| Biodegradable |
Biodegradable is the capacity of a material to decompose over time as the result of a biological activity, such as enzymes produced by living organisms. Back to Top> |
| Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) |
Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) refers to the world’s 4 billion poorest people who live on less than $2 a day. This represents two-thirds of the world’s population as of 2004. Back to Top> |
| Carbon Footprint |
A Carbon Footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted directly or indirectly through any human activity, typically expressed in equivalent tons of either carbon or carbon dioxide. Back to Top> |
| Cradle-to-Cradle |
Cradle-to-Cradle is a design philosophy stated by architect William McDonough that considers the life-cycle of a material or product, and ensures that the product is completely reused or recycled at the end of its defined lifetime. Back to Top> |
| Ecosystem |
An Ecosystem is a community of living organisms and non-living things that are interdependent for survival within a given area. Areas may be as small as a pond or as large as a watershed of thousands of acres or more. Cities are urban ecosystems. Back to Top> |
| Energy Audit |
An Energy Audit is a process used to evaluate the usage of electricity in a facility. The purpose of the process is to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption. Back to Top> |
| Global Warming |
Global Warming is a scientific theory that describes the increase in the average temperature of the oceans and the air near the earth’s surface, which is thought to be causing more severe floods and droughts, increasing the prevalence of insects and related diseases effecting human health, causing the sea levels to rise and redistribute the earth’s precipitation. Back to Top> |
| Green |
Green is a comparative term that describes “products and services that reduce the health and environmental impacts compared to similar products and services used for the same purpose.” (Presidential Executive Order 13101) The word is often used as shorthand for “healthy environments to live and work in.” Back to Top> |
| Green Building |
Green Building is a process of design and construction that employs techniques to minimize adverse environmental impacts and reduce the energy consumption of a building, while contributing to the health and productivity of its occupants. Back to Top> |
| Green Cleaning |
Green Cleaning is defined as cleaning that protects health without harming the environment. Back to Top> |
| Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) |
Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) are components of the atmosphere that come from natural sources and human activity and contribute to the “greenhouse effect.” These include water vapors, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone and chlorofluorocarbons. Back to Top> |
| Greenwashing |
Greenwashing is the act of misleading or overstating to the public the environmental practices and impacts of an enterprise or the environmental benefits of a product or service. Back to Top> |
| Health |
Health is defined by the first World Health Organization as the complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Therefore, health may be regarded as a balance of physical, mental, and social aspects of life in a being. Back to Top> |
| LEED® Canada EB:O&M |
Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) has adapted a rating system based on US Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED Green Building Rating System, tailored specifically for Canadian climates, construction practices and regulations. LEED Canada for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance represents an ongoing commitment by building operators to continuously assess the environmental performance of their buildings. Operators adopt LEED certification in their policies, programming and operations, with the goal of achieving and demonstrating sustainability. Back to Top> |
| Non-renewable Resource |
A Non-renewable Resource is a resource that is unable to be regenerated or renewed fully and without loss of quality once it is used. Back to Top> |
| Renewable |
Renewable refers to a naturally occurring resource that can be replenished by natural processes in the ecosystem at a rate comparable or faster that its rate of consumption by humans. Unlike fossil fuels, which yield synthetic materials, a renewable resource advances sustainability by leveraging natural capital. Back to Top> |
| Renewable Energy |
Renewable Energy is the use of natural resources such as sunlight, wind, tides and geothermal (heat in the earth) to create another form of energy, such as electricity. Back to Top> |
| Sustainability |
Sustainability is about meeting or exceeding the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet or exceed their own needs. There are three key domains of sustainability: - Social - Enhancing people’s quality of life and reducing risks to health and well-being
- Environmental - Increasing positive impacts and reducing negative impacts on our ecosystem
- Economic - Building economic strength and prosperity for an enterprise and its stakeholders
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| Sustainable Value |
Sustainable Value is about creating value for an enterprise and its stakeholders. It's about making business decisions that are good for life and the ecosystem while being profitable to an enterprise and its stakeholders. Back to Top> |
| Sustainable Ways of Working (SWOWSM) |
Sustainable Ways of Working, or SWOWSM is about changing the way we think and work at GOJO in order to embed sustainability into all aspects of our business. Practicing Sustainable Ways of Working will create value for GOJO and its stakeholders -- employees, customers, suppliers, partners, communities, society and the ecosystem -- now and for generations to come. Back to Top> |
| Zero Waste |
Zero Waste is a production system aimed at eliminating the volume and toxicity of waste and materials by conserving or recovering all resources. Back to Top> |