Eco-Communities Pre-reading Vocabulary

WordMeaning
bamboo nouna type of woody plant that grows very quickly
biomass nounorganic material and waste that can be used for fuel
buzz words nounwords that are popular during a certain time period, especially in the media
carbon nounmaterial that is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned
carbon footprintnounthe measurement of damage a single person does to the environment (how much greenhouse gas each person produces in a lifetime)
car share program nounallows a group of people in a community to take turns using the same car, instead of owning separate vehicles
durable adj.strong, long-lasting
eco prefixrelated to the environment/natural habitat
energy efficientadj.uses less resources to produce energy
global warmingnounthe gradual increase in temperature on earth
green initiativenounan effort to protect the natural environment
in the worksnounbeing developed now
non-toxic nounnot a poisonous material or chemical; not harmful for people or the environment
pesticides nounchemicals that are sprayed on crops to prevent insects from destroying them
self-sufficientadj.ability to function without outside help
unprecedentednounnever recorded before
utility metrenouna device that records how much water, electricity, and heat is being used
ventilation nounthe replacement of unclean air with fresh air
zero emissionsnouna system in which all waste is recycled in some way or form