Green Campus

Carbon dioxide equivalent

Carbon dioxide equivalent: A unit of measurement that can be used to compare the emissions of various greenhouse gases based on how long they stay in the atmosphere and how much heat they can trap. For example, over a period of 100 years, 1 pound of methane will trap as much heat as 21 pounds of carbon dioxide. Thus, 1 pound of methane is equal to 21 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalents.

Sweatshop-free 

Sweatshop-free - describes the absence of manufacturing conditions currently existing in many countries, referred to as “sweatshops”. They are production facilities or factories where goods are produced cheaply by minimizing workers’ salaries, and increasing working hours. Proper environmental health standards are diminished, yet demands for high levels of productivity still remain. These sweatshops may thrive from corporations seeking to increase profits by subcontracting inexpensive labor

Leadership in Energy & Environment Design (LEED)

A series of building rating products developed by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide a standard for what constitutes a green building or  high performance building. The various LEED products are used as design guidelines & third-party certification tools, aiming ot improve occupant well-being, environmental performance & economic returns of buildings used to establish & innovative practices, standards & technologies. The collection of LEED products include LEED New Construction (NC) for newly constructed buildings, LEED Commercial Interiors (CI) for tenant build outs, LEED Existing Buildings (EB) for existing building operations & for re-certification of already certified buildings, & LEED Core & Shell (CS). An effort is also underway to develop LEED for Homes.