Welcome to our glossary page. We have tried to include words and organizations we feel will help our clients better understand the materials and processes that green products use and go through. If you see a word or group that you think should be included please let us know. Our goal is to create a place that people can visit to learn about the green movement (not just furniture), so that they can make better decisions on purchases they make.

(acid rain) Rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic. It has harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals and buildings. Acid rain is mostly caused by human emissions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds which react in the atmosphere to produce acids. In recent years, many governments have introduced laws to reduce these emissions.

(adaptive reuse) The process of adapting old structures for new purposes. When the original use of a structure changes or is no longer required, as with older buildings from the industrial revolution, architects have the opportunity to change the primary function of the structure, while often retaining some of the existing architectural details that make the building unique. In local communities, unused schools or Post Office buildings have been adapted for reuse as retail stores or offices.

(adhesive) A compound that adheres or bonds two items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. Some modern adhesives are extremely strong, and are becoming increasingly important in modern construction and industry. Adhesives are important to sustainable furniture making since some are highy toxic. Choosing adhesives with low or no toxicity, creates a healthier environment, and reduces toxic run-off in the manufacturing process.

(agrifiber board) Composite panel products derived from recovered agricultural waste fiber from sources including but not limited to cereal straw, sugarcane bagasse, sunflower husk, walnut shells, coconut husks and agricultural prunings.

(air pollution) Worldwide air pollution is responsible for large numbers of deaths and cases of respiratory disease. While major stationary sources are often identified with air pollution, the greatest source of emissions is actually mobile sources, mainly automobiles. Gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming, have recently gained recognition as pollutants by climate scientists, while they also recognize that carbon dioxide is essential for plant life through photosynthesis.

(alternative fueled vehicles) A vehicle that runs on a fuel other than traditional gasoline or diesel; any method of powering an engine that does not involve solely petroleum (e.g. electric car, gasoline-electric hybrid, solar powered).

(aquifer) An underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. Aquifers are critically important in human habitation and agriculture. Deep aquifers in arid areas have long been water sources for irrigation.

(bake-out) In building construction, the term refers to a process using heat to try and remove volatile organic compounds such as solvents used in paint, carpets, and other building materials from the building after construction. The building is heated to a much higher temperature than normal and left at that temperature for extended periods of time, to encourage such compounds to vaporize into the air, which can then be vented.

(bamboo) A highly renewable resource, harvestable only four to six years after being planted.

(biodegradable) A biodegradable product has the ability to break down, safely and relatively quickly, by biological means, into the raw materials of nature and disappear into the environment. These products can be solids biodegrading into the soil (which we also refer to as compostable), or liquids biodegrading into water. Biodegradable plastic is intended to break up when exposed to microorganisms (a natural ingredient such as cornstarch or vegetable oil is added to achieve this result).

(black water) A relatively recent term used to describe water containing fecal matter and urine. It is also known as brown water, foul water, or sewage. It is distinct from greywater or sullage, the residues of washing processes.

(brownfield) Are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contaminants.

(by-product) A secondary or incidental product deriving from a manufacturing process, a chemical reaction or a biochemical pathway, and is not the primary product or service being produced. A by-product can be useful and marketable, or it can have severe ecological consequences.

(carbon footprint) A measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. Intended as a useful method for individuals and organizations to conceptualize their personal (or organizational) impact in contributing to global warming.

(chain-of-custody) A tracking system that allows manufacturers and traders to demonstrate that timber comes from a forest that is responsibly managed in accordance with the FSC Principles and Criteria. It tracks the flow of certified wood through the supply chain and across borders through each successive stage - including processing, transformation and manufacturing - all the way to the final product. It is up to a company to initiate the certification process by requesting the services of an independent certification body to inspect its internal tracking procedures. Only FSC-accredited certification bodies can evaluate, monitor and certify companies to FSC standards.

(chlorofluorocarbons) (cfc) Compounds containing no hydrogen, only chlorine, fluorine and carbon only. They were formerly used widely in industry, for example as refrigerants, propellants, and cleaning solvents. Their use has been regularly prohibited by the Montreal Protocol, because of effects on the ozone layer. They are also a powerful greenhouse gas, in terms of carbon dioxide equivalence (over a time period of one hundred years) between 5000 and 8100 per kg.

(closed-loop process) Part of an industrial production process; not part of a waste management process. Materials reclaimed and returned in a closed-loop process are neither classified as, defined as, nor operate as, a waste, i.e., any discarded material. Materials in a closed-loop process are treated as commodities in a manner designed to avoid loss or release to the environment.

(closed-loop recycling) When a used product is recycled into a similar product; a recycling system in which a particular mass of material (possibly after upgrading) is remanufactured into the same product (e.g., glass bottles into glass bottles).

(composite wood) (man made wood) or (manufactured wood) A range of derivative wood products manufactured by binding together the strands, particles, fibers, or veneers of wood, together with adhesives, to form composite materials. These products are engineered to precise design specifications which are tested to meet national or international standards.
Typically, engineered wood products are made from the same hardwoods and softwoods used to manufacture lumber. Sawmill scraps and other wood waste can be used for engineered wood composed of wood particles or fibers, but whole logs are usually used for veneers, such as plywood. Alternatively, it is also possible to manufacture similar engineered cellulosic products from other lignin-containing materials such as rye straw, wheat straw, rice straw, hemp stalks, or sugar cane residue, in which case they contain no actual wood but rather vegetable fibers.

(compost) The aerobically decomposed remnants of organic matter. It is used in landscaping, horticulture and agriculture as a soil conditioner and fertilizer. It is also useful for erosion control, land and stream reclamation, wetland construction, and as landfill cover.

(conservation) In the United States, conservation is seen as differing from environmentalism in that it aims to preserve natural resources expressly for their continued sustainable use by humans. In other parts of the world conservation is used more broadly to include the setting aside of natural areas and the active protection of wildlife for their inherent value, as much as for any value they may have for humans.

(cradle to cradle) This framework seeks to create production techniques that are not just efficient but are essentially waste free. In cradle to cradle production all material inputs and outputs are seen either as technical or biological nutrients. Technical nutrients can be recycled or reused with no loss of quality and biological nutrients composted or consumed. By contrast cradle to grave refers to a company taking responsibility for the disposal of goods it has produced, but not necessarily putting products' constituent components back into service.

(cradle-to-grave) Is a term used to describe the full Life Cycle Assessment from manufacture ('cradle') to use phase and disposal phase ('grave') . For example, trees produce paper, which is recycled into low-energy production cellulose insulation, then used as an energy-saving device in the ceiling of a home for 40 years, saving 2,000 times the fossil-fuel energy used in its production. After 40 years the cellulose fibers are replaced and the old fibers are disposed of, possibly incinerated. All inputs and outputs are considered for all the phases of the life cycle.

(domestic hardwood) Deciduous trees whose wood is the only in the U.S. and where the growth of new trees exceeds the removal rate.

(Earthcraft) A voluntary green building program that provides a model for healthy, comfortable homes that help reduce utility bills and protect the environment. The EarthCraft House certification process follows a checklist designed to verify that each EarthCraft home addresses site planning, energy efficient techniques and equipment, waste management and indoor air quality.

(ecological footprint) Analysis attempts to measure human demand on nature. It compares human consumption of natural resources with planet Earth's ecological capacity to regenerate them. It is an estimate of the amount of biologically productive land and sea area needed to regenerate (if possible) the resources a human population consumes and to absorb and render harmless the corresponding waste, given prevailing technology and current understanding. Using this assessment, it is possible to estimate how many planet Earths it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle.

(eco-system) A natural unit consisting of all plants, animals and micro-organisms in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical factors of the environment.

(energy efficiency) The ratio of energy output of a conversion process or a system to its energy input.

(energy star rating) A United States government program to promote energy efficient consumer products. was created in 1992 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in an attempt to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission by power plants. It began as a voluntary labeling program designed to identify and promote energy efficient products, and computer products were the first to be labeled. It has since expanded to major appliances, office equipment, lighting, home electronics, and more. The label can also be found on some new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. The EPA estimates that it saved about $12 billion in energy costs in 2005 alone.

(environmental impact assessment) An assessment of the likely positive and/or negative influence a project may have on the environment. Environmental Impact Assessment can be defined as: The process of identifying, predicting, evaluating and mitigating the biophysical, social, and other relevant effects of development proposals prior to major decisions being taken and commitments made. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects.

(environmentalism) A broad philosophy and social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the natural environment, both for its own sake as well as its importance to civilization.

(EPA) An agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and with safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land.

(formaldehyde) This chemical is well known as a preservative in medical laboratories, as an embalming fluid, and as a sterilizer. Its primary use is in the production of resins and as a chemical intermediate. Urea-formaldehyde and phenol formaldehyde resins are used in foam insulations, as adhesives in the production of particle board and plywood, and in the treating of textiles.

(FSC) An international non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization established in 1993 to promote responsible management of the world's forests. Its main tools for achieving this are standard setting, independent certification and labeling of forest products. This offers customers around the world the ability to choose products from socially and environmentally responsible forestry.

(graywater) Non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as washing dishes, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. Greywater is distinct from blackwater in the amount and composition of its chemical and biological contaminants (from feces or toxic chemicals). Greywater gets its name from its cloudy appearance and from its status as being neither fresh (white water from groundwater or potable water) , nor heavily polluted (blackwater).

(GREENGUARD Environmental Institute) GEI is an industry-independent, non-profit organization that oversees the GREENGUARD Certification Program. As an ANSI Authorized Standards Developer, GEI establishes acceptable indoor air standards for indoor products, environments, and buildings. GEI's mission is to improve public health and quality of life through programs that improve indoor air. A GEI Advisory Board consisting of independent volunteers, who are renowned experts in the areas of indoor air quality, public and environmental health, building design and construction, and public policy, provides guidance and leadership to GEI.

(green house effect) The process in which the emission of infrared radiation by the atmosphere warms a planet's surface. The name comes from an incorrect analogy with the warming of air inside a greenhouse compared to the air outside the greenhouse.

(green power) A term describing what is considered to be environmentally friendly, typically non-polluting, sources of power and energy, some sources may use it interchangeably with renewable energy.

(greenwash) A term that is used to describe the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

(heat island effect) A metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surroundings. The temperature difference usually is larger at night than during the day and larger in winter than in summer, and is most apparent when winds are weak. The principal reason for the night-time warming is buildings blocking the view to the night sky. Two other reasons are changes in the thermal properties of surface materials and lack of evapotranspiration in urban areas. Materials commonly used in urban areas, such as concrete and asphalt, have significantly different thermal bulk properties and surface radiative properties than the surrounding rural areas. This causes a change in the energy balance of the urban area, often leading to higher temperatures than surrounding rural areas. The energy balance is also affected by the lack of vegetation in urban areas, which inhibits cooling by evapotranspiration. The EPA discusses one of the reasons when it says:
Heat islands form as vegetation is replaced by asphalt and concrete for roads, buildings, and other structures necessary to accommodate growing populations. These surfaces absorb - rather than reflect - the sun's heat, causing surface temperatures and overall ambient temperatures to rise.
(hybrid vehicles) a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to propel the vehicle. The hybrid vehicle typically achieves greater fuel economy and lower emissions than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs), resulting in fewer emissions being generated. These savings are
1. primarily achieved by four elements of a typical hybrid design:
2. recapturing energy normally wasted during braking etc.;
3. having significant battery storage capacity to store and reuse recaptured energy;
4. shutting down the gasoline or diesel engine during traffic stops or while coasting or other idle periods;
5. relying on both the gasoline (or diesel engine) and the electric motors for peak power needs resulting in a smaller gasoline or diesel engine sized more for average usage rather than peak power usage.

(indoor air pollution) Refers to the content of interior air that could affect health and comfort of building occupants. The IAQ may be compromised by microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), chemicals (such as carbon monoxide, radon), allergens, or any mass or energy stressor that can induce health effects. Recent findings have demonstrated that indoor air is often more polluted than outdoor air (albeit with different pollutants) although this has not changed the common understanding of air pollution. In fact, indoor air is often a greater health hazard than the corresponding outdoor setting.

(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) LEED Green Building Rating System, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

(life cycle assessment) The goal of LCA is to compare the full range of environmental damages assignable to products and services, to be able to choose the least burdensome one. The term 'life cycle' refers to the notion that a fair, holistic assessment requires the assessment of raw material production, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal including all intervening transportation steps necessary or caused by the products existence. The sum of all those steps - or phases - is the life cycle of the product. The concept also can be used to optimize the environmental performance of a single product or to optimize the environmental performance of a company.

(light pollution) Excess or obtrusive light created by humans. Among other effects, it disrupts ecosystems, can cause adverse health effects, obscures the stars for city dwellers, and interferes with astronomical observatories. Light pollution can be construed to fall into two main branches: annoying light that intrudes on an otherwise natural or low light setting and excessive light, generally indoors, that leads to worker discomfort and adverse health effects.

(mdf) An engineered wood product formed by breaking down softwood into wood fibers, often in a defibrator, combining it with wax and resin, and forming panels by applying high temperature and pressure. It is a building material similar in application to plywood but made up of separated fibers, not wood veneers. It is denser than normal particle board. MDF has been controversial in regard to its use of formaldehyde resins and the associated health risks. Thus, other resins are being considered and used instead of formaldehyde.

(Montreal Protocol) An international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of a number of substances believed to be responsible for ozone depletion.

(non-renewable energy) Energy taken from finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve, as opposed to renewable energy sources, which are naturally replenished in a relatively short period of time.

(off-gassing) The release of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from synthetic and natural products.

(organic cotton) Grown without pesticides or fertilizers. This does not necessarily apply to how the textiles were manufactured, sso research the manufacturer to find out more.

(PBDE) or (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) An industrial toxic chemical used as a flame retardant in plastics, furniture and mattresses. In April, the state Legislature passed a measure that prohibits the manufacture, sale or distribution of most items containing PBDEs, going into effect for mattresses after Jan. 1, 2008. The chemical would be banned in upholstered furniture and in televisions and computers after Jan. 1, 2011.

(photovoltaic) or (PV) A technology that converts light directly into electricity. Solar photovoltaics provided 0.04% of the world's Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES) for the year 2004, at a rate of growth to reach 0.08% by the end of 2006.

(pollution) The introduction, by humans, into the environment of contaminants that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or damage the environment. Pollution can be in the form of chemical substances, or energy such as noise, heat, or light. Pollutants can be naturally occurring substances or energies, but are considered contaminants when in excess of natural levels.

(post consumer materials) An end product that has completed its life cycle as a consumer item and would otherwise have been disposed of as a solid waste. Post-consumer materials include recyclables collected in commercial and residential recycling programs, such as office paper, cardboard, aluminum cans, plastics and metals.

(potable water) Water that is intended to be ingested by humans. Water of sufficient quality to serve as drinking water is termed potable water whether it is used as such or not.

(pre-consumer content) Material that is diverted from the waste stream during the manufacturing process.

(PVC) or (polyvinyl chloride) Found in vinyl and emits the toxin dioxin when produced. It also contains phthalates, a plasticizing and softening chemical. It's commonly found in toys, shower curtains, window blinds, vinyl furniture covers and artificial leather. It's also found in plastics with the recycling symbol 3.

(rapidly renewable) Materials that replenish faster than hardwoods. These include bamboo and cork.

(reclaimed) Any building component or design feature, such as wood, brick, fabric, that is salvaged from its original use and incorporated into a new project. Sources of reclaimed material include buildings scheduled to be demolished or renovated, abandoned railroad trestles, barns and discarded textiles. The use of reclaimed materials can be labor-intensive, but has environmental, aesthetic, and practical advantages.

(renewable energy) Energy produced from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat, which are naturally replenished. Renewable energy technologies range from solar power, wind power, hydroelectricity/micro hydro, biomass and biofuels for transportation. About 13 percent of the world primary energy comes from renewables, with most of renewable energy coming from traditional biomass, like wood-burning. Hydropower is the next largest renewable source, providing 2-3%, and modern technologies like geothermal, wind, solar, and marine energy together produce less than 1% of total world energy demand. The technical potential for their use is very large, exceeding all other readily available sources.

(sick building syndrome) A combination of ailments (a syndrome) associated with an individual's place of work (office building) or residence. A 1984 World Health Organization eport into the syndrome suggested up to 30% of new and remodelled buildings worldwide may be linked to symptoms of SBS. Most of the sick building syndrome is related to poor indoor air quality.
Sick building causes are frequently pinned down to flaws in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Other causes have been attributed to contaminants produced by out gassing of some types of building materials, volatile organic compounds, molds, improper exhaust ventilation of light industrial chemicals used within, or fresh-air intake location / lack of adequate air filtration.

(sustainable) A characteristic of a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level indefinitely. The term, in its environmental usage, refers to the potential longevity of vital human ecological support systems, such as the planet's climatic system, systems of agriculture, industry, forestry, and fisheries, and human communities in general and the various systems on which they depend in balance with the impacts of our unsustainable or sustainable design.

(sustainable forestry) A forest management concept that differs from Sustainable forest management and Sustained Yield Forestry according to the sets of forest goods and services that we attempt to "sustain". The basic tenet of sustainable forestry is that the amount of goods and services yielded from a forest should be at a level the forest is capable of producing without degradation of the soil, watershed features or seed source for the future. The concept also assumes that human use will not detract from or degrade the use of forests by other organisms, that human use is ultimately subordinate to healthy ecosystems.

(upcycling) A term coined to describe the creation of a product with higher intrinsic value, manufactured from a material at the end of its service life, which had a lower initial end use value. It is important to note that the term as currently used, does not provide insight into environmental benefit (e.g. there may actually be less environmental benefit to upcycling if energy used to upcycle is more than recycling back to the same product).

(urban ore) The concept that wastes of today, such as materials disposed of in landfills, may serve as sources of valuable raw materials, such as metals, in the future.

(U.S. Green Building Council) A non-profit trade organization that promote sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. The USGBC is best known for the development of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and Greenbuild, a green building conference that promotes the green building industry, including environmentally responsible materials, sustainable architecture techniques and public policy.

(urea formaldehyde) A transparent thermosetting resin or plastic, made from urea and formaldehyde heated in the presence of a mild base such as ammonia or pyridine. These resins are used in adhesives, finishes, MDF, and molded objects.

(voc) Organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere. Many VOCs found around the house, such as paint strippers and wood preservatives, contribute to sick building syndrome because of their high vapor pressure. VOC's are often used in paint, carpet backing, plastics, and cosmetics. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found concentrations of VOCs in indoor air to be 2 to 5 times greater than in outdoor air. During certain activities indoor levels of VOCs may reach 1,000 times that of the outside air.

(wastewater) Any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations. In the most common usage, it refers to the municipal wastewater that contains a broad spectrum of contaminants resulting from the mixing of wastewaters from different sources.