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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Professional Writing ENC 3250


Dr. Francis Tobienne
17 November 2015
Team Cerberus
Patrick Davis
Rowena Kirk
Paul Kirk
Taidje De Vore

Energy Sustainability: University of South Florida is reducing its Carbon


Footprint

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Executive Summary:
The global rise in the pursuit of sustainable energy alternatives has changed not only how
we live our lives but how the governments and companies all over the world view our
societies. As the Green Movement becomes more prevalent in advanced countries like the United
States, the more changes we begin to see across the board. From the manufacturing of vehicles,
appliances, lightbulbs and more everything is slowly becoming more energy efficient. The
same is applicable to architecture and the manufacturing process of many of the pieces that go
into putting together a building. With this is government intervention. The US government not
only awards green initiatives, but also encourages individuals and businesses to strive to reduce
their carbon footprint.
This article is designed to highlight how this movement toward greater energy
sustainability has changed the University of South Florida, and the University of South Florida
St. Petersburg, herein referred to as USF and USFSP respectively. The goal of this paper is to
demonstrate that both USF and USFSP have both made great accomplishments when it comes to
sustainable energy. 1) Through their LEED certified building initiatives, 2) their continued
efforts in promoting green campuses, 3) and finally, their strong efforts made both by the school
administration, but also through the student governments to ensure a strong impact is made by
USF and USFSP in its green initiatives.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Table of Contents
1: Group Introduction and Cover Page
2: Executive Summary
3: Table of Contents
4: Introduction
What is energy sustainability?
Part 1: Where does sustainability stand?
5: Global stance on energy sustainability
The perception of sustainability
6: USFs stance on energy sustainability
Think globally act locally
Part 2: What has been done for the going green cause?
7: Initiatives undertaken by USF and USFSP campuses
Patel College of Global Sustainability
Sustainable energy projects at USFSP
8: Student Governments role
Clean Energy and Resource Conservation Commission (CERCC)
Part 3: Why?
9: Why go green?
Benefits outweigh the costs
11: Conclusion
Part 4: Bibliography
12: Annotated Bibliography
Part 5: Glossary of Terms
16: List of Terms

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Introduction
What is Energy sustainability?
Sustainability is the key to our survival on this planet and will also determine success on all
levels. Arison, Shari
Energy sustainability in recent years has become a growing topic as information on the
subject has significantly grown. Sustainable energy is defined as any alternative to the
consumption of nonrenewable fossil fuels that pollute the environment and utilize a more
renewable or efficient method of harvesting energy. These may include things like: wind
turbines, photovoltaic cells, hydroelectric dams, etc. Other methods of sustainability include the
usage of electric power stations to charge electric vehicles or the use of efficient materials that
reduce the loss of efficiency like insulation.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Part 1: Where does energy


sustainability stand?

the blame being set on the rise in greenhouse


gases.

Global stance on energy sustainability


The emergence of climate change as
a global topic has pushed many into
considering renewable alternative energy
production in lieu of the tradition fossil fuel
sources society has been accustomed to for
years. Many organizations have looked to
grow their own energy sustainability
programs which include the use of solar,

wind, and materials or processes that


increase energy efficiency or reduce energy
loss, as a means to help reduce carbon
emissions into the environment. Carbon
output usually defines a person or entities
carbon footprint or the amount of carbon
dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by
activities of an individual, company, or
country (Dictionary).
Countries all over the world have
taken steps to reduce their carbon footprints
in the wake of the growing threat of
anthropogenic global warming or global
warming caused by human related activities.
Many coastal countries fear the threat of
relocation as the sea level rises from the
melting of polar glaciers. Other countries
have experienced rapid changes climate over
a short period of time. Record breaking
droughts and hurricanes have also been
prevalent in many regions of the world with

The EPA has comprised data with


the use of ice cores to measure the parts per
billion concentration of greenhouse gasses
over the past 2000 years. Their findings
indicate that the greatest increase in
greenhouse gas concentrations occur after
the industrial revolution. The graph on the
right shows the natural balancing of
greenhouse gases until the exponential
growth that occurs after the 1800s (EPA).
This year, hurricane Patricia became
the most powerful tropical cyclone ever
measured in the Western Hemisphere as it
was able to reach category 5 in just a few
days (Weather). It is believed that the
unnatural warm waters and the strengthened
El Nino effect contributed to Patricias
explosive development. To combat and
reverse the effects of excess carbon, many
colleges around the world have created their
own global initiatives in response to climate
change that includes the reduction of their
carbon footprint while helping their
surrounding communities partake in the
green movement. Colleges greatly impact
the global threat of climate change through
their research and educating of others to
better understand the effects of carbon in the
environment while providing them with the
information on how to help reduce their
carbon footprint.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

USFs stance on energy sustainability


Many colleges around the world
have created their own global initiatives in
response to climate change that includes the
reduction of their carbon footprint while
helping their surrounding communities
partake in the green movement. Ivy
League colleges like Harvard and Duke have
both expanded their sustainability agendas
to reach all majors and disciplines with the
aim of helping to reduce consumption and
increase efficiency of energy. In addition to

spreading global sustainable ideals


throughout all disciplines, most colleges
offer a direct program for global
sustainability.
The University of South Florida
(USF) has proactively taken part in the
global effort to reduce its carbon footprint.

An example of this would be the installation


of the first 20,000 watt Solar Charging
Energy Station in the US at the College of
Engineering in 1995 (Office of
Sustainability). USF has continuously grown
its global sustainability efforts since then
through the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of
Global sustainability where students may
also obtain a masters degree that focuses on
global sustainability.
In a global perspective, the Patel
College of Global sustainability also helps
communities and environments through
collaborative research, education and
community involvement where their main
goal is helping cities around the world,
including those in developing countries,
reduce their ecological footprint while
improving their form and function to make
them healthier, more livable and resilient
(sustainability(2)). USF also has established
the Student Green Energy Fund which is
used to help the country use more carbon
neutral alternatives and use its growth in
knowledge to help educate others. This
practice creates a positive feedback loop
where more students are actively taking part
in energy sustainability initiatives while
educating others who will likely want to
participate in like programs.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

by the Duke Energy Florida grant


(Boatwright). It charges electric cars while
also providing the prospects of having the
solar array and Tesla battery as a source of
electricity after [retrofitting] the parking
garage with LED lights: the completion of
this project will ensure that the entire
parking garage is fully net zero (Scott).

Part 2: What has been done for the


going green cause?
Initiatives undertaken by USF and
USFSP campuses
The push to achieve a more energy
sustainable institution requires that the
campuses insulation and roofing are
constantly up kept. This will reduce the
excess use of air-conditioning during the
hotter season and will retain more of the
heat during the cooler season. USF has
invested money into green infrastructure
including several roofs (including the
library) have been replaced with high
insulation and reflectivity values which
helps to reduce energy consumption
(Sustainability). Additionally, USF is
committed to the fulfillment of the LEED,
Leadership in Energy & Environmental
Design, process in the constriction of its
new building projects (U.S. Green Building
Council ).
University of South Florida St.
Petersburg (USFSP) also shares the same
green initiative that is so prevalent at the
USF Tampa campus. At USFSP, there is a
100 kilowatt solar voltaic system provided

A new business building project in


underway for the Kate Tiedemann College
of Business. USF has posted articles
pertaining to the management of the
building project that touts the new building
as being in line with the sustainability goals
and initiatives of USF. Those associated

with the building of the project have taken


proactive steps prior to the start of
construction to get feedback from
stakeholders and commissioned for the
oaks the building would displace to be
reused and made into furniture and
fixtures for the building. (USFSP). Details
about the buildings LEED certification
process is currently unavailable, though
given the trajectory of current and past
projects, the building will likely be LEED
certified.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Student governments role


Student Government spearheaded
bringing sustainable energy to USF through
committees and creating new clubs and
organizations on campus. I made it a key
element of Student Government by creating
DSI and CERCC within
SG, says Student
Government President
James Scott, this drove
the changes since,
(Scott). These separate
branches and committees,
once formed, had to work
on bringing the actual
idea of sustainable energy
to campus. This required
student and staff support,
resulting in a lot of hearings and motions to
get these proposals agreed upon. We built
student support, created the structures to
oversee the efforts, secured funding, and
ultimately built administrative support,
(Scott).
Gaining the support of the Student
Government representatives and members
was essential for the success of this project,
because the SG representatives are the ones
who were making the decision on whether
or not to bring these practices to campus.
For these ideas, a person cannot simply go
to the office at USF and announce that they
would like to have green initiatives on
campus. In order to make any progress or
create the initiatives, Student Government
must be involved and must support it.
Gaining the support of the members, in turn,
will produce more effort on the project and
create a wide following of anticipation. The
Student Government became interested in
the idea of bringing this project to the
campus, and ultimately created the many

different organizations and committees that


are responsible. With a project as enormous
as bringing sustainable energy to the USF
campuses, it would be impossible to
accomplish the overall goal without going
through or getting the
support of the Student
Government
representatives and
President.
Another interviewee
on the subject was
David Vasquez, who
is the Secretary of
Sustainable Initiatives
in the Executive
Branch of Student Government, among
multiple other positions. After speaking with
him on the project as a whole, the question
of difficulty was brought up. According to
David, the biggest difficulties are coming
up with funding for projects. Getting
funding for these projects can be very
tedious, because of the amount of money
that is needed for some of the projects. The
funding mainly comes from Student
Government and the school itself, so the
whole project, again, wouldnt have made it
very far without the help and support from
Student Government. There are different
funding sources for projects, David says,
including Student Government, SGEF,
Administration, and outside donors. All in
all, most of the large projects that want to be
completed for the school require approval
from SG or the school itself, thus in turn
granting Student Government a very large
responsibility: determining whether the
green initiatives are enacted and brought to
campus.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Part 3: Why?
Why go green?
Going green and using renewable,
sustainable energy sources has become one
of the largest, if not the largest, topics being
discussed in the past decade. Sustainable
energy refers to the ability of the energy to
be used infinitely, such as solar power or
wind. Things like Fossil-Fuels are not
sustainable because they are non-renewable,
meaning that there is a finite amount of the
substance on Earth. The fact that fossil fuels
are so widely used today and that people are
so heavily dependent on it have raised
questions about the usage itself. It is a finite
substance, which means that at the rate of
consumption today, the substance will

eventually run out in the future. This fact is


what has stirred talks and debates on what
types of renewable energies we can use, and
how to use sustainable energy practices in
order to make up for this inevitable shortage.
The debate has proponents and opponents
alike, and will most likely be hotly debated
and discussed for years to come. A lot of
parts of the sustainable / renewable energy
debate stem from multiple different subtopics including pollution, quantity, and
Safety & Reliability.
Pollution has been a large detriment
of the modern day energy sources, and have

sparked wide uproar concerning the after


effects and dirty leftovers created by these
energy methods. Fossil Fuel-powered
transportation pumps more than 1.7 billion
tons of carbon equivalent emissions into the
air annually, (Matthews, par. 5). These
emissions being pumped into the air are
causing the greenhouse effect that is
discussed quite a bit in the modern times,
and also creates smog in highly urbanized
areas. Places such as Beijing, China and Los
Angeles, California are famous for having
large problems with smog due to all of the
emissions and exhausts being pumped into
the air from the burning of non-sustainable
resources. Other things such as pollution of
rivers, as well as the scarification of land
and mountains caused by coal mining has
brought a lot of attention and a lot of critics
alike. Emissions from nonrenewable, nonsustainable energy have been blamed for
causing Climate Change, and resulting in
extensive damage to the Earth.
Another huge portion of
nonrenewable energies is the quantity left.
This ties in with safety and reliability as
well. Nonrenewable energy is not
sustainable or reliable, because it will
eventually run out and can be quite
expensive. Renewable Energy can be
locally produced, and therefore is not
vulnerable to factors that may cause high
spikes in prices, (Moll, par. 4). Political
upheaval in countries where the source of
nonrenewable energy is can cause massive
spikes in prices, making fluctuations on the
market and higher prices for consumers.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Sustainable energy practices cut


down on all of the pollution and lack of
quantity/reliability. Using sources such as
wind and solar power are beneficial because
it will never run out. These sources are
infinite, compared to the finite quantity of
things such as oil and coal. Future
generations using renewable, sustainable
energy
will not
have to
worry
about
where
the
energy
will be coming from or how much is left.
Since it is renewable, it will solve the
problem of quantity and supplying the
masses. Coal, natural gas and oil reserves
are finite and hidden, leading to expensive
excavations to find. Renewable energy, by
contrast, is as easy to find as sunlight or
wind, (Moll, par. 3).

Overall, Sustainable energy solves a


lot of problems that come from the usage of
nonrenewable and non-sustainable energy.
Thinking about the future is important, so
many scientists and environmentalists are
pushing hard to bring about more
sustainable initiatives to save the future
generations from shortages and troubles.
Cost is a huge point to take into
consideration, and it includes more than just
monetary costs. These costs also contain the
destruction of the environment and
important Earth systems, which makes the
clean sustainable energies even more
desirable. Renewable energy is reliable and
plentiful and will potentially be very cheap
once technology and infrastructure improve.
Renewable energy produces only minute
levels of carbon emissions and therefore
helps combat climate change caused by
fossil fuels, (Moll, par. 1).

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Conclusion
Efforts toward energy sustainability are something that has taken the forefront at the
University of South Florida and University of South Florida St. Petersburg. Both campuses have
taken significant initiatives toward energy sustainability. As previously stated, the student
government at USFSP have helped start numerous projects to help reduce the USFSPs carbon
footprint, which also helps the environment. The efforts by the student government is not where
it stops though. Both USF and USFSPs administrative bodies have gone to great lengths to
ensure that adequate measures are taken to make both campuses more energy efficient and
sustainable. This includes, but is not limited to, water refill stations for water bottles, energy
efficient buildings and a green energy initiative funded by tuition. By going green USF and
USFSP no longer have to waste as much energy to keep the campuses many buildings running,
nor do they have to leave such a heavy carbon footprint.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Part 4: Bibliography
Annotated Bibliography
Boatwright, Josh. "Duke Energy unveils solar power project at USF St. Pete." n.d. TBO.
<http://www.tbo.com/pinellas-county/duke-energy-unveils-solar-power-project-at-usf-st-pete20150520/>
This article provided helpful information about the Duke Energy grant that provide USF Tampa
with a solar voltaic system.
Dictionary. n.d. Dictionary.Reference. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/carbon-footprint>
Simply used for the definition of carbon footprint to inform readers of the meaning if they are
unfamiliar with the term or were unaware of the actual meaning.
"Energy Analysis & Environmental Impacts Division." Sustainable Energy Systems. Berkeley Lab, 2015.
Web. 27 Nov. 2015. https://eaei.lbl.gov/group/sustainable-energy-systems
Used for some basic information and to cite a picture taken from the webpage.

EPA. "Causes of Climate Change." n.d. <http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/science/causes.html>


This article provides valuable information about climate change which helps the reader
understand how much we have raised the levels of greenhouse gases in recent years which helps
solidify how important the green movement is.
Matthews, Mike. "Do Nonrenewable Resources Cause Pollution?" Home Guides. SFGate, 2015. Web. 18
Nov. 2015. <http://homeguides.sfgate.com/nonrenewable-resources-cause-pollution-79346.html>
This article helps provides information on how much harm fossil fuels have done to the
environment and helps answer the questions, Why Go Green?
Moll, Eric. "Importance of Renewable Resources of Energy." Home Guides. SFGate, 2015. Web. 18 Nov.
2015. <http://homeguides.sfgate.com/importance-renewable-resources-energy-79690.html>
This article provides a wealth of information on how important it is to switch to sustainable or
renewable energy resources because alternatives are finite and cause a lot of harm to our
environment, therefore hurting us more than helping us. Whereas sustainable or renewable energy
helps us gain a constant source for energy as well as help the environment.

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

Muellner, Alexis. "LEEDership Awards to Celebrate Green Building Innovation, Sustainable


Development." Tampa Bay Business Journal. American City Business Journals, 19 Oct. 2015.
Web. 11 Nov. 2015. <http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2015/10/19/leedershipawards-to-celebrate-green-building.html>
While this article is not focused on USF or USFSP specifically, it does discuss the LEEDership
Awards given by the U.S. Green Building Council - and what they strive to achieve through their
awards. It discusses that they were holding the award ceremony at USFSP's University Student
Center, which is a LEED Gold-certified complex. I think it is helpful that how the ratings and
awards for environmental sustainable architecture works is helpful, and it is also important to
show that USFSP has been recognized by this ratings boards.
Office of Sustainability. "Energy." n.d. <http://psgs.usf.edu/office-of-sustainability/office-ofsustainability/initiatives/energy/>
There is a wealth of information that comes directly from the USF office of sustainability
website. Information about the past and future initiatives are explained all throughout the text.
Also, by providing details on initiatives like the "Solar Energy Charging Station" helps readers
recognize USF as an active member of the green movement, and has been as far back as 1995. In
addition to that, as the source comes directly from USF, this is a good source to use in the early
parts of the document and can be easily paired with future references.
Sandler, Neal. "Shari Arison Shares Her Green Vision." Businessweek. Bloomberg L.P., 18 Nov. 2009.
Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/nov2009/gb20091118_704349.htm>
Shari Arison is a very influential Israeli businesswoman; that while controversial at times in her
homeland - has made great efforts in promoting environmental sustainability. Her words are a
great starting point for the paper as they provide the reader with a good insight as to what to
expect when reading this paper. It gives a good look into the content without requiring the reader
to go through the entire paper.
Scott, James. Virtual Interview. 11 November 2015.
James is the Student Government President, and led the creation of Student Governments
Department of Sustainable Initiatives (DSI), the Clean Energy and Resource Conservation
Commission (CERCC), and the Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF). As well, James has been

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

responsible for many different legislations enacted by the Student Government body about
different sustainable initiatives.

sustainability(2), Office of. "About." n.d. psgs.usf.


<http://psgs.usf.edu/about_patel_school_of_global_sustainability/>
Provided information about how the Patel College of Global sustainability helps reduce the
ecological footprint around the world through their research, community involvement, as well as
through education.
Sustainability, Office of. "Green Building." n.d. <http://psgs.usf.edu/office-of-sustainability/office-ofsustainability/initiatives/green-building/>
In addition to the information provided by the energy source provided, this source goes further
by explaining how the actual building materials of a few campuses and renovated buildings now
have better roof insulation to help make the buildings more energy efficient. The roof materials
have a 94/100 Sun Reflective Index (SRI) which aids in the conservation of energy when using
cooling systems.
"University of South Florida Archives - EV News Report." EV News Report Site Wide Activity RSS. EV
News Report, 21 May 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. http://evnewsreport.com/tag/university-ofsouth-florida/
This article gave us more information about sustainability on the USFSP campus, and also
granted us a picture to use in our report.

U.S. Green Building Council. LEED. n.d. <http://www.usgbc.org/leed>


Helpful information about the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design that the University
of South Florida intends to implement in all future designs.
USFSP. "USFSP Promotes Campus Expansion, Sustainability." University of South Florida St.
Petersburg. University of South Florida St. Petersburg, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2015.
<http://www.usfsp.edu/home/2015/10/14/usfsp-promotes-campus-expansion-sustainability/>
Since the white paper project holds emphasis on USFSP, we had to look on the website
specifically for the St. Petersburg campus. The Kate Tiedemann College of Business campus
expansion page details that they look to hold events explaining what the new building was to

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Energy Sustainability: USF is Reducing its Carbon Footprint

feature in regards to energy sustainability. It provides information on what the environmental


impact the building will have on the surrounding area, as well as how USFSP plans on decreasing
the impact it will inevitably cause through its energy sustainability initiatives. The meetings
posted on the webpage have already passed, however, any future meetings could provide more
information that could be used for this white paper project.
"USFSP University Student Center - Creative Contractors, Inc." Creative Contractors Inc. Creative
Contractors, Inc., 2015. Web. 27 Nov. 2015. http://www.creativecontractors.com/usfspuniversity-student-center-2/nggallery/page/2/
Used this website for a few very small details about the University Student Center at USFSP, and
also for a picture.

Vasquez, David. Virtual Interview. 06 Nov. 2015.


David is the Secretary of Sustainable Initiatives in the Executive Branch of Student Government,
as well as the Chair for the Clean Energy & Resource Conservation Commission, the Chair for
the Student Green Energy Fund committee, and a member of the Student Environmental
Awareness Society.
Weather. "Hurricane Central." n.d. Weather.com.
<http://www.weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/hurricane-patricia-mexico-coast>
This article provides information on Hurricane Patricia which is believed to have been caused due
to the unnaturally warm waters.
Winston, Alyssa. Virtual Interview. 09 November 2015.
Alyssa used to be the Director of Sustainable Initiatives in Student Government, and was also the
Chair of Clean Energy Resource Conservation. Along with these positions, she was also a voting
member in the Student Green Energy Fund (SGEF).

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Part 5: Glossary of Terms


Abbreviations
-

CERCC: Clean Energy & Resource Conservation Commission


DSI: Department of Sustainable Initiatives

LEED- Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design

SEAS: Student Environmental Awareness Society


SG: Student Government
SGEF: Student Green Energy Fund

Definition of Terms
-

Anthropogenic Global Warming- Global warming attributed to human activities.


Carbon Emissions- Carbon dioxide or Carbon Monoxide released into the atmosphere by
vehicles or industrial process. (Mac Millian dictionary)
Carbon Footprint- A measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by
activities of an individual, company, or country given a specific period of time.
Climate Change- A change in global or regional climate patterns largely attributed to the
increased levels in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Ecological Footprint- Like the carbon footprint, the ecological footprint is a measure of how
human activities affect the environment such as how buying paper contributes to the cutting of
trees or how littering contributes to the death of sea animals.
El Nino- an irregular occurring and complex series of climate changes affecting the equatorial
Pacific Region and beyond every few years. (Google)
Energy Efficiency- The use of energy that is devoid of the production of excess waste.
Energy Sustainability- The active state of utilizing alternative sources that do not use fossil fuels
and/or use methods of increasing energy efficiency.
Fossil Fuels- Fuels that are derived from the Earth formed by the decomposition of living
organisms.
Green Initiative- An action that contributes to the reduction in greenhouse gases or improves an
environment.
Greenhouse Effect- An effect where gases absorb radiation in the atmosphere, thus warming the
planet.
Greenhouse Gases- Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared
radiation.
Net Zero- When the amount of energy a something consumes is about equal to the amount of
energy it produces with alternative energy.
Positive Feedback Loop- An environmental state where actions further enhance a system to
move to a greater state of entropy.
Political upheaval- A political revolution in which a government is ousted violently.
Smog- A fog that contains atmospheric aerosols and pollutants.

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