Brownfields are industrial or otherwise developed areas that have been affected by former users or surrounding activities and so are underused or unusable and require remediation before being further developed. The US-EPA defines a Brownfield as ―real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
Circular Economy, a holistic economic concept which seeks efficiency in resource use through the integration of cleaner production and industrial ecology into a broader system encompassing industrial firms, networks or
chains of firms, eco-industrial parks, and regional infrastructure to support resource optimization. State owned and private enterprises, government and private infrastructure, and consumers all have a role in achieving the Circular Economy.
Cleaner Production is a holistic preventive and integrated strategy for the entire production cycle, that:
Community is the local village, the town or district where the industrial park is situated. Stakeholders are based in the local economic, cultural, political, or institutional framework of the region; this may include, for example, a clustering of small businesses, inner city low-income residential neighborhood, or neighborhood associations.
Community Participation is the engagement, at varying levels of influence and decision-making authority, of the relevant community stakeholders in the design and implementation of an eco-industrial development project.
Eco-Industrial Development is an integrated system of shared resources (material, knowledge-based, social, etc,) among industries, businesses, and the local community that lead to economic gains, enhanced environmental quality, and improved human resources for the business and local community. (President‘s Council on Sustainable Development).
Eco-Industrial Network is a set of companies in a region seeking to improve their environmental, social, and economic performance through collaboration. An EIN may include industrial parks and their companies and be supported by public sector organizations. An Eco-Industrial Network provides the context in which industrial parks and stand-alone factories can practice Eco-Industrial Development. It allows them to achieve the necessary scale of operation often required to optimize use of resources and create synergies between its members.
Eco-Industrial Park is a community of manufacturing and service businesses located together on a common property. Members seek enhanced environmental, economic, and social performance through collaboration in managing environmental and resource issues.
Environmental Management Systems (EMS) are management approaches that identify the environmental aspects of a company‘s operations and legal requirements, establish environmental objectives and targets, create management programs to meet these objectives and targets, establish internal and external reporting systems, regular audits, reports to management, and provide follow-up on the audit findings and reviews to ensure continual improvement.
Green Building Design / Green Architecture is designing buildings to minimize energy consumption, use renewable or recyclable resources, protect the natural environment, and create healthy non-toxic work environments.