Sustainability Principles and Practice
Fourth Edition
carbon footprint
A measure of greenhouse gas emissions associated with an activity; technically expressed as area of land needed for carbon dioxide sequestration, but often used more loosely to mean the quantity of greenhouse gases emitted, measured in tons.
carbon neutral
Living or doing business in a way which results in no net carbon emissions; also known as climate neutral.
climate neutral
Living or doing business in a way which results in no net climate impact; also known as carbon neutral.
ecological footprint
A measure of the demand a person, population, or activity places on nature in order to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb the waste it generates, usually expressed as acres or hectares of productive land and water.
ecological rucksack
The total weight of material " carried" by a product; the material displaced in order to extract, process, and use the material over the course of its lifetime.
emissions trading
The buying and selling of permits to pollute; also known as cap and trade.
governance
The process of decision-making by which an organization or society regulates activities and exercises control over resources; often refers to collective actions of multiple stakeholders working together in order to achieve common goals.
index
A composite indicator which combines multiple sources of data into one number.