Carbon Dioxide
Odorless gas commonly sourced by respiration, and which
has been used widely as a measure of the ventilation adequacy of a
space.
|
Carbon Monoxide
A colorless, odorless and highly toxic gas commonly
created during combustion.
|
Carbon Tax
A charge on fossil fuels (coal,
oil, natural gas) based on their carbon
content. When burned, the carbon in these
fuels becomes carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,
a significant greenhouse gas.
|
Carcinogen
Any substance capable
of causing cancer.
|
Carrying Capacity:
- In recreation management, the amount
of use a recreation area can sustain without loss of quality.
- In wildlife management, the maximum number of animals an area can
support during a given period.
|
CFM
See "cubic foot./min"
|
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
A measure of the oxygen required to oxidize
all compounds, both organic and inorganic, in water.
|
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs):
Stable, artificially
created chemical compounds containing carbon,
chlorine, fluorine and sometimes hydrogen.
Chlorofluorocarbons, used primarily to facilitate
cooling in refrigerators and air conditioners,
have been found to deplete the stratospheric
ozone layer which protects the earth and its
inhabitants from excessive ultraviolet radiation.
|
CITES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) provides
lists of endangered species of timber and other natural products.
|
Climate Change
The term "climate change" is sometimes used
to refer to all forms of climatic inconsistency, but because the earth's
climate is never static, the term is more properly used to imply a significant
change from one climatic condition to another. In some cases, "climate
change" has been used synonymously with the term "global warming"; scientists,
however, tend to use the term in the wider sense to also include natural
changes in climate. Also referred to as "global climate change." Also
see "Global Warming."
|
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).
|
Cogeneration
The simultaneous production
of electrical or mechanical energy (power) and
useful thermal energy from the same fuel/energy
source such as oil, coal, gas, biomass or solar.
|
Co-products
Materials that are intentionally, or incidentally,
produced when making another product.
|
Commissioning
Process by which the operating systems of
a building are tested and adjusted prior to occupancy.
|
Comparative Risk Analysis
An environmental decision-making tool used
to systematically measure, compare and rank environmental problems or
issue areas. The process typically focuses on the risks a problem poses
to human health, the natural environment and quality of life, and results
in a list (or lists) of issue areas ranked in terms of relative risk.
|
Compost
Process whereby organic wastes, including
food wastes, paper and yard wastes, decompose naturally, resulting in
a product rich in minerals and ideal for gardening and farming as a
soil conditioner, mulch, resurfacing material or landfill cover
|
Concentration
Amount of a material per unit volume; i.e.,
milligrams per liter.
|
Conservation
Preserving and renewing, when possible, human
and natural resources. The use, protection and improvement of natural
resources according to principles that will ensure their highest economic
or social benefits.
|
Contaminant
Any physical, chemical, biological or radiological
substance or matter that has an adverse effect on air, water or soil.
|
Contamination
Introduction into water, air and soil of
microorganisms, chemicals, toxic substances, wastes or wastewater in
a concentration that makes the medium unfit for its next intended use.
Also applies to surfaces of objects, buildings, and various household
and agricultural use products.
|
Cradle-to-Cradle
A term used in life-cycle analysis to describe
a material or product that is recycled into a new product at the end
of its defined life
|
Cradle-to-Grave
A term used in life-cycle analysis to describe
the entire life of a material or product up to the point of disposal.
Also refers to a system that handles a product from creation through
disposal
|
Cubic ft./min. (CFM):
Cubic feet per minute, a common measure of
airflow.
|
Copyright © 2010 INVISTA. All rights reserved.
