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Browse Glossary :
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| Particleboard |
| You might know it best as that bookshelf that arrived in 109 pieces, with "some assembly required."... more |
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| Particulates |
| These are tiny bits of matter; they come from soot, dust, or other polluting sources, and can... more |
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| Passive cooling |
| In the days before mechanical air-conditioning, this was how people beat the heat, and it can work... more |
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| Passive solar design |
| Here's a passive way to be aggressive about helping the planet. This age-old approach to design... more |
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| Peak oil |
| When will the world's oil run out? It's a hotly debated question among energy experts, geologists,... more |
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| Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) |
| These man-made compounds show up in a host of items we associate with making our lives a little... more |
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| Permaculture |
| This concept, which comes from the words permanent, agriculture, and culture, means a lot of... more |
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| Pesticide |
| These potent chemicals a major reason we wash our vegetables well before eating them-and an... more |
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| Petrochemical |
| The source of many of the highly useful but unsustainable and potentially damaging products in our... more |
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| Petroleum-based |
| From the gasoline in your car, to your car's dashboard, to the lip balm in your pocket (and maybe... more |
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| Phantom load |
| Your house is probably haunted…by a phantom load. This is the small but not insignificant... more |
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| Phenol formaldehyde (PF) |
| In layman's terms, this is a glue. It's one of two synthetic, formaldehyde-based polymer resins... more |
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| Photocell |
| Would you like to have your front-porch light come on when dusk falls, whether you're home or not?... more |
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| Photovoltaic (PV) cell |
| This is the technology that makes solar power happen. A panel of semiconductor material (typically... more |
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| Phthalates |
| Nearly impossible to pronounce and nearly impossible to avoid, phthalates are a group of chemicals... more |
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| Plastic |
| In the 1967 movie The Graduate, the word plastics represents a certain kind of bright, golden... more |
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| Plywood |
| This tough, inexpensive pressed-wood product is commonplace in homes-in furniture, flooring, and... more |
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| Pollution credit |
| How much is one company allowed to pollute? That might depend on how many credits it has. The... more |
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| Polyester |
| Not just the fiber that makes leisure suits and gauchos possible, polyester has long outlasted... more |
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| Polyethylene |
| This lightweight, translucent, and flexible plastic is used for grocery bags, food containers,... more |
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| Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) |
| This is the stuff that holds your soda, your peanut butter, and possibly your bathroom cleaner.... more |
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| Polymer |
| This is a chain of small molecules, called monomers, that is joined to create a material with a... more |
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| Polyurethane |
| It's used as foam insulation, upholstery stuffing, shiny wood-floor sealant, and more. This... more |
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| Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) |
| This durable plastic can be found just about anywhere: in your shower curtain, raincoat, or baby's... more |
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| Post-consumer |
| A term that refers to something used and discarded by a consumer. With recyclables, purchasing... more |
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| Post-consumer recycled (PCR) content |
| This is any material that was used by a consumer and then recycled for use in a new product. A... more |
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| Potable water |
| Water that is free enough of chemicals, particulate matter, and biological nasties (such as... more |
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| Prefab |
| A house in a box? In construction, prefabrication means creating the pieces of a building-complete... more |
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| Pressure-treated wood |
| This is wood that is used mostly for outdoor construction-in decks, for example. Pressure-treated... more |
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