Unit 6 Vocabulary Sustainable Design and Technology

1. Climate change: change in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades 2. Ecological footprint: a measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems 3. Ecology: the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

4. Economy: the wealth and resources of a country or region, esp. in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services 5. Environment: the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates 6. Environmental justice: an equitable spatial distribution of burdens and benefits to groups such as racial minorities, residents of economically disadvantaged areas, or residents of developing nations

7. Incinerator: an apparatus for burning waste material, esp. industrial waste, at high temperatures until it is reduced to ash 8. Landfill: the disposal of refuse and other waste material by burying it and covering it over with soil 9.Lifestyle: the way in which a person or group lives 10. Luxury: the state of great comfort and extravagant living 11. Midden: a dunghill or refuse heap

12.Natural resources: materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain 13. Necessity: the fact of being required or indispensable 14. Population: all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country 15. Recycling: convert waste into reusable material.

16. Sustainability: of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged 17. Sustainable design: the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability 18. Waste disposal: proper disposition of a discarded or discharged material in accordance with local environmental guidelines or laws