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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Non-alpha

- A B C -

ABI (now called NatureServe)
Association for Biodiversity Information. Non-profit organization (see Directory » NatureServe)
AMS
Ambient Monitoring System. NC state government
CAA
Clean Air Act. US federal legislation.
CERCLA (pronounced "serk-lah")
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. US federal legislation
CCR
Consumer Confidence Report. EPA, state and local government (water quality)
Ceres
The Roman goddess of fertility and agriculture. See also CERES.
CERES
Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies. Non-governmental organization (see also Ceres, CERES Principles, CERES Report, Directory » CERES)
CERES Principles (formerly called the Valdez Principles)
A ten-point code of corporate environmental conduct to be publicly endorsed by companies as an environmental mission statement or ethic.
  1. Protection of the Biosphere
    We will reduce and make continual progress toward eliminating the release of any substance that may cause environmental damage to the air, water, or the earth or its inhabitants. We will safeguard all habitats affected by our operations and will protect open spaces and wilderness, while preserving biodiversity.
  2. Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
    We will make sustainable use of renewable natural resources, such as water, soils and forests. We will conserve non-renewable natural resources through efficient use and careful planning.
  3. Reduction and Disposal of Wastes
    We will reduce and where possible eliminate waste through source reduction and recycling. All waste will be handled and disposed of through safe and responsible methods.
  4. Energy Conservation
    We will conserve energy and improve the energy efficiency of our internal operations and of the goods and services we sell. We will make every effort to use environmentally safe and sustainable energy sources.
  5. Risk Reduction
    We will strive to minimize the environmental, health and safety risks to our employees and the communities in which we operate through safe technologies, facilities and operating procedures, and by being prepared for emergencies.
  6. Safe Products and Services
    We will reduce and where possible eliminate the use, manufacture or sale of products and services that cause environmental damage or health or safety hazards. We will inform our customers of the environmental impacts of our products or services and try to correct unsafe use.
  7. Environmental Restoration
    We will promptly and responsibly correct conditions we have caused that endanger health, safety or the environment. To the extent feasible, we will redress injuries we have caused to persons or damage we have caused to the environment and will restore the environment.
  8. Informing the Public
    We will inform in a timely manner everyone who may be affected by conditions caused by our company that might endanger health, safety or the environment. We will regularly seek advice and counsel through dialogue with persons in communities near our facilities. We will not take any action against employees for reporting dangerous incidents or conditions to management or to appropriate authorities.
  9. Management Commitment
    We will implement these Principles and sustain a process that ensures that the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer are fully informed about pertinent environmental issues and are fully responsible for environmental policy. In selecting our Board of Directors, we will consider demonstrated environmental commitment as a factor.
  10. Audits and Reports
    We will conduct an annual self-evaluation of our progress in implementing these Principles. We will support the timely creation of generally accepted environmental audit procedures. We will annually complete the CERES Report, which will be made available to the public.
Source: CERES» (2002)

See also CERES.
CERES Report
An annual environmental report that companies endorsing the CERES Principles are expected to complete. See also CERES.
CWA
Clean Water Act. US federal legislation

- D E F -

DENR (pronounced "deener")
Department of the Environment and Natural Resources. NC state government
DO - Dissolved Oxygen - water quality
DOE - Department of Energy - US federal government
DOT - Department of Transportation - US federal government
EPA - Environmental Protection Agency - US federal government
ESA - Endangered Species Act - US federal legislation

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

An independent agency of the United States federal government that was created in 1970. EPA's mission» is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment - air, water, and land - upon which life depends.

EPA works closely with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and Indian tribes to develop and enforce regulations under existing environmental laws. EPA is responsible for researching and setting national standards for a variety of environmental programs and delegates to states and tribes responsibility for issuing permits, and monitoring and enforcing compliance. Where national standards are not met, EPA can issue sanctions and take other steps to assist the states and tribes in reaching the desired levels of environmental quality. The Agency also works with industries and all levels of government in a wide variety of voluntary pollution prevention programs and energy conservation efforts.

Source: EPA

- G H I -

GAC - Granular Activated Carbon - water treatment
GRI - Global Reporting Initiative - international non-governmental organization
HDPE- High Density Polyethylene - plastic (#2)

- J K L -

LDPE - Low Density Polyethylene - plastic (#4)

- M N O -

NAPCOR - National Association for PET Container Resources - industry association
NCBI - North Carolina Biotic Index - water quality
NCDWQ - North Carolina Division of Water Quality, Department of Environment and Natural Resources - NC state government
NGO - Non-Governmental Organization - common acronym
NPDES - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System - US federal government

- P Q R -

PET or PETE - Polyethylene Terephthalate - plastic (#1)
PP - Polypropylene - plastic (#5)
PS - Polystyrene - plastic (#6)
PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride - plastic (#3)
RCRA - Resource Conservation and Recovery Act - US federal legislation
pronounced "rick-rah"
RO - Reverse Osmosis - water treatment

- S T U -

SOC - Synthetic Organic Chemical - water treatment
SPI - The Society of the Plastics Industry - industry assocation
TDS - Total Dissolved Solids - water treatment

- V W X -

Valdez Principles (now called CERES Principles)
A ten-point code of corporate environmental conduct to be publicly endorsed by companies as an environmental mission statement or ethic. See CERES Principles.
VOC
Volatile Organic Compound - water treatment
Wastewater treatment plant (now called Water Reclamation Facility)
A facility where waste water is treated before being released back into the environment. (Compare to Water Treatment Plant.)
Water Reclamation Facility (formerly called Wastewater Treatment Plant)
A facility where waste water is treated before being released back into the environment. (Compare to Water Treatment Plant.)
Water treatment plant
A facility where drinking water is treated for distribution and use. (Compare to Wastewater Treatment Plant.)
WET
Whole Effluent Toxicity - water quality
WRF
Water Reclamation Facility. Water treatment term (see also Wastewater Treatment Plant)
WTP
Water Treatment Plant - water treatment
WWTP
Wastewater Treatment Plant - water treatment. See also Water Reclamation Facility

- Y Z -

Non-alpha

Numbers on plastic containers

The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) introduced its resin identification coding system in 1988 at the urging of recyclers around the country. The SPI coding system offers a means of identifying the resin content of bottles and containers commonly found in the residential waste stream.

#1 plastic recycling symbol (PET or PETE)

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE), a form of polyester, is a clear and tough plastic. It is commonly used for soft drink bottles and injection-molded consumer product containers because it is inexpensive, lightweight, resealable, relatively impermeable to gas and moisture, shatter-resistant and recyclable. PET is also used for strapping, clothing, molding compounds, carpet yarns, fiberfill and geotextiles. PET is formed by combining two monomers called modified ethylene glycol and purified terephthalic acid.

Sources:

#2 plastic recycling symbol (HDPE)

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) is a translucent, stiff plastic. Commonly used to make milk, juice, and water bottles, HDPE is also used for packaging detergents and bleach because it has good barrier properties and chemical resistance. Pigmented HDPE bottles generally have better stress crack and chemical resistance than unpigmented ones. HDPE, also called linear polyethylene, is made made from the monomer ethylene in a process called Ziegler-Natta polymerization. HDPE is much stronger than LDPE (Low Density Polyethylene, also called branched polyethylene), but is generally more expensive and difficult to make.

Sources:

#3 plastic recycling symbol (V)

Vinyl (V) includes Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastic which has excellent chemical resistance, weatherability, and flow characteristics, and stable electrical properties. PVC is used in rigid applications such as bottles and packaging sheet, and flexible applications such as pipes, carpet backing, windows, insulation, films, coatings and tubings. PVC is produced by the free radical polymerization of the monomer vinyl chloride.

Sources:

#4 plastic recycling symbol (LDPE)

Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE)

Source: The American Plastics Council's Plastics Packaging Resins»

#5 plastic recycling symbol (PP)

Polypropylene (PP)

Source: The American Plastics Council's Plastics Packaging Resins»

#6 plastic recycling symbol (PS)

Polystyrene (PS)

Source: The American Plastics Council's Plastics Packaging Resins»

#7 plastic recycling symbol (Other)

Packages marked with number seven are made with a resin other than the six listed above, or are made of more than one resin used in combination.

Source: The American Plastics Council's Plastics Packaging Resins»

  
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