Green Dictionary.
1. Environmental, Social, Governance
Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) includes three key pillars crucial for sustainable business: the "E" for ecological concerns like climate change and pollution, the "S" for social responsibility with community engagement and fair labor practices, and the "G" for corporate governance emphasizing transparency and ethics. These pillars create a framework guiding businesses towards ethical behavior and positive societal and environmental impact.
2. Sustainable Development Goals
The United Nations created the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a plan to address issues such, as poverty, inequality, climate change and environmental harm while advocating for peace and fairness. These 17 goals establish objectives and strategies for development encompassing tasks ranging from eradicating poverty and hunger to ensuring access to clean water, affordable energy, quality education, gender equality and sustainable communities. They provide a structure for efforts, toward a strong and lasting future.
3. Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) acts as a strategic compass for businesses, blending ethical conduct with financial health.It covers strategies to balance economic growth with social and environmental well-being. CSR leads companies to adopt fair labor standards, environmental care, and community welfare, similar to a guide navigating through challenging landscapes. Like Tarzan, CSR shows the impact of ethical decisions on sustainable progress and positive societal change in the business world.
4. Connection
Sustainability remains a puzzle for many even today. Terms like organic, vegan, natural, ecological, sustainable, green, and vegetarian often intertwine, forming an undefined mixture of ideologically loaded concepts. ESG, SDGs, and CSR are like your loyal jungle companions helping you achieve this goal. ESG ensures businesses work in harmony with the jungle. SDGs are your glowing beacons in the jungle. CSR is your reliable compass ensuring ethical conduct in the jungle. Together, they form an epic jungle team that protects and explores the jungle to create a sustainable future.
Active House
Active House principles guide the design and renovation of hotels, prioritizing energy efficiency, healthy indoor environments, and comfortable living conditions. Strategies include incorporating natural ventilation to improve air quality, maximizing daylighting for well-lit spaces, and integrating renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Biodiversity
The variety of plants, animals, and other organisms in a particular ecosystem.
Biofuel
Fuel derived from renewable organic materials such as plants or animal waste.
Circular Economy
Circular Economy initiatives focus on several key strategies: In the circular economy, materials are constantly reused, regenerated, and repurposed, ensuring they never become waste. Through practices such as maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, and recycling, products and materials remain in circulation. This approach not only addresses climate change but also tackles global challenges like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution by disconnecting economic growth from the depletion of finite resources. https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy-diagram
Carbon emissions
Pollution emitted into the air in the form of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, typically generated by activities like driving cars or burning fossil fuels.
Carbon footprint
The total amount of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, that are emitted as a result of an individual's or organization's activities, including energy consumption, transportation, and waste production.
Carbon offsets
Payments made to compensate for carbon emissions produced by activities like travel or energy consumption, by investing in projects that reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions elsewhere, such as reforestation or renewable energy projects.
Climate change
A significant and lasting alteration in climate patterns, including changes in temperature, precipitation, and wind patterns, often attributed to human activities such as burning fossil fuels.
Climate positive
Going beyond carbon neutrality by actively removing more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than is emitted, resulting in a net reduction of greenhouse gases. Ecological footprint: A measure of the environmental impact of human activities, based on the amount of natural resources required to sustain them.
Conservation
The protection and preservation of natural resources and ecosystems.
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
is an EU initiative that expands sustainability reporting requirements for large public-interest entities, enhancing transparency and accountability regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance.
Cradle to Cradle
C2C is a holistic approach to sustainability that focuses on creating products and systems that are regenerative and beneficial to both people and the environment. Material Selection: Choose Cradle to Cradle certified or recyclable and biodegradable building materials and furnishings for environmental safety and reusability. Healthy Indoor Environment: Prioritize low-VOC paints and natural, non-toxic materials for a healthy indoor environment, benefiting both guests and staff. Life Cycle Assessment: Evaluate materials and products from extraction to disposal to inform decision-making and promote continuous improvement in environmental impact. Closed-loop Systems: Implement closed-loop systems for water, energy, and materials to reduce waste and minimize environmental impact within the hotel ecosystem.
Ecoliteracy
Understanding the interconnections and interactions between organisms and their environment, as well as the ability to comprehend and apply ecological concepts.
Ecosystem
A community of organisms and their environment, interconnected through interactions and dependencies.
Environmentalism
The movement and ideology advocating for the protection of the environment and the promotion of sustainable practices.
European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)
ESRSs require disclosures on material impacts, risks and opportunities across a broad range of environmental, social and governance topics.
Fair trade
Principles and practices aimed at ensuring fair treatment, wages, and working conditions for producers and workers, particularly in developing countries.
Global warming
The gradual increase in average temperatures in the Earth's atmosphere, primarily due to the release of greenhouse gases from human activities.
Greenhouse Gas
Gases in the Earth's atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor, that contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming.
Green Deal
The European Green Deal aims to attain climate neutrality by 2050, spurred by urgent environmental issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The European Commission has proposed policies to align climate, energy, transport, and taxation towards reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels. It is based on four pillars: a predictable and simplified regulatory environment, speeding up access to finance, enhancing skills, and open trade for resilient supply chains. The key pillars of the EU Green Deal encompass: https://ec.europa.eu/sustainable-finance-taxonomy/ The European Green Deal serves as a comprehensive framework directing the EU's policies and actions towards sustainable development. It encompasses legislative measures, funding mechanisms, and collaborations with member states, businesses, civil society, and international partners. Legislation and regulation play a central role in its implementation, with the European Commission spearheading the creation of new laws and regulations to support the Green Deal's objectives. This includes setting targets, standards, and guidelines to promote sustainability across different sectors.
Green Design
Designing buildings, products, and systems with consideration for ecological sustainability and resource efficiency.
Greenhouse Effect
The process by which certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, leading to an increase in surface temperatures.
Green Technology
Technologies that help reduce environmental impact and promote sustainability, such as renewable energy, energy-efficient appliances, and eco-friendly transportation.
Greenwashing
The practice of misleading consumers about the environmental benefits of a product or company, often by exaggerating or misrepresenting its sustainability credentials.
Gray water
Wastewater generated from domestic activities such as bathing, washing dishes, and laundry, excluding toilet waste.
GSTC
Global Sustainable Tourism Council : The GSTC Criteria serve as the global standards for sustainability in travel and tourism.
Net-zero
Achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted and removed from the atmosphere, resulting in no additional net emissions.
Organic
Referring to products or materials that are produced without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals, and often certified by regulatory bodies.
Product-as-a-Service (PaaS)
Explore models where furniture and equipment are leased instead of purchased, promoting reuse and extending product life cycles, thus reducing overall resource consumption.
Renewable Energy
Energy derived from natural sources that are replenished on a human timescale, such as sunlight, wind, and water.
Resource Efficiency
Optimize resource utilization by selecting durable materials, designing for disassembly, and implementing modular construction techniques, thereby extending the lifespan of products and reducing the need for new resources.
Reverse Logistics
Develop strategies for recovering and recycling materials at the end of their life, ensuring that materials are diverted from landfills and reintegrated into the production cycle.
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)
It's a reporting framework crafted to prompt organizations to divulge details regarding the financial risks and opportunities associated with climate change.
Waste Reduction
Waste reduction refers to efforts to decrease or minimize the amount of waste generated in a particular process or situation. This can involve various methods, such as avoiding waste from the outset, recycling materials, or reusing products and materials. The purpose of waste reduction is to conserve resources, reduce environmental impacts, and promote more sustainable practices.
Zero-waste
A philosophy and lifestyle aimed at reducing waste generation by minimizing consumption, reusing materials, and recycling or composting waste to divert it from landfills and incinerators.