Sustainable Sites Flashcards
Albedo
A metric to define the reflectivity of an object from darkest black to white using a scale from 0 to 1
Aquifer
A body of saturated rock through which water can easily move
Biodiversity
The variety of all life on earth including plants, animals, insects, micro-organisms and humans
Bioswal
A constructed rainwater control feature containing an engineered basil, soil, stone and vegetation to reduce rainwater runoff and increase groundwater recharge
Building footprint
The area of ground that the building occupies as defined by its perimeter
Dry pond
An excavated area designed to hold rainwater during a rain event, but is dry when there is no precipitation
Ecosystem
A complex set or interconnected relationships between the living organisms of a specific place that form a system, including plants, trees, animals, fish, birds, micro-organisms, water, soil and humans
Floor are ratio (FAR)
The density of non-residential land use, exclusive of structured parking, measured as the total non-residential building floor area divided by the total buildable land area available for non-residential structures
Green infrastructure (GI)
The patchwork of natural areas that provide habitat, flood protection, clean air and clean water at the scale of a city or country, rainwater management systems that mimic nature by soaking up and storing water at the scale of a neighborhood or site
Heat island effect
The absorption of solar heat by hardscapes and includes other sources such as automobiles, HVAC equipment and street and building lighting
Impervious
The characteristic of a material preventing the penetration of liquids and/or gases
Integrated pest management (IPM)
A sustainable approach of controlling pest infestation and damage in an economical way while minimizing hazards to people, property and the environment
Light trespass
The spillage of light across a project boundary onto neighboring sites
Low impact development (LID)
A land management strategy that emulates natural systems to manage rainwater as close to its source as possible
Native and adaptive species
Plants that are either native to the region or have adapted to the region and require little to no irrigation
Nonpoint source pollution
Water pollution caused by pollutants, such as gasoline, oil, salt and fertilizers, which are washed into the nearest water bodies by rainwater runoff
Pervious
The characteristic of a material allowing the penetration of liquids and/or gases
Rain garden
A depressed area of ground containing soil, stone and vegetation that is designed to catch slow rainwater
Rainwater harvesting
Precipitation captured with a cistern or other catchment device from outside the building for use in irrigation, flush fixtures or building processes, but not for potable uses
Rainwater runoff
Water from precipitation that runs off of impervious landscapes in the built environment, such as sidewalks, roofs and parking lots, into the nearest water bodies and sewer systems
Solar reflectance index (SRI)
A metric from 0 to 100 that measures how well a material reflects solar heat, with higher numbers signifying better reflectance
Watershed
The area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes to the same place
