protocol – An agreement between governments around the world that was created in 2005. It aims to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions to prevent climate change.
- Landfill – A dump site where waste is buried, forming piles or pits that release methane gas as they rot.
- Methane – An odorless, flammable gas formed by natural processes and living organisms. It is the main ingredient of natural gas and is one of the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
- Nitrogen Oxides – Gases, most often released by vehicle exhausts, that contribute to both global warming and the formation of smog and acid rain.
- Ozone Layer – The thin layer of ozone gas located roughly 15 miles above Earth’s surface, that shields us from ultraviolet rays generated by the Sun.
- Radiation – Energy that moves as waves or rays. Solar radiation is the source of all our energy on Earth, and includes ultraviolet (UV) radiation, visible light, and infrared (or heat) radiation.
- Recycle – To keep, process or reuse materials in order to save energy and reduce waste.
- Reforestation – Planting new trees to replace existing ones.
- Renewable Energy – Energy from sources that happen naturally, over and over again, and do not run out.
- Solar Power – A form of renewable energy, based on changing radiation from the sun into electricity.
- Tidal Power – A form of renewable energy, based on changing the movement of ocean tides into electricity.
- Turbine – A spinning wheel surrounded by blades, buckets, or cups, which helps change the energy from moving water or air into electricity.
- Wave Power – A form of renewable energy, based on changing the movement of waves into electricity.
- Wind Power – A form of renewable energy, based on changing the movement of wind into electricity. Usually using windmill like wind turbines.
