Sustainability Glossary

The atmosphere is the gaseous envelope that surrounds the Earth and allows life to exist on the planet. Held around the Earth by the force of gravity, the Earth’s atmosphere is made up of five layers: troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere.

Sharing the same car between several people from different families, at pre-agreed times according to everyone’s needs, this is Car Sharing. Fewer cars on the road would immediately mean a drop in emissions, especially in large urban centers. This is why enhancing Car Sharing is seen as an important step in the fight against pollution.

The ecosystem is the fundamental biological unit. It is a community of living organisms of different species that live in a particular physical place and environment. Relationships are grafted between the organisms of an ecosystem and the environment that give rise to a continuous exchange of matter and energy.

Modus vivendi that provides for the use of earth’s resources in a responsible way, so that the life of the present generation does not compromise that of future generations.

The consumption of food is careful to avoid imports and to exploit what the cycle of the seasons offers to men.

Sustainable tourism is the present and the future of tourism for those who truly care about the world they live in. It is the opposite of the classic mass tourism which sees millions of people moving to the same tourist destinations every year. Sustainable tourism aims to promote knowledge and enhancement of local cultures and traditions, while respecting the environment and the life systems of the host countries, territories and populations.

The ecological footprint relates the natural resources consumed by an individual in the space in which they live. How much “Earth” do we have available? This question can be extinguished by calculating the ratio between the total surface of the planet and the world population, the result is defined in kg / ha, or kilograms per hectare.

Environmental impact is the qualitative, quantitative, direct and indirect, short and long-term, permanent and temporary, single and cumulative, positive and negative alteration of the environment, understood as a system of relations between anthropic, naturalistic, chemical-physical factors , climatic, landscape, architectural, cultural, agricultural and economic, as a consequence of human action and living.

The carbon footprint, in Italian “carbon footprint”, is an environmental indicator that measures the amount of greenhouse gas emissions generated by a product, an activity or an organization.

The greenhouse effect refers to the action of gases in the earth’s atmosphere (mainly nitrogen, water vapor and carbon dioxide) in retaining solar heat on our planet. The natural greenhouse effect is what makes the Earth livable. Human influence due to huge emissions of greenhouse gases therefore to a danger of raising the average temperature global is what could destroy this balance

Greenhouse gases are gases present in the atmosphere which are attributed the important role of increase the Earth temperature to create ideal conditions for the reproduction of life . The terrestrial temperature increases thanks to the ability of these gases to retain heat and infrared rays released by the Sun in our atmosphere.

The circular economy is a production and consumption model that involves sharing, loan, reuse, repair , reconditioning and recycling of existing materials and products as long as possible.

Environmental Technology is a branch of study that deals with studying and developing technologies suitable for development technology as less harmful as possible for the environment and for man, very often also aiming at the requalification of the environment.

Sustainable development is the ability of our species to be able to live in a manner dignified and equitable for all , without destroying the natural systems from which it draws the resources necessary for life and without exceeding their capacity to absorb waste and waste due to our production activities.

Climate change means any alteration of the global atmosphere that is directly or indirectly attributable to action human.

A smart city is an urban area in which, thanks to the use of digital technologies and dell ‘technological innovation, it is possible to optimize and improve the infrastructures and services to citizens making them more efficient.

Biodiversity is the great variety of animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms that make up our Planet. A multiplicity of species and organisms that, in relation between them, create a fundamental balance for life on Earth. In fact, biodiversity guarantees food, clean water, safe shelters and fundamental resources for our survival. This balance is jeopardized by the destruction and pollution of entire ecosystems due to human activities.

Communication strategy aimed at creating and strengthening the ecological reputation of a company through the casual use of references to the environment and respect for it in institutional and product communication. Ecologism that does not emerge from the real results on the front of the improvement of the production processes adopted or of the products manufactured.

The goal of sustainable agriculture is to meet current needs for food and fabrics without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in turn . This involves a reasoned exploitation of every land and resource.

Green Economy means A theoretical model of economic development based on a improvement of human well-being and ‘social equity, able to guarantee a significant reduction of environmental risks over time itself.

The term deforestation, or deforestation, means the felling of trees for reasons commercial or for obtain new land for agriculture and urban expansion. When the cutting of trees exceeds their regrowth rate, the trees shrink and we talk about deforestation.

Fossil fuels are all those fuels that derive from the transformation of organic substance, according to natural reactions developed in millions of years. This category of compounds includes: coal, oil and natural gas.

Renewable energy sources, unlike non-renewable energy sources, are forms of energy that respect resources from the natural world. They do not pollute and do not run out, since they have the ability to regenerate at the end of their cycle.

Separate collection represents a collection system for solid urban waste (MSW) differentiated for each type of waste (paper, plastic, glass, wet, undifferentiated). Separating the waste we produce as much as possible is very important, because it allows to limit the growth of huge landfills and recover the raw materials that make up the waste.

Recycling in ecology means the new life cycle of potential waste materials. A recovery, a new life of the raw material of which the waste is made. The most recycled materials are paper, plastic and glass.

Pellet stoves, solar collectors and highly efficient heat pumps as well as district heating systems they are among the most ecological and climate-friendly systems. If you consider the their lifespan, they often don’t generate additional costs, sometimes they save money.

Rsi or socially responsible entrepreneurship means satisfying the customer’s needs and knowing how to manage at the same time the expectations of other stakeholders, such as the staff, suppliers and the local community. The distinctive element of CSR is to combine economic responsibility with a responsibility social, which creates tangible and intangible values for everything around the company . Winning values for the company, for people, for the territory and for the environment.

Both forests and oceans are called carbon sinks, as they absorb carbon from the atmosphere and release oxygen. The expression “carbon reservoirs” may seem to many to be synonymous with basins carboniferous , therefore something negative. In reality, with this term we identify all the natural deposits that absorb carbon from the atmosphere, reducing its concentration and thus decreasing the greenhouse effect.

With Smart Building we mean “the intelligent building” that is, equipped with all possible comforts for who lives there but at the same time able to make the most of all the energy necessary for the life of its tenants and minimizing waste.