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Garbage - More commonly known as trash or garbage, consists of everyday items we use and then throw away, such as product packaging, grass clippings, furniture, clothing, bottles, food scraps, newspapers, appliances, paint, and batteries. This comes from our homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses.

Global Warming - A pervasive increase in the average atmospheric temperature of Earth.  

Greenway - A strip of vegetated, undeveloped land near an urban area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection.

Green building - The practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction (U.S. EPA).

Green Building Standards - Are standards with the purpose to make homes, buildings and commercial facilities use less water, energy and reduce emissions.  

Green Label - Products that are certified by a recognized organization committed to identify products that are made of recyclable materials, are low energy consumption, biodegradable or other.  

Green Product - A product that has less environmental impact or is less detrimental to human health than its traditional product equivalent.

Green Space - Green spaces support all three aspects of sustainability. They're good for the planet because they cool the earth, remove air toxins, provide wildlife habitat, reduce soil erosion and stormwater runoff, and can support biodiversity if planned carefully. 

Green Team - The Green Team dates back to the City’s receipt of Energy Efficiency Block Grant (EECBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Energy.  Initially called the Resource Sustainability Group (RSG), it was established in 2009.  Its charge was to guide the investment of EECBG funds to meet the requirements of reduced fossil fuel emissions, reduced total energy use and improved energy efficiency in a variety of sectors.

Green Your Routine - A call to action for Fort Lauderdale’s neighbors to focus on the “triple bottom line” and live, work and play sustainably.

Green Your Routine Action Map - Our Green Your Routine ACTION Map is a fun and easy tool for seeing our community’s progress towards sustainability. It is a showcase of what we are doing right in Fort Lauderdale, and a way to explore the diversity of approaches. It is also an indicator of our performance towards the goals in our Sustainability Action Plan (SAP).

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) - Gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. There is a heightened number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Hydrofluoro Carbons which are produced by burning fossil fuels, solid waste, industrial processes, and the transport of coal, gas, or oil among other things.  

Greening Our Routine - The City of Fort Lauderdale’s Environmental and Sustainability Management System focusing on the implementation of ISO14001 standards to internal operations.

Ground level ozone - Ground level ozone is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the presence of sunlight.  Emissions from industrial facilities and electric utilities, motor vehicle exhaust, gasoline vapors, and chemical solvents are some of the major sources of NOx and VOC (U.S. EPA).

 

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Heat Island Effect - Urban areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas.  Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness, and water quality (U.S. EPA).

High Density Development - A high density and compact building, such as a high-rise apartment building, occupies less space on the ground per capita than does a low-rise multi-building complex. Reduced building footprints mean room for more green space next to and around buildings. A smaller footprint also correlates with a small expanse of roof, which can make cooling a building and the area around it more efficient.

Historic Preservation - Historic Preservation is “green” because when you keep a historic building intact instead of tearing it down and building something new in its place you are reducing waste that would come from demolition and saving natural resources and greenhouse gas emissions from new construction.  Adaptive reuse of existing historic buildings is a cornerstone of green building in that the entire building is essentially recycled. 

Household Hazardous Waste - Leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients are considered to be household hazardous waste (HHW). Examples of these products are paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides because they contain potentially hazardous ingredients.

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Idling - Running a vehicle’s engine when the vehicle is not in use.  Idling should be avoided when possible, to reduce GHG emissions.

Invasive Species

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Landfill - A place where solid waste is disposed of, buried, or treated. 

Lead - A naturally occurring element found in small amounts in the earth’s crust.  It can be toxic to humans and animals causing of health effects.  Much of our exposure comes from human activities including the use of fossil fuels including the past use of leaded gasoline and lead-based paint in homes, as well as some types of industrial facilities.  Lead can also be emitted into the environment from industrial sources and contaminated sites, such as former lead smelters (U.S. EPA).

LEED®   -Standards for green building and better understanding of those material used to reduce energy consumption and conserve resources. 

LED Lighting - Light-Emitting diode, or LED, is an electronic device that emits light when an electrical current is passed through it.  LED lights are known to emit less heat and have longer life spans than incandescent or compact florescent bulbs.

Life Cycle Impact Analysis - Is a technique to assess the environmental aspects and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or services.

Livability - Generally refers to the combination of the qualities and elements of a city that make it a desirable place to live.

Living Holiday Tree - Living trees keep their root systems, come in pots, and can be transplanted into the ground after the holidays.

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MRF - Material Recovery Facility. Recyclable materials are separated by category, packed and shipped for  recycling. 

MS4 - Separate Storm Sewer System Program. The City of Fort Lauderdale operates and maintains a municipal separate storm sewer system, which is a publicly-owned system comprised of ditches, curbs, catch basins, storm drains, and underground pipes that collect or transport stormwater and discharge it to the state’s surface waters.

Manatee - Manatees are large, slow moving marine mammals that are gentle in nature. The Florida Manatee is a subspecies of the West Indian manatee that lives in Florida, and up the southeastern coast into Georgia and the Carolinas.

Material Recovery - The process of separating or removing desirable materials form the waste stream. 

Medical Waste - discarded or unwanted medications that are not to be consume and will be disposed as waste. 

Methane -Toxic chemical commonly produced by the decomposition of waste. 

Migration - A natural process by which entire colonies, herds or populations of wildlife move, sometimes seasonally, and usually in search of food. South Florida is in a major migration path for many birds, butterflies and other animals.

Mitigation - is the process to eliminate undesirable behavior, plant, animal or pollutant.  

Mixed Use - Development that combines residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, and when appropriate, industrial uses.

Monofilament Recycling - is the proper disposal of mono-filament fishing cord. 

Mulch - Mulch can be made of organic products or synthetic. It works by slowing the evaporation of water, which makes it great conservation toll. Mulch keeps fragile plants roots warm on those few cooler weeks we have, and it protects them from harsh sun in the summer. 

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NPDES - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The permit requires the City of Fort Lauderdale to develop and implement various stormwater management programs, monitor pollution of the City's waterways, and increase public awareness to generate proactive behaviors that prevent stormwater pollution.

Native species - A plant of animal that exists in an ecosystem or region naturally without human introduction. 

Natural Pest Control - To use non toxic product for pest control. 

Nearshore Hard Bottom - Reefs found in less than 15 feet of water and are composed of tube-building polychaete worms or coquina shells.

Nitrogen oxides - Can refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds.  The larger group of nitrogen oxides is nitrogen dioxide.  It forms quickly from emissions from cars, trucks and buses, power plants, and off-road equipment.  In addition to contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone, and fine particle pollution, nitrogen dioxide is linked with a number of adverse effects on the respiratory system (U.S. EPA).

Non-renewable resource - A resource that cannot be replenished in a human time-frame.  The four non-renewable energy sources used most often are: oil and petroleum products, natural gas, coal, and uranium.

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Ozone - Ozone is an molecule found in the air that protects the ultraviolet rays for penetrating the earth. 

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PACE - Property Assessed Clean Energy

Painted Intersection - A public art project designed specifically to be applied to the street at intersecting roads and serving the dual purpose of placemaking and calming traffic.

Parklet - Temporary installment in parallel parking spaces that extend the sidewalk to give people access to more public space.  Parklets can provide seating, plants, bicycle parking and art and are funded by neighboring businesses and community organizations etc.

Particulate matter - Also known as particle pollution or PM is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets.  Particle pollution is made up of a number of components, including acids (such as nitrates and sulfates), organic chemicals, metals, and soil or dust particles (U.S. EPA).

Pedestrian-Friendly - Fort Lauderdale is among the few Florida cities in which a car is not necessarily a requirements. Our close-knit community of neighborhoods makes walking and cycling from home to work and to entertainment a real possibility. 

Pesticides - Is any substance use to kill, repel or control certain types of plants or animal life classified as pest. 

Pet Waste - Droppings from dogs, cats and other commonly kept animals, such as exotic birds, rabbits, goats, and chickens.

Photovoltaic system - An arrangement of components designed to supply usable electric power for a variety of purposes, using the Sun as the power source.  

Placemaking - A movement that envisions public spaces as the heart of every community and city.  It involves shaping of the environment to facilitate social interaction and by doing so; improve a community’s quality of life.  

Plastics - Synthetic material made from a wide range of polymers. Plastics are classified by numbers based on their recycling capabilities.  

Pollinator - Pollinators are animals that visit plants for food and shelter taking pollen with them on their backs, legs, and wings. When the pollinator lands on another plant, they transfer pollen from the pollen producing male structure (the anthers) to the female reproductive structure (the pistil). This leads to fertilization and the production of fruit or seeds.

Pollutant - A substance that makes land, water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use.

Polystyrene Foam - Is a polymer commonly used for packaging. It is light and a great insulator. 

Post-consumer recycled content - Products that were bought, used, and recycled by consumers.  For example, a newspaper that has been purchased, recycled, and used to make another product would be considered post-consumer material. 

Product life-cycle - The life-cycle refers to the period of time and activities extending from materials extraction, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, usage, maintenance, disposal, through end-of-life management of a product. Sustainability products seek to minimize energy, water, fuel and materials consumption at each stage of the cycle and in total.

Pump-out Station - Pump out stations are used to remove wastewater from the holding tanks inside a boat. One of the less enjoyable responsibilities is getting rid of gray and black waste, but it is something that if done properly keeps the water enjoyable for everyone.

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Rain Barrel -  A rain barrel is typically a 55 gallon drum that collects and stores rainwater flowing off a roof, allowing you to use the water for your plants, flowers or vegetables. 

Rain Sensor - This type of sensor prevent the irrigation system to be activated while it rain, increasing its efficiency by conserving water. 

Recycling - Its the process to collect waste and convert them into reusable or new materials.

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle - The resources used to make products, as well as those used to package, transport and market those products all create waste. Reduce-Reuse-Recycle is the process to eliminate this waste by reducing packaging materials, reuse containers, materials or parts and recycle waste to be converted into new products. 

Renewable resource - Renewable energy sources are those that are constantly replenished and will never run out.  Renewable energy sources include: solar, wind, bioenergy, geothermal, water (ocean energy and hydropower) and hydrogen.

Resiliency - The ability to recover form a misfortune event and the preparation to prevent a misfortune event. 

Right Tree Right Place - Trees are living beings, and as such they thrive and look their most magnificent when they are comfortable in their surroundings. Proper location planning can help you get the most from your trees while helping avoid power service interruptions and other costly mistakes. 

Runoff pollution - Otherwise known as nonpoint source pollution, run-off pollution is caused by rainfall or melting snow moving over and through the ground.  As the runoff moves, it picks up and carries away natural and human-made pollutants, eventually depositing them into wetlands, lakes, rivers, coastal waters and ground waters (U.S. EPA).