Eco-Communities Vocabulary

Pre-reading vocab for eco-communities text

Word	Meaning
bamboo noun	a type of woody plant that grows very quickly
biomass noun	organic material and waste that can be used for fuel
buzz wordsnoun	words that are popular during a certain time period, especially in the media
carbon noun	material that is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are burned
carbon footprint noun	the measurement of damage a single person does to the environment (how much greenhouse gas each person produces in a lifetime)
car share program noun	allows a group of people in a community to take turns using the same car, instead of owning separate vehicles
durable adj.	strong, long-lasting
eco prefix	related to the environment/natural habitat
energy efficient adj.	uses less resources to produce energy
global warming noun	the gradual increase in temperature on earth
green initiative noun	an effort to protect the natural environment
in the worksnoun	being developed now
non-toxic adj.	not harmful for people or the environment
pesticidesnoun	chemicals that are sprayed on crops to prevent insects from destroying them
self-sufficientadj.	ability to function without outside help
unprecedentednoun	never recorded before
utility metrenoun	a device that records how much water, electricity, and heat is being used
ventilationnoun	the replacement of unclean air with fresh air
zero emissionsnoun	a system in which all waste is recycled in some way or form