Lexicon of sustainability: the most important terms

The lexicon of sustainability from A to Z

Sustainability has become an important buzzword in politics, business, leisure and everyday life and seems to dominate every facet of life. You have known the term since “Fridays for Future” at the latest, but sustainability played a major role even before the climate protection movement. There are many words that come up again and again in connection with the concept of sustainability. We present you with a selection of these keywords in alphabetical order.

A

Agenda 21: Behind Agenda 21 is a resolution that was passed by 172 UN states in 1992 and formulated social, economic and economic goals with which the governments of the world should make our planet more sustainable. This includes, among other things, climate protection, equality and poverty reduction.

Species protection: Various factors cause ecosystems to falter, which creates an imbalance in the animal kingdom and entire animal species become extinct. Creatures that are particularly endangered end up on the Red List and become an issue for species protection and sustainability.

Nuclear phase-out: With the switch to sustainable energies, the use of nuclear power plants will become obsolete. “Nuclear power? No thanks” was the motto as early as 1975. Germany plans to shut down the last nuclear power plant by 2020.

B

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): Sustainable thinking and acting does not work without education. UNESCO has made this mission its flag with its educational program, which aims to answer all questions regarding sustainable progress.

Organic: Eco and organic products have the reputation of being particularly sustainable. But beware! Sustainability is not included everywhere that says organic.

Biodiversity: Behind this complex term lies something very simple: biological diversity. This means the diversity of habitats, animals, plants, genes and other environmental factors. This diversity is considered a prerequisite for a functioning ecosystem and thus plays a major role in sustainability.

C

Car sharing: leaving the car in the garage not only saves money, but also protects the environment. If you share trips with others who have the same route as you, you contribute to sustainability. Alternatively, you can take the bike or the bus.

CO2 emissions: Greenhouse gases have a major impact on the climate. You should therefore keep your ecological footprint small and switch to energy providers or means of transport that cause as few CO2 emissions as possible.

D

Degrowth (or degrowth): Currently, the economy is designed for steady growth, which growth critics see as harmful to the environment. Instead, there must be less, i.e. negative growth or “degrowth”, which should solve ecological crises.

German Sustainability Award: Sustainable companies are rewarded by the federal government for extraordinary achievements and their forward-looking approach and receive an award as an incentive to continuous improvement.

Three-pillar model: Sustainable development can only be achieved through the simultaneous and equal implementation of ecological, economic and social goals. These three pillars are mutually dependent and interdependent.

E

Renewable energies: Resources that are not finite are considered sustainable. Unlike electricity, for example, which is generated from brown coal, solar, wind and bio energy as well as hydropower and geothermal energy are sustainable and renewable.

Diet: An adapted lifestyle includes a change in eating habits. A sustainable diet is healthy, reduces consumption and is climate and resource-friendly.

f

Fairtrade: Products with the Fairtrade seal show sustainability on an economic, social and ecological level. The production conditions are humane, environmentally friendly and economically justifiable.

Fast Fashion: Fashion that falls under this name is mass-produced and is quickly exchanged by the textile traders. This is intended to encourage buying behavior. It’s not sustainable – quite the opposite of slow fashion.

Fridays for Future: In the course of the climate strikes, for which children, young people and adults get together on Fridays, sustainability is a big topic. Future-oriented measures are intended to prevent or at least mitigate a climate catastrophe.

G

Global turning point: Hartmut Bossel sees the concept of sustainability as an issue that affects everyone. In his book of the same name, he emphasizes that sustainability is a never-ending community project that the entire world needs to work on.

Greenwashing: To boost revenue and reach, businesses are going green and putting on a clean – or in this case, green – slate. This can be done, for example, with false labels, vague statements or missing evidence.

H

Challenges: A sustainable lifestyle will not come without difficulties, so you have no choice but to face these challenges. The same applies to the governments and companies of the world.

I

Indicators: In order for goals to be pursued in terms of sustainability, a number of criteria are required that can indicate a degree of sustainability. The ecological footprint is one of those indicators that we can use to understand CO2 emissions.

J

Youth: The future belongs to children and young people. That is why sustainable living is a big topic for children . In order to still be able to enjoy the earth in 50 years, sustainability-related education is important, which can positively influence boys and girls.

K

Climate change: Increasingly clear indications of a change in living conditions on earth are an important reason for working on sustainable development.

Consumption: Sustainable consumption decisions reduce economic, social and ecological costs. If you pay attention to a limited purchasing behavior and rely on regional and fair offers, you are doing something good for yourself and your environment.

L

Agriculture: In order to protect natural resources and preserve land and water habitats for future generations, agriculture must also be designed to be socially and ecologically sustainable.

Food waste: A sustainable everyday life also means that usable food does not end up in the garbage and is consumed or used sensibly.

M

Human rights: Climate policy must be based on human rights, so that the quality of life of the individual is not neglected. Sustainability includes this social aspect .

Mobility: The transport sector is responsible for a high percentage of CO2 emissions. So there must be a rethink in the mobility industry and alternatives to heavy consumers such as airplanes, ships and also cars.

Fashion: There are now some (online) shops that design their collections for fair, ecological and sustainable clothing.

N

Sustainable development: In politics, this term describes a development that is adapted to the needs of the current generation and does not pose any disadvantages for future generations.

Sustainability strategy: As the name suggests, sustainability strategies are tools and methods to implement sustainable development at national, regional and local level.

O

Ecodesign: Products that are designed to be as sustainable as possible comply with the European Union’s Ecodesign Directive on eco-design.

Ecological backpack: The ecological backpack is the symbolic representation of the amount of resources used in the production, use and disposal of a product or service.

Ecosystem: The earth is a large ecosystem that must be protected so that humans and animals alike have a future.

P

Plastic: Harmful plastic, which can only be broken down very slowly, is considered a big culprit in consumer society. It pollutes oceans, is unhealthy and creates endless landfills, which is why alternative materials such as bamboo and wood are trending.

Q

Qualitative & quantitative growth: In the economy, Germany relies on constant improvement – both in overall economic production and in the quality of life of the people. Quantitative growth is therefore economic, while qualitative growth is social.

R

Recycling: Sustainability aims, among other things, at using resources responsibly. Waste separation and the further processing or recycling of materials are efficient and sensible.

Regionalization: On an ecological level, regionalization aims at relocating production processes to a reasonable area. At the political level, regionalization means delegating decisions to a local or regional level.

Conservation of resources: Many natural sources are limited – many raw materials will be nothing left over a few decades if they are used carelessly. Therefore, careful use of resources is of great importance for current and future generations.

S

Gentle tourism: So that nature can be protected as far as possible, sustainable tourism aims at environmentally friendly measures and cultural adaptation in the countries visited.

Second-hand: Second-hand clothing is an alternative to fast fashion. This way you can recycle discarded clothes and at the same time have a new item in your wardrobe.

Sufficiency: Behind this term lies a striving for limited consumption, i.e. self-limitation or the renunciation of heavy and frequent consumption.

Sustainable Development Goals: In 2015, the UN adopted the so-called Agenda 2030 and set itself 17 goals for sustainable development that are socially just, ecologically compatible and economically efficient.

T

Transparency: Companies in Germany are now obliged to disclose company policies and provide a statement on how they deal with the environment, human rights and other aspects.

u

Environmental Protection: Ecological development is just one pillar supporting sustainability. Nevertheless, nature with all its facets and elements is an important part that is worth protecting. That’s why we’ve put together some tips for you that you can use to protect the environment .

Unpackaged: Packaging produces unnecessary waste that can often be avoided. Some shops now offer their groceries and products unpackaged. You can then bring bags or mason jars that can be reused.

Urban gardening: In the city, the space for nature is limited, which is why communities come together to practice shared and sustainable gardening. The gardeners pay attention to conscious consumption and the self-cultivation of fruit and vegetables.

V

Veganism & Vegetarianism: Since food production combines some environmentally harmful aspects, more and more people are doing without animal products. Meat tops the list, closely followed by other products such as milk or eggs in the vegan diet .

Responsibility: Sustainability is everyone’s social, political and corporate responsibility.

W

Forest: The term sustainability comes from forestry and means that no more may be cut down than can grow back. In addition, the ecosystem (rain) forest is always part of discussions when it comes to ecologically sustainable development.

Recycling : This word doesn’t just mean recycling. This can also include DIY projects where you give objects a new meaning or value and avoid the production of waste.

X

Generation X: People who are now around 35 to 50 years old are said to have grown up with a certain lack of prospects and a slight lack of interest. So it’s time for them to be shaken up and act more sustainably.

Y

Generation Y: For the younger Generation Y, ecology and sustainability have become important issues. Millennials, born between the 1980s and 1990s, are tomorrow’s entrepreneurs and everyday heroes.

Z

Future ethics: This “discipline” deals with the responsibility towards future generations and examines the effects of our current actions on the human, animal and plant world. 

Collaboration: Sustainability is a community project. Only if everyone pitches in can we achieve the goals for a better world and create a future worth living in.