Not sure what an environmental word means? The E-Zone glossary can help!
The E-Zone glossary is like a dictionary just for words about the environment. You can look up words you see on the E-Zone website. You can also look up other words you hear at school, read in books or hear in the news.
If you want to know what an environmental word means and you can't find it here, tell us about it!
Send us an e-mail at ezone@ontario.ca and we'll do our best to get a definition posted as quickly as we can!
A
Acid rain (also called acid precipitation): is rain that has chemicals in it. These chemicals can hurt our lakes, plants, and animals when the rain falls. Acid rain happens because of air pollution, which sends dirty particles into the air. Water droplets absorb the pollution from the air and get dirty. Then they fall to the ground, bringing the chemicals with them. Acid snow and acid sleet (ice pellets) also exist.
Action: means doing something about an issue. Recycling and conserving water are two actions you can take to save the environment.
Adaptation: is the process animals and plants use to help them survive when their environment changes. For example, raccoons adapt to losing their forest homes by eating garbage humans leave outside or trying to live in attics or basements. If an animal or plant has trouble adapting, it might become extinct (gone forever).
Air pollution: happens with the air gets full of dirty gases, smoke, dust and particles (tiny specks). Two ways air pollution can happen is when cars burn gasoline and when factories send smoke out of their huge smokestacks.
Air quality: is about how clean or dirty the air is. It is important to check the air quality before going outside to play, especially on really hot summer days.
Air Quality Index (AQI): is what the Ministry of the Environment uses to measure how clean or dirty the air in Ontario is. Look up the Air Quality Index online for more information.
Algae: is a type of water plant that grows in lakes and rivers. When too much algae grows in one place (called an algae bloom), it sucks all the oxygen out of the water. This means fish and other water animals cannot survive. One reason algae grows out of control is when too much sewer waste ends up in lakes and rivers.
Alternative energy: is a term used to describe energy sources that are different from traditional energy sources like coal and oil. Three types of alternative energies are solar (from the sun), wind and geothermic (heat from the deep inside the earth). An example of alternative energy at work is an electric car that uses electricity instead of gasoline to make it go. Alternative energy solutions are helping reduce the effects of global warming.
Amazon rainforest: is the biggest rainforest in the world! Thousands and thousands different types of plants, animals, birds and insects live in the Amazon rainforest. When many different creatures live in one place like this, it is called "biodiversity". The Amazon rainforest is in trouble. Humans are cutting down too many trees and hunting too many animals. This means that many of the animals, birds, insects and plants are in danger of becoming extinct (gone forever).
Aquatic life: are animals, plants, insects and other creatures that live in the water. "Aqua" means water.
The Arctic: is the land close to the North Pole, and is one of the coldest places in the world! This is where polar bears and other snow-loving animals live. Because of global warming, the ice in the Arctic is melting, which leaves the polar bears with fewer places to hunt, mate and live.
Atmosphere: is a layer of invisible gases that surrounds and protects our planet and all life on it.
C
Carbon dioxide: is a gas that has no colour or smell. When people and animals breathe, they expel small amounts of carbon dioxide into the air. Carbon dioxide is also formed when organic things (like apple cores and banana peels) decompose. Carbon dioxide is also produced by car emissions, but in much larger amounts. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas.
Carbon footprint: is a way of measuring your environmental impact on the planet. Your carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) a person or a company produces. Calculate your carbon footprint using this special KidsCalculator.
Climate change: is a change in temperature and weather patterns (like rainfall) from what they were like in the past.
Composting: is the process of turning organic waste (like orange peels, tea bags, egg shells, and newspaper) into compost. Compost is a rich soil you can use in the garden. Worm composting (vermicomposting) is the process of feeding red worms organic scraps, which they digest and turn into compost.
Conservation (to conserve): means saving or protecting something. Conservation often refers to saving water and electricity. It can also mean protecting certain plants and animals from becoming extinct. You can also conserve an area of land, like a rainforest or a park.
Consumption (to consume): means to buy something, use something, or use something up until it's all gone. People consume products (like the stuff we buy at the store), food (like the sandwich you ate for lunch) and resources (like water and fossil fuels).
Contamination (contaminated): is when something becomes dirty or polluted because something dangerous enters its environment. For example, water can be contaminated when paint or oil leaks into a river.
D
Decompose: means to break down into teeny tiny pieces. For example, when a banana peel is thrown in the compost bin, it begins to decompose by breaking down into smaller pieces and eventually turning into soil. A plastic bag, on the other hand, doesn't decompose for hundreds of years.
Deforestation: means cutting down a lot of trees in a forest or jungle. This means many animals, plants, birds and insects lose their homes.
E
Earth Day: is an environmental holiday celebrated every April 22nd. People all around the world get involved on Earth Day by doing environmental activities like planting trees and picking up litter. Earth Day is also about learning more about what you can do to save the planet, and teaching others what they can do. Some people celebrate Earth Month for all of April. (We think Earth Day should be every day!)
Ecology: is the study of relationships between living creatures and the environment. Ecology also studies the effects humans have on the environment and the living things around us.
Ecosystem: is like a neighbourhood of living and non-living things. An ecosystem is built from plants, dirt, water, animals, insects, humans and all the other living and non-living things in the area. For example, Lake Ontario has an ecosystem full of plants, fish, sand, insects, birds, people and more! When you change one thing in an ecosystem it affects everything else.
Emissions: means the gasses that are released into the atmosphere. For example, carbon dioxide is an emission cars give off when they burn gasoline. Greenhouse gas emissions are a big part of the global warming problem.
Endangered species: are living creatures (plants, animals, birds, and insects) that are in danger of extinction. A species often becomes endangered because they lose the land where they live, or because humans hunt or kill too many of them. Sometimes a species becomes endangered because the effects of climate change make it too hot, too cold, too wet or too dry for it to survive.
Energy: is all around us. Energy fuels our body, makes light, makes sound and makes things move. Energy can never be destroyed; it can only be changed into different forms.
Environment: includes all the things that surround us on Earth, like trees, rivers, plants, animals, land, water, and the air.
Environmentally-friendly: means something that is good for the environment and good for the Earth.
Environmentalist: is a person who is very concerned about the environment and who takes action to educate others on how they can help.
Extinct (extinction): means a living thing is gone from the Earth forever. When the very last member of species dies, that species becomes extinct. For example, dinosaurs are extinct because they all died out. The Dodo bird and passenger pigeons are two species of extinct birds.
F
Fair trade: means that a product is made in an environmentally-friendly way and that the people who grew or made it are paid and treated fairly. An example of a popular fair trade product is chocolate (yummy!).
Fertilizers: are natural or chemical substances we feed to plants to help them grow big. For example, people fertilize their fruit and vegetable plants to help them grow bigger apples, carrots and potatoes. You can also feed fertilizer to flowers to make them big and beautiful. Natural fertilizers are made from things like manure (animal poop), and are much safer for the environment than chemical fertilizers.
Fossil fuels: come from the fossilized body parts of animals (like dinosaurs!) that are found deep down in the earth. Over time, the bones of these animals turn into valuable fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Fossil fuels are non-reusable. This means you can use them once, and then they're gone forever. Humans need to be aware of how many fossil fuels we're using or they could all run out!
Fuel consumption/burning: when we use fossil fuels, we call this "consuming" them. Burning fossil fuels can have negative effects on the environment. For example, when we burn gasoline (made from fossil fuels), it makes air pollution.
G
Garbage (also called "waste"): means things that we throw away. Garbage is a big problem. Humans produce a lot of garbage. Some garbage, like plastic, can stick around for thousands of years! Because of this, we are running out of places to put all the garbage we make. This is why reducing, re-using and recycling are so important.
GHG – stands for greenhouse gases: are specific types of gases in the Earth's atmosphere that trap the sun's heat. Two examples of greenhouse gases are methane and carbon dioxide.
Global warming: means the temperature of the planet Earth is rising. Scientists believe that global warming is caused by human activities like driving cars and running factories. These activities release a lot of greenhouse gases into the air. They end up in the atmosphere and trap too much heat.
Green energy: means energy that does not pollute or hurt the environment. One example of green energy is solar energy, which uses the rays of the sun to generate energy.
Greenhouse (also called a "hothouse"): is a special building used to grow fruits, vegetables, flowers and other plants in the wintertime. A greenhouse is usually made from glass or another material that allows a lot of sunshine in.
Greenhouse effect: is a natural process by which gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap the sun's heat and prevent the planet from freezing. Without the greenhouse effect, life couldn't exist on Earth like it does now!
Greenhouse emissions: are greenhouse gases that are not naturally produced but that come from burning of fossil fuels. For example, driving a car produces greenhouse emissions.
H
Hazardous waste: means something humans throw away that is poison or very bad for the environment. Hazardous waste is harmful to the soil, water, plants, animals and humans. One example is the mercury found inside used up batteries.
Human activity: means the things people do everyday like driving a car, going shopping and washing their hands. Some human activities, like recycling, are good for the planet. Other human activities, like wasting clean water, are bad for the planet.
Hybrid cars: are cars that use both electricity and gasoline to run. Hybrid cars are good for the environment because they use less gasoline and make a lot less air pollution than regular cars.
Hydrology:is the study of water and its effects on the soil.
I
Ice caps: are the huge sheets of ice that cover the North Pole in the Arctic and the South Pole in the Antarctic. The ice caps are melting because of global warming.
Industrial pollution: means pollution that ends up in the environment from factories instead of individual people. Industrial pollution is a huge part of the global warming problem.
Insecticides: are substances used to kill insects. Some chemical insecticides are bad for the environment because they can pollute soil and water, and affect birds and animals.
J
Junk mail: is what we call the mail barely anyone reads before recycling it. Examples of junk mail include catalogues, advertisements and flyers. Many trees are cut down to make the paper used for junk mail. Stop junk mail from filling your mailbox by posting a sticker that says "No Flyers Please".
K
Kilowatt: is a unit used to measure electrical power (electricity). The more kilowatts we use in our homes - especially the kind that comes from coal or gas-fired energy plants - the bigger the strain on the earth.
L
Landfill: a gigantic pit dug in the ground where our garbage ends up.
Land pollution: happens when the soil gets dirty because humans pollute. Garbage pollutes the land. Toxic (dangerous or poisonous) materials sometimes leak out of garbage. This makes the soil polluted and sometimes means it cannot grow plants or food anymore.
Litter: is another word for garbage. People litter when they throw garbage on the ground instead of in the trash can or recycle bin where it belongs.
M
Marine life (also called "aquatic life"): means all the creatures that live in water.
N
Natural resources: are things that come from the earth like oil, minerals like iron and copper, and fresh water and trees. Some natural resources like oil are non-renewable resources. This means we have to use them wisely so they don't run out forever.
O
Oceans: are the largest bodies of water on planet Earth. Oceans are salt water, and are home to millions of species of fish, plants and other creatures like whales and dolphins. We need to protect our oceans from becoming polluted. We also need to be careful how much we take from our oceans (like fish and coral).
Oil: is a liquid found deep underground between layers of rock. Oil is made from a combination of things like animal and vegetable fats that have broken down over millions of years, and minerals. Humans drill for oil and use it to make things like gasoline.
Organic: means plants, fruits and vegetables grown without using any chemicals (like chemical fertilizers or pesticides). It also means products like shampoo or floor cleaner that don’t have harmful chemicals in them. Choosing organic helps the environment.
Ozone layer: is a colourless, odourless layer of gas that surrounds the planet Earth. The ozone layer absorbs ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. UV rays are the ones that give you a sunburn when you forget your sunscreen. The ozone layer is really important. Without it, the sun's rays would be so strong that humans, plants and animals would burn all the time. We need to protect the ozone layer because it already has holes in it! For example, make sure home and car air conditions do not leak to prevent harmful chemicals from depleting the ozone, and don't run them more than you really need to.
P
Particulate matter: are tiny specks of dirt that pollute our air. They come from things like cars, trucks, smoke and factories.
Pesticides: are substances used to kill insects and other pests. Some pesticides are harmful to the environment.
Pollutant: is anything that makes part of the environment dirty. For example, the smog that comes out of car is an air pollutant because it makes the air dirty. When oil spills into a lake or ocean it becomes a water pollutant. Garbage dumped on the land is a land pollutant.
Pollution: when the environment becomes dirty because of human activity.
R
Recycling: means processing old materials to make new ones. For example, computer paper can be recycled into a new envelope.
Reducing: means using less stuff. For example, you can reduce how much paper you use by writing on both sides.
Resource conservation: means saving the Earth's resources by not using more than we have to. For example, we can conserve water by taking short showers instead of baths. We can conserve electricity by using energy efficient light bulbs. We can conserve trees by using recycled paper products.
S
Smog: is a mix of particulate matter (tiny specks of dirt) and dirty gases that make our air unclean.
Smog advisory: a warning that tells you the air outside is really dirty. Most smog advisories happen on really hot summer days.
Solar energy/Solar power: refers to energy that comes from the sun. Solar energy is great for the environment because it doesn’t produce any greenhouse gas. Solar energy is used to fuel things like calculators and lights. Some people use solar energy to heat and light their homes and run their appliances!
Sun: is a huge star that is the source of light on Earth.
Sunscreen (or sun block): is a lotion you put on to protect your skin from the sun's UV rays. Sunscreen helps prevent you from getting a sunburn.
V
Vegetarian: is what we call a person who chooses not to eat any meat. A vegetarian diet can help keep the planet healthy because it uses fewer resources like land and water.
W
Wind energy: is energy created by the wind. Windmills and turbines collect the wind and transform it into electricity. Wind energy is called renewable energy because you can use the wind over and over and it will never run out.
