The Green Meetings Glossary of Terms

Before you can make your meeting green, you've got to understand the terms. Here's a quick primer on all the buzz words and what they mean:

What is Global Warming?

Global warming is the gradual increase in global temperatures caused by the emission of gases that trap the sun's heat in the earth's atmosphere.

What are Greenhouse Gases (GHG)?

There are four major types of greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Why Carbon Dioxide?

There are several GHGs, so why are all of the measurements expressed in units of carbon dioxide? Today, with all of the burning fossil fuels to create energy, we are releasing more and more CO2 into the atmosphere.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of GHGs produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide. The carbon footprint of a meeting is calculated by use of electricity, natural gas, heating oil, vehicles, air travel, etc.

What is Carbon Neutral?

Carbon neutral means calculating your total climate-damaging carbon emissions, reducing them where possible, and then balancing your remaining emissions, often by purchasing a carbon offset. Carbon-neutral implies that all GHG emissions are offset and is often used inaccurately to describe a company or project, when "low-carbon" is the more correct term.

What are Carbon Offsets?

A carbon offset is the act of reducing or avoiding GHG emissions in one place in order to "off-set" GHG emissions occurring somewhere else. The average person emits 16 to 41 tons of CO2 per year. It costs $88 to $221 per year ($6 to $13 per ton) to offset that CO2.

The majority of carbon offsets are used to support renewable energy, reforestation, and alternative energy such as windmills.

Vincent Alonzo is the editor-in-chief of Successful Meetings. He can be reached at [email protected].

Originally published Nov. 1, 2008

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