If it's green, they've got a term for it

Maybe it's the influence of the protest songs on the radio or the boho fashions in store windows, but there is definitely a revived eco-consciousness out there.

And with thousands of new "green" homes and condos currently on sale or under construction, there is also a new lexicon for homebuyers to learn. Here are the terms you need to know.

- Sustainability: As it applies to development, a 1987 paper (called the Bruntland Report) prepared for the United Nations offered this definition: "Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." Simply put, it means constructing buildings in a way that doesn't strip the earth of its resources and that makes a measurable improvement on the lives of those living in them and on the environment.

- Renewable: Resources that are easily and quickly replaced in nature, with no threat of depletion. Wind and solar energy and fuel derived from biomass are renewable energy sources. Bamboo and certain woods are examples of renewable plant sources.

- Triple Bottom Line: An accounting that considers not only financial performance, but also environmental and social performance.

- Net Metering: Measures the energy you use against the energy you generate from renewable sources (like wind or solar) on a year-by-year basis, resulting in a net energy total from which your bill is calculated.

- Photovoltaic: A device that converts light into electricity, usually in the form of rooftop panels.

- Geothermal Heating/Cooling: Taking advantage of the consistent below-ground temperature by pumping liquid through a pipe system, drawing off the resulting warm or cold air and distributing it through the home. Hydro is required to power the system, but no fossil fuels are burned.

- Passive vs. Active Solar: Passive solar refers to the architectural design of a home that makes use of strategic site positioning, shading, window and skylight placement to make the best use of sunlight and warmth entering from outside. Active solar refers to taking the sun's energy and converting it to useable electricity.

- Grid-Tie: A home's electricity-generating system that is connected directly to the grid through a special inverter and allows the homeowner to send power back.

- HRV: Heat recovery ventilation draws fresh air into a building while pushing stale air out. A heat exchanger between the incoming and outgoing airflows draws energy off the exhaust air and uses it to warm or cool the fresh air.

- Low-E Argon-filled Windows: Low-E (low-emissivity) glass reduces the amount of heat escaping to the outside and the amount of harmful UV rays (which fade furniture, carpets and drapes) permeating the inside. Argon gas between the panes provides better insulation than air.

- Green Roof: A roof that is partially or completely covered with grass and/or plants. While doubling as an amenity space for residents, a green roof can reduce rainwater run-off, filter pollutants from the air, and reduce the urban "heat island effect" (the effect of densely populated and built areas to give off heat).

- Deep-Lake Cooling: Extracting water from the icy depths of the lake, where the temperature is a constant 4 Celsius, then drawing off the cold air it emits and distributing it through an air-conditioning system. It's a scheme that renders on-site chillers and cooling towers obsolete, using significantly less energy and giving off far fewer harmful emissions. Toronto's Enwave pioneered the largest such system in the world in 2004, but it is only available in the downtown core.

- Energuide: A rating system for low-rise construction that measures energy efficiency on a scale from 0 to 100. Any new home can receive a rating if the builder or buyer contacts EnerQuality Corp. and arranges for an inspection, which is carried out by a third-party EnerQuality Corp.-certified evaluator.

- Energy Star: The label is licensed from the American EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and is applied to many different products that achieve a certain minimum level of energy efficiency. On Canadian homes, that's a rating of 78 or higher on the EnerGuide scale. Energy Star for New Homes was launched in Ontario on April 1, 2005, as a pilot project and has counterparts in B.C., Quebec and Manitoba.

- Leed: A rating system for high-rise commercial and residential buildings that measures their environmental impact and performance. Builders must meet certain prerequisites, then accumulate up to 70 credits in six categories: sustainable site, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation and design process. Between 26 and 32 credits results in a "certified" assignation; 33-38 nets "silver"; 39-51 receives "gold"; and 52-70 scores "platinum."

(prepared by Sherry Noik-Bent/Vancouver Sun)