Greenhood Glossary

Below is a glossary GreenPosting has put together.
SSalmonella 2Introduction to Sustainability: Sustainable Dictionary "sustainable table" Retrieved 4/11/08A type of bacteria that causes food poisoning and is commonly found in meat and animal waste, particularly poultry. Source Reduction 1Greenopia.com glossary Retrieved 4/11/08The process of reducing the amount and/or toxicity of an item before it is ever generated (e.g. buying an item with less packaging or using a non-toxic alternative to clean with). Spent Hen 2Introduction to Sustainability: Sustainable Dictionary "sustainable table" Retrieved 4/11/08A hen that is no longer able to function as a factory egg-producing machine -- usually about two years old. These hens, which frequently have broken bones and badly bruised bodies, are sold cheaply for use in frozen dinners or canned soups, or are discarded. Sprouts 3"The Dictionary of Sustainable Management." Presidio School of Management. Retrieved 4/18/08A selection of consumers defined by the Roper ASW Green Gauge Report as consumers undecided about environmental issues when it comes to buying and using products and services. [They] often evaluate environmental issues one at a time, comparing each to their personal benefits or costs. Sustainability 3"The Dictionary of Sustainable Management." Presidio School of Management. Retrieved 4/18/08Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
This definition was created in 1987 at the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission). It is enshrined in the Swiss federal constitution. It is similar to the "seventh generation" philosophy of the Native American Iroquois Confederacy, mandating that chiefs always consider the effects of their actions on their descendants seven generations in the future.
There are many ways to measure or define sustainability. As described in the book Natural Capitalism, in business, these should include the sustainable development and use of, at least, the following four types of capital:
Financial Capital
Manufacturing Capital
Natural Capital
Human Capital
In addition, many organizations use the following criteria to assess sustainable products, services, and other activities:
Social Criteria:
Socially desirable
Culturally acceptable
Psychologically nurturing
Financial Criteria:
Economically sustainable
Technologically feasible
Operationally viable
Environmental Criteria:
Environmentally Robust
Generationally Sensitive
Capable of continuous learning
Sustainable 2Introduction to Sustainability: Sustainable Dictionary "sustainable table" Retrieved 4/11/08A product can be considered sustainable if its production enables the resources from which it was made to continue to be available for future generations. A sustainable product can thus be created repeatedly without generating negative environmental effects, without causing waste products to accumulate as pollution, and without compromising the wellbeing of workers or communities. The drawback of the term sustainable is that the term lacks a clear-cut, universally-accepted, enforceable definition - thus it can be interpreted in different ways. It is more of a philosophy or way of life than a label.
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