Greenhouse Gases
This gas, which humans and animals breathe out, is the most common greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels.
What is Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
These panels, often placed on rooftops, convert sunlight directly into electricity.
What are solar panels?
These beautiful, vibrant underwater structures, known as the "rainforests of the sea," are threatened by warming waters.
What are coral reefs?
Of the three R's, this one involves using an item again for its original purpose or a new one, like a glass jar becoming a pencil holder.
What is "Reuse"?
This Bay Area public transit system runs on electricity and helps thousands of commuters reduce their carbon footprint every day.
What is BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit)?
This potent greenhouse gas is famously produced by cows and comes from sources like landfills and natural gas systems.
What is Methane (CH4)
These giant structures use large blades to capture the kinetic energy of the air's movement.
What are wind turbines?
This is the process where oceans absorb excess CO2 from the atmosphere, causing the water to become more acidic.
What is ocean acidification?
This term describes products like plastic straws, cutlery, and water bottles that are designed to be used only once and then thrown away.
What are single-use (or disposable) items?
The strong winds that blow through the Altamont Pass in the East Bay make it a major site for generating this type of renewable energy.
What is wind power?
The protective layer in our atmosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation is made of this gas.
What is Ozone (O3)
This type of energy is generated by using heat from the Earth's internal core.
What is geothermal energy?
The term for the process when heat-stressed corals expel the colorful algae living in them, turning them ghostly white.
What is coral bleaching?
This process turns organic waste like food scraps and yard trimmings into a rich, nutrient-filled material for gardens.
What is composting?
This East Bay city is famous for its culture of sustainability, farmers' markets, and the renowned "farm-to-table" restaurant Chez Panisse.
What is Berkeley?
This greenhouse gas, with the chemical formula N2O, is about 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is primarily emitted from agricultural practices like using fertilizers.
What is Nitrous Oxide?
The Hoover Dam is a famous example of a facility that generates this type of power using flowing water.
What is hydroelectric power (or hydropower)?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a massive, swirling vortex of this common type of pollution.
What is plastic?
This term describes the clothing industry's model of producing trendy, inexpensive garments rapidly, which leads to massive amounts of textile waste. (Works against principles of the three Rs.
What is fast fashion?
The Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, a key habitat for millions of migratory birds, is located in the southern part of this body of water.
What is the San Francisco Bay?
The measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere over time, relative to carbon dioxide, is known as its GWP, which stands for this.
This is the general term for the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, often done by natural methods like planting forests or with industrial technologies.
What is Global Warming Potential?
What is carbon sequestration?
This is the term for energy generated from organic matter, such as wood, crops, or agricultural waste.
What is biomass energy?
These coastal "forests" of salt-tolerant trees are vital because they protect coastlines from erosion and absorb huge amounts of carbon.
What are mangrove forests?
This term describes an ideal economic system aimed at eliminating waste and promoting the continual use of resources, also known as a "closed-loop" system.
What is a circular economy?
Much of the Bay Area's drinking water is famously sourced from this reservoir located over 160 miles away in Yosemite National Park.
What is the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir?