Glossary of Sustainability Terms

Here is a list of terms used in the area of Sustainability and Green Living.

Biomass
Think of it this way: bio=living material and mass=weight. So basically ‘biomass’ is the weight of living material in any bit of soil. The higher the biomass is, the healthier the soil and what it produces, is. The biomass of chemical fertiliser is nil. The biomass of soils treated with chemical fertilisers and pesticides over time is virtually nil. The biomass of Organic Fertilisers is high, and so is the biomass of Organic Soils.

Carbon Offsetting:
A set up to help neutralise the impact of carbon emissions. The idea was conceived at the first Kyoto Protocol negotiations in 1997. Basically carbon emissions in one place are offset by investing money into technologies or practices that reduce carbon in another place or industry. These include tree planting, tree conservation, renewable energy projects (solar and wind farms), etc. There are two types of Carbon Offsetting: Mandatory and Voluntary. Mandatory Carbon Offsetting is controlled by regulations and formal emission trading programs. Voluntary Carbon Offsetting is not as controlled and is about calculating the carbon emissions of a certain activity and then paying a fee to have those emissions offset.

Permaculture:
A philosophical and practical approach to land use that blends science, age-old wisdom of the land, social systems and ethical  into one. The term was coined by two Australians, Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970’s from the words ‘permanent’ and ‘agriculture’ as well as ‘culture’.

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