Putting In a Good Word or Two for Sustainable Gardening

The green movement has grown dramatically in recent years, creating its own vocabulary to describe a variety of products and practices that purportedly are healthier for people and the environment. If you want to go green in your garden, here is a glossary of common terms you will encounter:

Biodegradability

The ability of organic material to be broken down by bacteria, worms, fungi, insects and other means. The end product is compost.

Biodiversity

The coexistence of a wide variety of plants and animals. Invasive species can disrupt this balance.

Bioremediation

Similar in concept to biodegradability, except that this process can apply to a broader range of substances, including oil, tires, plastic and pressure-treated lumber.

Chemical

The antithesis of green, though the term "chemical" can be confusing because all matter is made up of chemicals -- organic or inorganic. Compost, for example, has a chemical formula. Through common gardening usage, "chemical" has come to refer primarily to man-made fertilizer and pesticides that, when used to excess, are bad for the environment.

Chlorophyll

A pigment that makes leaves green and, when combined with sunshine, is responsible for plant life.

Ecology