Investors who acquire an equity stake in a publicly traded company as a means of attempting to influence the company's practices or policies. Shareholders can be ethically motivated, for example wanting an improvement in the environmental or social impact of a business, or interested mainly in changing its business strategy or management.
The notion that a company has responsibilities to society that go beyond its legal obligations and its duties to shareholders. CSR includes a company's impact on the environment, ethical issues, and internal policies regarding transparency and fair treatment of employees.
Environmental Accounting (EA) is a subset of accounting that focuses on the efficient use, management, and reporting of resources used by businesses to reduce environmental impacts. EA includes identifying, measuring, and communicating the costs of a company's economic activities associated with the environment.
Environmental Assessment (EA) is a critical process designed to analyze the ecological consequences of proposed land development activities, including factors such as endangered species, hazardous waste, and historical significance. The findings determine whether an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is warranted.
Green building refers to the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction.
Heavy industry refers to traditional production industries such as auto manufacturing, steel production, rubber processing, petroleum refining, and raw material extraction, which require massive capital investment and produce large quantities of goods. These industries employ large numbers of workers and often have significant environmental impacts.
Nonrenewable natural resources are resources that cannot be replenished once they are exhausted. Examples include fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas.
Package design refers to the comprehensive process of planning and fashioning the form and structure of a product's package. This includes various elements such as size, shape, color, closure, appearance, protection, economy, convenience, labeling, and environmental impact.
Pollution involves the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment, causing adverse changes. It is most commonly associated with emissions from industrial processes, waste disposal, and other human activities that introduce harmful substances into air, water, and land.
Triple Bottom-Line Accounting (TBL) is a method of measuring a company's social and environmental impact in addition to its economic value. This approach evaluates a company's performance through a three-pronged focus: economic profit and loss, corporate social responsibility, and environmental impact.
Urban Sprawl is a pejorative term for low-density development in suburban and the fringe of urban areas. It is characterized by distance from employment and commercial centers, dependence on automobile travel, and extended public infrastructure.
Zero economic growth occurs when the national income of a country neither grows nor falls. Some groups advocate for zero economic growth as a solution to problems like pollution and resource depletion.
