In this glossary you will find definitions of words and terms that are used throughout this site.  If you’d like the definition of an eco-word/term that isn’t found on this site, feel free to e-mail it to us and we’ll do our best to get you that definition as quickly as we can!

Atmosphere – A layer of invisible gases that surrounds and protects our planet and all life on it.

Consumption – to use or use up products (usually referring to stuff we buy).

Climate Change/Global Warming – both terms are used to describe the rising temperature of the planet.  Most scientists agree that human activity is responsible for the rise in temperature.

Composting – Turning organic waste, like food scraps, into food for soil and plants.

Greenhouse Effect – a natural process by which gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap the sun’s heat and prevent the planet from freezing.

Greenhouse Gases – specific types of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap the sun’s heat.

Landfill – a gigantic pit that has been dug into the ground.  It’s where our garbage is taken when we throw it out.

Microscopic – something that’s so small that you need a microscope to see it.

Natural Environment – the collection of naturally occurring things that are all around us (like air, land and water), and that impact the lives of all creatures (including human beings) and organisms on this planet.

Particulate Matter – extremely tiny specs of dirt that pollute our air.  They come from things like cars, trucks and factories.

Pollutant – anything that makes parts of our natural environment dirty.  For example, the tiny, often invisible specs of dirt that are spewed out by cars and trucks pollute our air, and are therefore air pollutants.  Oil spilled into a lake or an ocean is a water pollutant; and garbage dumped onto land is a land pollutant.

Resource Conservation – protecting our resources by not using more of them than we have to.  For example, we can conserve water by not letting the tap run while we brush our teeth.  We can also conserve electricity by using energy efficient light bulbs.

Smog – a mixture of particulate matter and other pollutants that make our air unclean.

Smog Advisory – a warning that is issued when there is a particularly high concentration of pollutants in the air.  Most Smog Advisories are issued in the summer, when the hot sun fries up chemicals in our air and creates more pollutants.