An abandoned or previously used industrial or commercial site whose future use is affected by real or perceived environmental contamination

A form of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

A broad philosophy and social movement that advocates or works to protect and sustain natural resources and ecosystems from pollution and its effects, esp. through political activism and education

The preservation, protection, or restoration of natural resources, ecosystems, and their habitats for the future

The branch of biology that deals with the relations and interactions of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

The study of the interaction of people with their environment and institutions

A system formed by the interaction of a biological community with its physical environment

The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem, often used as a measure of its health

The branch of science dealing with the occurrence, distribution, and circulation of the earth's water, esp. its movement in relation to land

The wastewater produced by toilets and urinals

The relatively clean wastewater generated from such domestic activities as dishwashing, bathing, and laundry, which can be recycled on-site for flushing toilets and landscape irrigation to reduce the consumption of fresh water

The gradual increase in the average temperature of the earth's lower atmosphere and oceans since the mid-20th century, due to an increase in the greenhouse effect resulting from the burning of fossil fuels and emission of greenhouse gases

Any of a number of gases in the earth's atmosphere, such as methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and ozone (O3), that absorbs and emits thermal radiation

Natural energy resources, such as solar, wind, wave, tidal, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy, that theoretically can be replenished by natural processes at the same rate as it is used

Global warming that results when some of the infrared radiation passing through the atmosphere is absorbed and reemitted by greenhouse gas molecules and water vapor in the atmosphere, raising the temperature of the lower atmosphere and the earth's surface

A measure of the greenhouse gases produced by human activities involving the burning of fossil fuels

A term describing any of a number of practices that neither contribute to nor reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere

These practices are generally designed to balance the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere with similar amounts that are recaptured through the use of renewable energy, sequestered by carbon projects, or offset by buying carbon credits.

The radiant energy emitted by the sun, including ultraviolet radiation, visible radiation, and infrared radiation

A house designed to absorb and store solar heat in order to supplement or replace conventional heating methods

The placing of a building in relation to the path of the sun, either to maximize the amount of heat gained from solar radiation during the coldest months, or to minimize the amount of heat gained in the warmest months

A device or system designed to use solar radiation to heat an absorber through which a transporting medium, such as air or water, is circulated

A graphic depiction of the path of the sun path within the sky vault projected onto a horizontal plane

A heating system using solar energy as the primary source of heat

A solar-heating system using mechanical means, such as solar collectors, fans, or pumps, to collect, store, and distribute solar energy

The angular elevation of a celestial body above the horizon

The angular distance north or south from the equator of a point on the earth's surface, measured in degrees along the meridian passing through the point

A great circle on the earth's surface passing through both geophysical poles

The angular distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured from the prime meridian at Greenwich, England, to the meridian of a given point and expressed either in degrees or a corresponding difference in time

The time of year, on or about June 21, when the sun reaches its northernmost point on the celestial sphere, marking the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere

Either of the two times during the year when the sun crosses the plane of the celestial equator and when the length of day and night are everywhere approximately equal, occurring about March 21 (vernal equinox or spring equinox) and September 21 (autumnal equinox)

The time of year, on or about December 21, when the sun reaches its southernmost point on the celestial sphere, marking the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere

Any of various technologies or techniques that uses non-mechanical, non-electrical means, such as radiation, conduction, and natural convection, to distribute heat and daylight

A solar-heating system using a building's design and construction and the natural flow of heat to collect, store, and distribute solar energy, with minimal use of fans or pumps

The outside temperature at which the sum of solar and internal heat gains balances the heat losses through a building's envelope, ventilation, and infiltration

A stack of black, water-filled drums placed on the inside of a window wall to absorb solar heat and then release it slowly into the interior of a building

A massive exterior wall having vertical channels through which solar-heated air passes, serving as a heat reservoir for short time periods and radiation to interior wall surfaces and spaces

A bank of earth placed against one or more exterior walls of a building as protection against extremes in temperature

A glass-fronted exterior masonry wall that absorbs solar heat for radiation into the interior of a building, usually after a time-lag of several hours

A method of passive, non-mechanical heat exchange based on the natural convection of a heated liquid expanding and rising and being replaced in the loop by cooler liquid returning by gravity

A roof, balcony, or terrace that is exposed to the sun and used for sunbathing

A glass-enclosed porch, room, or gallery used for sunbathing or for therapeutic exposure to sunlight

A glass-enclosed porch or room oriented to admit large amounts of sunlight

Also called sun parlor, sun porch