As awareness around sustainability, climate change, eco-friendly practices, etc., is increasing, people have suddenly started showing more interest in exploring this niche. But with so many buzzwords and complex terminologies, it can be challenging to understand the concept better. Hence, we have curated an exhaustive list of the top 15 eco-friendly terms you must be aware of to make things easier. So let’s quickly explore the terms and their simple definitions shared below.
- Sustainability
It can be defined as the ability for something to continue growing at a steady and certain rate. In this case, it refers to the effort to exist without entirely depleting the planet’s natural resources.
2. Recycling
A commonly used eco-friendly friend is recycling. It refers to making new products from recovered materials picked from waste. During recycling, a waste or dumped product is broken down using a machine to create an entirely new product for people.
3. Herbal House Cleaning Products
Environment-conscious people have already started replacing their usual chemical-laced cleaning products with organic or herbal ones. Herbal house cleaning products are made using natural ingredients, like essential oils, plant extracts, etc., that are not harmful to the environment.
4. Zero Waste
A popular movement is taking place worldwide called zero waste, wherein families try their best to reduce their waste to the minimum or zero. The lesser the waste is produced, the lesser it will make its way to the landfill, eventually reducing the environmental pollution. They are also making efforts to send more products to recycling units.
5. Carbon Footprint
You can easily come across this term in numerous eco-friendly groups. It refers to the total amount of carbon emitted from your different activities. For example, when you order a product from a different country, and it travels to you through an air carrier, you are responsible for the massive carbon footprint generated in the process. You can reduce your carbon footprint by buying more locally available products in your country.
6. Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases, like methane, carbon dioxide, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are common greenhouse gases that can contribute to the greenhouse effect. This effect refers to the problem caused by rising quantities of carbon dioxide in the air. All greenhouse gases trap the heat coming from the sun, causing a gradual and steady rise in the Earth’s atmosphere.
7. Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is the energy generated from renewable sources like wind, sun, air, waves, and geothermal heat. Adopting renewable energy is the best way to promote sustainable growth.
8. Biodiversity
One of the widely used yet hugely misunderstood terms is biodiversity. While some believe biodiversity is only limited to wildlife, biodiversity’s true meaning encompasses animal and plant life in a particular region.
9. Organic Products
You must have heard environmental activists promoting the use of organic products for the betterment of the plant, but what exactly are organic products? Well, any product made using natural ingredients is categorized as an organic product. For example, if a toilet cleaner is made using plant extracts, essential oils, or non-toxic ingredients, it can also be labelled as an organic product.
10. Biodegradable
A biodegradable product is a product that naturally decomposes via living organisms and bacteria over a period. Biodegradable products lead to fewer waste deposits in the landfill.
11. Upcycling
Upcycling is sometimes confused with recycling, although they serve the same purpose. It refers to repurposing old items to create something better from them, something of better quality or more value.
12. Greenwashing
A malpractice followed by many brands, greenwashing refers to events when brands make false claims about their environmental policies. For example, a product can be marketed with labels like sustainable, eco-friendly, etc., even when the product is not entirely environment-friendly or sustainable.
13. Carbon Offset
If you are concerned about the carbon footprint generated by you, carbon offset can help. As the name highlights, this scheme aims to balance off your carbon footprint by planting trees.
14. Biomass
Biomass refers to all plants and plant-derived materials like vegetable oil, waste from pulp, urban wood waste, forestry residues, and more.
15. 5 R’s
Another widely used eco-friendly term is the 5 R’s. It refers to Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle.
Although plenty of acronyms and terminologies are used in the eco-friendly space, you don’t have to get acquainted with all. If you can remember all the fifteen eco-friendly terms discussed above, you’ll be able to understand most discussions taking place in this space.