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Glossary

Earth Charter Glossary
These are some definitions of terms used in the Earth Charter and in international communication about how to create a just and sustainable global community. Feel free to send in definitions or to ask us to define or explain terms you don't understand.
The Earth Charter

Principles
These are generated by values and establish norms of behavior. Often, values and principles are talked about together, almost like synonyms.
Sustainable Development
Meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable Living
Is a lifestyle that harmonizes both human and environmental ecologies through appropriate technologies, cooperative economics, and individual resourcefulness. It is a deliberate lifestyle taht is characterized by personal responsibility, self-reliance, service to others, and a mindful spiritual life. In addition, sustainable living is an ethic of stewardship for the environment and the economy where today's needs are balanced with the needs of future generations of life on Earth.
The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development
(2005-2014): Aims to see Education for Sustainable Development implemented in thousands of local situations on the ground, involving the integration of the principles of Sustainable Development into a multitude of difference learning situations. It was adopted in December 2002, by the United Nations General Assembly. UNESCO was designated as lead agency for the promotion of the Decade.
Values
In general, this is the departure point which motivates individuals to take decisions. Culture, family, religion and time all directly influence values. Examples of values are: justice, equality and respect.
Urban Ecology

Gray water – Water which has been used once, but contains a relatively low level of polluters. It can be used again after minimal treatment (methods include a filtering platform or vegetation), Treated water can then be used for irrigation or for fish cultivation.

Compost – Waste which is made up of organic and inorganic materials. This includes household waste, decayed fruit, sawdust, straw and other vegetal compounds. Compost is an energy saving method, it enables recycling of waste, it enriches soil well, and betters its physical texture, which is beneficial for vegetation and improves water irrigation and ventilation.

Water harvesting is simply collecting rainwater that falls on one's property and then putting it to use around one's home or yard.

The Five Basics for Non-toxic Cleaning: http://www.elc.org.uk/pages/envirocleaninghtm.htm

Dry toilets – toilets that do not require water in order to function. Dry toilet is a type of toilet which allows human waste to then be used for fertilization.

Passive cooling is based on the interaction of the building and its surroundings. Methods include natural ventilation, evaporative cooling, high thermal mass and high thermal mass with night ventilation. All these passive cooling strategies rely on daily changes in temperature and relative humidity. (Learn more: http://www.oikos.com/esb/51/passivecooling.html#passive%20cooling.) All these passive cooling strategies rely on daily changes in temperature and relative humidity.

Thermal insulation – There are several methods of insulation which considerably decrease the transfer of heat between materials which naturally occurs by means of conduction, convection and/or radiation. Organic insulators include petrochemicals and recycled plastics. Inorganic insulators include recycled materials such as glass and furnace slag. Most thermal insulation methods rely on the principle of trapping air to reduce convective and conductive heat transfer and use materials with low heat conductivity.

Petrochemicals – chemical products made from raw materials of petroleum (hydrocarbon) origin. The two main classes of petrochemical raw materials are olefins and aromatics. From these basic building blocks are made a very wide range of chemicals and other materials used in industry - monomers, solvents, detergents, adhesives, etc. From the monomers, polymers or oligomers are produced for plastics, resins, fibers, elastomers, certain lubricants and gels.

Detergents – materials used for cleaning, which include soaps, soapless soaps, laundry and floor cleaners, and so forth. Detergents, especially those made for use with water, often include different components such as: Surfactants to 'cut' grease and to wet surfaces, Abrasive to scour, Substances to modify pH levels, Water softeners to counteract the effect of "hardness" ions on other ingredients, Enzymes to digest proteins, fats, or carbohydrates in dirt or to modify fabric feel, among other methods.

Organic waste, also referred to as organic fertilizer is organic material used in agriculture for soil improvement, for enrichment of soil with nutrients, and for increasing and bettering harvest. The tree main types of organic waste are livestock feces, green waste (garden or park waste, such as grass or flower cuttings which were not reaped or grazed) and compost (see separate entry).

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. Solid products biodegrade into soil and are referred to as compostable, and liquid products biodegrade into water.

Separation of waste at source - Development of recovery, re-use and recycling activities as part of the waste trajectory, rather than recovery from a mixed waste stream which can result in a lower quality material for recycling and an increase in the occupational risks to waste workers.