A

Alternative Fuel: Any fuel with a non-petroleum source, such as hydrogen, ethanol, and vegetable oil. The Democratic National Convention will feature ethanol or E85 (see definition for Ethanol) and fuel-efficient hybrids in the fleet.

B

Biodiesel: Diesel made with vegetable oil or animal fat. There are various blends: B20 is made with 20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel, and usually requires no engine modifications. This is the type of biodiesel used for the Democratic National Convention.

Bioware (service ware): A replacement for traditional plastic disposable utensils, bioware is made from U.S.-grown corn and is biodegradable and compostable.

C

Carbon Footprint: A measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of green house gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. For an individual, the footprint can be calculated in a number of ways and takes into account various daily activities, such as travel, eating habits, and household energy use. For an event like the Democratic Convention, the footprint includes attendee travel, ground transportation, energy use at the venues, and other items related to the production of the Convention

D

Waste Diversion: Waste diversion is the process of diverting waste from ending up in a landfill through recycling and composting efforts.

E

Energy Efficient Computers: Computers designed to consume less electricity. Energy Star certified computers use an average of 70% less electricity than generic computers. Using a laptop and unplugging a computer when not in use also cut down on energy use.

Energy Star: A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) program to increase energy efficiency. It provides Energy Star labels for electronic appliances that meet specific requirements for low energy use.

Ethanol or E85: A fuel composed of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, used in vehicles with modified engines. Ethanol can be made from a variety of plants, mainly corn in the U.S.

Ethanol fuel is made of ethanol (ethyl alcohol), the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is easy to manufacture and process and can be made from very common materials, such as sugar cane or corn.

F

Fluorescent Bulb: A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) is a type of lighting that uses far less energy and lasts 8 to 15 times longer than incandescent bulbs. The Democratic National Convention will use T8 fluorescents, energy-efficient bulbs with a one inch diameter.

G

Greenhouse Gas: A gas which contributes to the greenhouse effect. Common ones include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. These gases occur naturally, but large amounts emitted by human activities are adding to climate change.

Greening: The activity of adding sustainability principles into the planning process of an event or operation.

L

Landfill: A landfill, also known as a dump or tip, is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment. A number of adverse impacts occur from landfill operations. These impacts include: infrastructure damage; pollution of the local environment (such as contamination of groundwater and/or aquifers); offgassing of methane generated by decaying organic wastes (methane is a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide, and can itself be a danger to inhabitants of an area); harboring of disease vectors such as rats and flies, particularly from improperly operated landfills; and simple nuisance problems.

LED Lighting: LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, produce more light per watt than incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs last more than 15 times longer, use less energy, are harder to damage, and focus the light more than traditional incandescent bulbs.

M

Methane Capture: A method of gathering methane by using wells, pipes, and other technology from either landfills or dairy farms and harnessing it for energy. Landfills and dairy farms traditionally flare or emit methane into the atmosphere which is harmful due to methane’s ability to contribute 21 times more per molecule to the greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide. Methane capture is often used at landfills, where methane is released from decomposing materials.

Motion-sensor Lighting: Systems that turn lights on only when they detect movement in the area, thus saving energy by not lighting areas that are unoccupied.

N

National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): An organization with multiple Colorado research laboratories which study the atmosphere, including chemistry, climate, weather, and interactions between the Earth and sun. Web site: http://www.ncar.ucar.edu/

National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL): A U.S. Department of Energy laboratory located in Golden, CO specializing in research and development for renewable energy and energy efficiency. Web site: http://www.nrel.gov/

Non-toxic cleaners: Safe cleaning products that contain no toxic chemicals like chlorine, ammonia, butyl cellosolve, and hydrochloric acid.

O

Offsets: A carbon offset is a carbon emission reduction project that helps decrease the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that otherwise would be in the atmosphere. Verifiable carbon offsets are those certified by a third party for their methods of carbon reduction.

Organic Matter: Organic material is matter that has come from a recently living organism; is capable of decay, or the product of decay.

P

Post-consumer Waste: Post-consumer waste is a waste type produced by the end consumer of a material stream (commonly viewed as the garbage that individuals routinely discard).

Pre-consumer Waste: Contrastingly, pre-consumer waste is the reintroduction of manufacturing scrap (such as trimmings from paper production, defective aluminum cans, etc.) back into the manufacturing process and is often not considered recycling in the traditional sense.

R

Recycling: Recycling is taking a product or material at the end of its useful life and turning it into a usable raw material in order to make another product, thus diverting it from the waste stream or from ending up in a landfill (see landfill definition).

Renewable Energy: Energy supplied from natural, relatively inexhaustible sources including the wind, sunlight, geothermal heat, the tide, plant products, or biomass.

Repurpose: To convert an item from one form to another or to use in another format or product.

Rented Materials: Objects purchased for use for a limited amount of time. By renting goods instead of buying one’s own, a person decreases consumption of energy and materials.

Resource Recovery system: A process that converts a previously consumed material into a new, useful product.

Reused Materials: Goods used multiple times for the same function.

S

Single Stream Recycling: Recycling that allows consumers to put all recyclable products into one disposal bin. Waste such as plastic, paper, glass, metal, and electronics is later sorted by machines at the main recycling center and recycled for further use as another product.

Solar Array: A panel of solar, or photovoltaic, cells used to generate electricity.

Solar-powered Lighting: Lighting powered off of solar energy harnessed from solar panels mounted on a nearby structure.

Sourcing: The business practice of finding, evaluating, and working with suppliers of specific items. Environmental sourcing takes into account and attempts to reduce the environmental impact of a good or service.

Sustainable: Systems that are sustainable focus on human economic systems that last longer and have less impact on the environment, particularly relating to concern over major global problems like climate change and oil depletion. Sustainable goods can be used indefinitely without the possibility of depletion, and therefore complement ecological systems and ensure intergenerational equity.

V

VOC Paints: Standard or traditional paints contain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These VOCs release toxins at low levels for years after application and are linked to many health problems. Durable low VOC and zero VOC paints have been developed by many manufacturers and are often identified by Green Seal certification. The facilities for the Democratic National Convention will use low or zero VOC paints.

W 

Wind Power: Electricity generated from wind turbines, which produce no pollution from operation. Currently, about 1% of world electricity comes from wind energy, but it is the fastest growing form of renewable energy.