National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are standards outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency to identify pollutants in the atmosphere as required by the US Clean Air Act. It looks in the level of harm pollutants may have toward human health and the environment.

The Clean Air Act recognizes two types of NAAQSs. Primary standards look at the effects of pollutants on human health, including those who have pre-existing heart and lung ailments. Secondary standards protect the welfare of wildlife and the environment. These measures look at six principal pollutants that are referred to as criteria air pollutants and have to be reviewed periodically to ensure that the standards at hand are accurate.

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Other Sources

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “NAAQS Table.” EPA. https://www.epa.gov/criteria-air-pollutants/naaqs-table. Accessed August 11, 2016.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Reviewing National Ambient Air Quality Standards – Scientific and Technical Information”. EPA. https://www3.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/. Accessed August 11, 2016.

The National Environment Policy Act (NEPA) is a law passed by the United States Congress in 1970 to promote sustainability and to create the President’s Council on Environmental Quality. It requires all federal agencies to consider environmental factors along with others during the decision-making process.

The National Environment Policy Act was signed into being by Richard Nixon on January 1, 1970. It laid out a national policy for environmental protection and created the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and required federal departments to consider the environmental impact of government projects. The advent of the CEQ brought advances in environmental policy with amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act, paving the way for later legislation like the Resource Recovery Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

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Other Sources

Alm, Alvin L. “1988 Article on NEPA: Past, Present, and Future.” EPA. https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/1988-article-nepa-past-present-and-future. Accessed August 11, 2016.

United States Environmental Protection Agency. “What is the National Environmental Policy Act?” https://www.epa.gov/nepa/what-national-environmental-policy-act. Accessed August 11, 2016.

The National Green Building Standard is a voluntary program designed to assess the design, construction, and renovation of residential buildings about their impact on the environment and sustainable design. It has four different certification levels for homes – Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Emerald – and have few minimum requirement to allow the developer flexibility so they can find the best green building practices to suit their project.

The National Green Building Program began in 2005 by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the National Green Building Guidelines. It aimed to assist NAHB’s 800 affiliates in developing homeowner programs in their local areas. When the NAHB decided to create their standards for green building, they developed the National Green Building Program to set higher standards for sustainable building.

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Other Sources

“ICC 700 National Green Building Standard.” NAHB. https://www.nahb.org/en/research/nahb-priorities/green-building-remodeling-and-development/icc-700-national-green-building-standard.aspx. Accessed August 11, 2016.

“National Green Building Standard.” Green Building Advisor. http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/ngbs. Accessed August 11, 2016.

New Urbanism is a form of city planning looks at moving away from traditional, single-use, low-density building patterns. It emphasizes the use of traditional European towns, which are often more compact and make utilize their location. These more compact communities would allow for a smaller carbon footprint through designing areas to be more accessible by walking rather than by car.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, American cities were more compact, and buildings were usually designed for multiple purposes. The invention of the cable car and omnibuses allowed for cities to expand and develop areas specified for living called suburbs but it was the advent of the automobile that led to the decentralization of cities and further separated land use. New Urbanism arose in the late 1970s and 1980s as a reaction to this urban sprawl. In 1991, the Local Government Commission and architects met at Yosemite National Park and formulated fifteen principles that outlined the direction New Urbanism would want to take. Two years later, some of the architects from this conference went on to form the Congress for the New Urbanism, a group aiming to promote the designing principles of New Urbanism.

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Other Sources

“What is New Urbanism?” CNU. https://www.cnu.org/resources/what-new-urbanism. Accessed August 11, 2016.

“Principles of New Urbanism.” New Urbanism. http://www.newurbanism.org/newurbanism/principles.html. Accessed August 11, 2016.

Briney, Amanda. “New Urbanism.” About Education. http://geography.about.com/od/urbaneconomicgeography/a/newurbanism.htm. Accessed August 15, 2016.

Definition

Nonrenewable Resources are resources that will deplete over a lifetime. They are consumed at a rate faster than they can naturally reproduce, many of these resources take millions of years to replenish. Examples of non-renewable resources are coal, oil, and materials used for nuclear energy.

Want to Know More?

The use of nonrenewable resources, like fossil fuels as an energy source dates to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. During this period, numerous developments occurred including the steam engine which made production on a mass scale possible, the development of electric generators for the generation of electricity, and the new forms of transportation like the steam locomotive and automobile. To power these new forms of technology, Fossil Fuels like coal and crude oil were mined and extracted from the Earth.

Despite being a technological innovation, the use of Fossil Fuels is only a short-term solution that has caused environmental problems. As they are burned, Fossil Fuels release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, which trap more of the sun’s radiation and contributes to Climate Change and Global Warming. At the same time, these sources are limited and will eventually run out, some estimates for crude oil projecting 70 years.

A more sustainable solution is to use Renewable Resources, which are resources that can be continuously used at a sustainable rate and will naturally replenish. Examples of renewable resources are trees, solar and wind power. With proper management these resources will continue to replenish faster or equal to the rate they are used, and have a smaller environmental impact compared to non-renewable resources.

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Other Sources

Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Industrial Revolution.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Industrial-Revolution. Accessed August 15, 2016.

National Geographic Society. “Non Renewable Resources.” National Geographic. http://nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/non-renewable-energy/. Accessed August 11, 2016.

“About Renewable Energy.” Natural Resource Canada. https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/energy-sources-distribution/renewables/about-renewable-energy/7295#what. Accessed September 30, 2019.

“Energy Explained: Your guide to understanding energy.” U.S Energy Information Administration. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/. Accessed September 30, 2019.

Definition

A law imposed by China that bans the importation of certain types of solid waste, that was previously allowed. Setting a limitation of 0.5% contamination and banning the acceptance of low-quality plastics are just some example of the restrictions.

Want to know more?

China has been the largest importer of solid waste for many years. Before the National Sword was put in place it was easy for countries to send over their waste. Over the years, China slowly began to realize the effect that these imports have had on their country. The worsening environmental conditions have become a big worry for the Chinese government, causing them to re-evaluate their recycling industry. These conditions started to affect their air, water, and soil which began to threaten many lives. The imports of plastics have been a core reason behind this pollution. The Chinese government decided to act for the people of their county, thus the announcement of the National Sword.

Interested in learning more about The National Sword? Check out our Blog on the topic!

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Pink, K. “What is the National Sword.” Center for Eco Technology. https://www.centerforecotechnology.org/what-is-the-national-sword/#comments. Accessed August 23, 2019