Green – What Does It Mean?

We all want to kinder to our environment, but with all the green buzz out there, it’s hard to know what it all means. Here are a few terms to help you understand the green lingo and make more environmentally friendly decisions for your household.

Biodegradable - The ability of a substance to decompose in the natural environment into harmless raw materials. To be truly biodegradable, a substance or material should break down into carbon dioxide, water, and naturally occurring minerals that also do not cause harm to the ecosystem. A key factor is how long it takes the product to completely break down
Carbon Footprint - An estimate of how much carbon dioxide an entity (be it person, family or building) produces and releases into the atmosphere. You can calculate what you would need to do to counteract your carbon footprint a the EPA’s website.
Eco-Friendly – Goods considered to inflict minimal harm on the environment.
Energy Star – The U.S. EPA’s energy efficiency product labeling program for more than 35 categories.
Post-consumer - Materials and byproducts recovered or diverted from the solid waste stream after having completed their usefulness as consumer items and used in place of raw or virgin material. Think newspapers that you recycle at your local recycling center after you read them.
Pre-consumer - Products or byproducts that did not reach the consumer for whose use they were intended and have been diverted from the solid waste stream for the purposes of collection, recycling and disposition. Think overruns of a newspaper that never reach the consumer but are recycled.
Recyclable – A product or material that can be converted back into material that can be used again. Today, many products you use every day are recyclable. Check with your local recycling center to see what can be recycled in your area.
Renewable energy – Energy harvested from sources that are not depleted when used, typically causing very low environmental impact. Examples include solar energy, hydroelectric power and wind power.
Sustainable - An action is sustainable if it satisfies present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable products for your home can range from cork flooring to bamboo linens.
VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) - Chemicals that readily evaporate and contribute to the formation of air pollution when released into the atmosphere. These can be found in paints so check the label before you change your wall color.