Sustainability and Circular Economy: Key Terms

Posted on Jan 30, 2025 in Other subjects

  • Sustainable: Sustainable refers to practices, processes, or actions that can be maintained or continued over a long period without depleting natural resources, causing environmental harm, or compromising the well-being of future generations. It involves meeting current needs while ensuring the ability to meet future needs as well.
  • Circular economy: A circular economy is an economic system designed to minimize waste and make the most of resources. In a circular economy, products, materials, and resources are reused, remanufactured, or recycled to extend their lifespan and reduce environmental impact, creating a closed loop of sustainability.
  • To reduce waste: Reducing waste means taking steps to minimize the generation of garbage, surplus, or discarded materials. This can be achieved by using resources more efficiently, avoiding unnecessary consumption, and promoting sustainable practices.
  • To protect our environment: Protecting our environment involves taking actions to preserve and safeguard natural ecosystems, wildlife, and the Earth’s resources from pollution, degradation, and harm. It includes efforts to mitigate climate change, conserve biodiversity, and promote sustainable use of resources.
  • Eco-friendly: Eco-friendly, short for ecologically friendly, refers to products, practices, or behaviors that are designed to have minimal negative impacts on the environment. These are choices that reduce pollution, conserve resources, and promote sustainability.
  • Second life: In the context of sustainability, “a second life” typically refers to giving an object, material, or product a new purpose or use after its original intended use has ended. This can involve upcycling, repurposing, or reusing items to extend their lifespan.
  • To recycle: Recycling is the process of collecting, sorting, processing, and reusing materials such as paper, glass, plastics, and metals to create new products. It is an important component of waste management and resource conservation.
  • Raw materials: Raw materials are the basic, unprocessed materials or substances used in the production of goods or products. These materials are typically extracted or harvested from nature and serve as the starting point for various manufacturing processes.

General Vocabulary

  • Pamper (verb): To give someone special treatment, making that person as comfortable as possible and giving them whatever they want.
    • Example: She pampers her dog with the finest steak or salmon.
  • Cornerstone (noun): Something of great importance that everything else depends on.
    • Example: In most countries, the family unit is still the cornerstone of society. It’s essential in how we understand modern life.
  • Hazardous (adjective): Dangerous (of substances, materials, activities, or conditions).
    • Example: Hazardous waste must be properly disposed of. It’s dangerous for people’s health.
  • Sparingly (adverb): In small amounts, or without wasting any.
    • Example: There wasn’t enough coal during the war, so we had to use it sparingly.
  • Sow the seeds of something (idiom): To do something that will cause something to happen in the future.
    • Example: He’s sowing the seeds of his own downfall.
  • Demeanor (noun): A way of looking and behaving.
    • Example: Their demeanor suggested that they were very upset. They were sobbing, and their faces were sad.
  • Conceal (verb): To prevent something from being seen or known about; to hide something.
    • Example: I tried to conceal my surprise when she told me her age. I couldn’t believe she was just 40; she looked so much older.
  • Sly (adjective): Deceiving, mischievous.
    • Example: Julia is so sly; she says one thing to my face and another behind my back.
  • Dash out (verb): Leave in a hurry.
    • Example: I’ve got to dash out before the shops close! I need to hurry up.
  • Uphold (verb): To say that a decision that has already been taken, especially a legal one, is correct. [Conjugation = uphold, upheld, upheld]
    • Example: The government has promised to uphold the principles of democracy.