Envisci Exam 2

urban areas

Densely populated regions that include cities and the suburbs that surround them.

urbanization

the migration of people to large cities; sometimes also defined as the growth of urban areas.

carbon footprint

the amount of CO2 (and other greenhouse gases that contribute climate change) released to the atmosphere by a person, company, nation, or activity.

environmental justice

the concept that access to a clean, healthy environment is a basic human right.

urban flight

the process of people leaving an inner-city area to live in surrounding areas.

suburban sprawl

low-population-density developments that are built outside a city.

exurbs

towns beyond the immediate suburbs whose residents commute into the city for work

green spaces

a natural area such as a park or undeveloped landscape containing grass, trees, or other vegetation in an urban area, usually set aside for recreational use.

green city

a city designed to improve environmental quality and social equity while reducing its overall environmental impact.

the Green City Index

Evaluates indicators from several categories to determine how far along on a path to sustainability a city might be.

smart growth

strategies that help create walkable communities with lower environmental impacts.

infill development

the development of empty lots within a city

triple bottom line

referring to the economic, social, and environmental impacts of any decision

green building

construction and operational designs that promote resource and energy efficiency and provide a better environment for occupants.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

A certification program that awards a rating (standard, silver, gold, or platinum) to buildings that include environmentally sound design features.

What does LEED stand for?

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

sustainable

capable of being continued indefinitely

economics

the social science that deals with the production, distribution, and consumption of good and services.

ecosystem services

essential ecological processes that make life on Earth possible

ecological footprint

the land area needed to provide the resources for, and to assimilate the waste of, a person or population

IPAT model

A equation (I=P X A X T) that measures human impact (I) based on three factors: population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T)

natural capital

the wealth of resources on Earth

natural resources

readily produced resources that we could use and still leave enough natural capital behind to replace what we took.

maximize value

achieving the greatest benefit at the lowest cost

internal cost

a cost - such as for raw materials, manufacturing costs, labor, taxes, utilities, insurance, or rent - that is accounted for when a product or service is evaluated for pricing.

external cost

a cost associated with a product or service that is not taken into account when a price is assigned to that product or service but rather is passed on to a third party who does not benefit from the transaction.

triple bottom line

the combination of the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choices

true cost

true cost of both external and internal costs of a good or service.

environmental economics

new theory of economics that considers the long-term impact of our choices on people and the environment

discounting the future

giving more weight to short-term benefits and costs than to long-term ones

linear economic system

a production model that is one-way: inputs are used to manufacture a product, and waste is discarded

circular economic system

a production system in which the product is returned to the resource stream when consumers are finished with it or is disposed of in such a way that nature can decompose.

cradle-to-cradle

refers to management of a resource that considers the impact of its use at every stage, from raw material extraction to final disposal or recycling.

service economy

a business model whose focus is on leasing and caring for a product in the customer’s possession rather than on selling the product itself (i.e., selling the service that the product provides)

take-back program

program that allows a consumer, once they are finished with a product, to return it to the manufacturer that made it.

green business

doing business in away that is good for people and the environment

ecolabeling

providing information about how a product is made and where it comes from. Allows consumers to make more sustainable choices and support sustainable products and the businesses that produce them.

greenwashing

claiming environmental benefits about a product when the benefits are actually minor or nonexistent.

fair trade

a certification program whose products are made in ways that are environmentally sustainable and socially beneficial (e.g., fair wages, good working conditions).

share programs

rather than buying, owning, and then storing the product for a large part of the time, consumers share ownership and use the product only when they need it.

solid waste

any material that humans discard

biodegradable

capable of being broken down by living organisms

nondegradable

incapable of being broken down under normal conditions

municipal solid waste (MSW)

Everyday garbage or trash (sold waste) produced by individuals or small businesses

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

The federal law that regulates the management of solid and hazardous waste

open dumps

places where trash, both hazardous and non-hazardous, is simply piled up.

leachate

water that carries dissolved substances (often contaminated) that can percolate through soil

sanitary landfills

disposal sites that seal in trash at the top and bottom to prevent its release into the atmosphere the sites are lined on the bottom, and trash is dumped in and covered with soil daily.

incinerators

facilities that burn trash at high temperatures

hazardous waste

waste that is toxic, flammable, corrosive, explosive, or radioactive

e-waste

unwanted computers and other electronic devices such as discarded televisions and cell phones

composting

allowing waste to biologically decompose in the presence of oxygen and water, producing a soil-like mulch

refuse

the first of the four Rs of waste reduction: choose not to use or buy a product if you can do without it

reduce

the second of the four Rs of waste reduction: make choices that allow you to use less of a resource by, for instance, purchasing durable goods that will last or can be repaired

reuse

the third of the four Rs of waste reduction: use a product more than once for its original purpose or for another purpose

recycle

the fourth of the four Rs of waste reduction: return item for repocessing into new products

reverse vending machines

you put in a bottle/can an recieve money

wish-cycling

putting things in the recycling bin “hoping” that they can be recycled

groundwater

water found underground trapped in soil or porous rock

surface water

any body of water found above ground, such as oceans, rivers, and lakes

water cycle

the movement of water through various water compartments such as surface waters atmosphere, soil, and living organisms

transpiration

the loss of water vapor from plants

aquifer

an underground, permeable region of soil or rock that is saturated with water.

infiltration

the process of water soaking into the ground

water table

the uppermost water level of the saturated zone of an aquifer

saltwater intrusion

the inflow of ocean (salt) water into a freshwater that happens when an aquifer has lost some of its freshwater stores

domestic water

indoor and outdoor water used by households and small businesses

water scarcity

no having access to enough clean water

potable

water that is clean enough for consumption

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

Federal law that protects public drinking water supplies in the US

wastewater

used and contaminated water that is released after use by households, businesses, industry, or agriculture.

wastewater treatment

the process of removing contaminants from wastewater to make it safe enough to release into the environment

dam

a structure that blocks the flow of water in a river or stream

reservoir

an artificial lake formed when a river is impounded by a dam

desalination

the removal of salt and minerals from seawater to make it suitable for consumption

water footprint

the water consumed by a give group (that is, person or population) or appropriated and/or polluted by industry to produce products or energy

water pollution

the addition of any substance to a body of water that might degrade its quality

stormwater runoff

water from precipitation that flows over the surface of the land

point source pollution

pollution from waste treatment plants or industrial sites, such as that from discharge pipes or smokestacks

effluent

wastewater discharged into the environment

nonpoint source pollution

runoff that enters the water from overland flow

dissolved oxygen (DO)

the amount of oxygen in the water

hypoxia

a situation in which a body of water contains inadequate levels of oxygen, compromising the health of many aquatic organisms.

eutrophication

a process in which excess nutrients in aquatic ecosystem feed biological productivity ultimately lowering the oxygen content in the water

watershed

the land area surrounding a body of water over which such as rain can flow and potentially enter the body of water.

biological assessment

the process of sampling an area to see what lies there as a tool to determine how healthy the area is

benthic macroinvertebrates

easy-to-see (not microscopic) organisms such as insects that live on the stream bottom

Celan Water Act (CWA)

US federal legislation that regulates the release of point source pollution into surface waters and sets water quality standards for those waters. It also supports best management practices to reduce nonpoint source pollution.

performance standards

the levels of pollutants allowed to be present in the environment or released over a certain time period.

watershed management

management of what goes on in an area around streams and rivers.

riparian areas

the land areas close enough to a body of water to be affected by the water’s presence (e.g.,) areas where water-tolerant plants grow) and that affect the water itself (e.g. provide shade)

In what year did more people live in cities than rural areas for the first time?

2008

In 1990 how many megacities existed? 2014? 2030?

1990: 10 2014: 28 2030: 41

What continent has the most megacities?

Asia

What is the megacity located in the United States?

New York

What nation has a lower city average than national average for annual per capita carbon footprint?

Bristol and Newcastle, United Kingdom; Las Vegas, US; Nanchang, China; Munich, Germany; Toronto, Canada; Nagoya, Japan; Sao Paulo, Brazil

Order of type of living from closely compacted to spread out.

Urban, Suburbs, Exurbs, Rural

What occurs with urban flight?

Ecological footprint increases?

Why does one’s ecological footprint increase along with urban flight?

Homes get larger (and less energy efficient) with distance from urban center. Single family homes are more common and take up more space (on bigger plots of land) Commuting time increases. Loss of arable land as developers purchase and subdivide fertile fields. Loss of species habitat.

Why was greenspace important in Majora Carter’s work?

Health and recreational opportunities, air and water quality, property values, wildlife, climate benefit.