Environmental Impact 
Any beneficial or negative change to the environment.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
A procedure for ensuring that the likely effects of a new development on the environment are fully understood and taken into account before the development is allowed to go ahead. This is used mainly at a project level.
Environmental Sustainability
See Sustainability, Environmental.
Environmental Sustainability Indicator
An indicator which can be used to help better understand how sustainability can be practiced and evaluated. A range of examples included within this document include:
• Amenity Diversity,
• Biodiversity,
• Bulky Materials,
• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Emissions (Direct fuel and energy use),
• Community Environmental Satisfaction,
• Ecological Footprint,
• Fertiliser Use,
Fertiliser Use
An Environmental Sustainability Indicator.
Brief Description: The total amount of fertiliser used in maintaining a service. A particular emphasis might be given to the nitrogen content, which is more prone to leaching. Total nutrient content use may be considered as the indicator required; alternatively, different sub-categories might be considered for the major nutrients; nitrogen; phosphorus; potassium. Other sub-categories might be considered such as whether the fertiliser is organic (natural) or inorganic (& synthetic).
Five Capitals Model
A sustainability framework that identifies five areas (or capitals) that influence wealth creation, and which can help maintain the viability of an organisation by maximising the value obtained from the assets in each capital.
• Natural Capital: Materials and energy needed for products and services, including environmental sinks.
• Human Capital: Knowledge, skills, worker health and welfare in creating and delivering the products and services.
• Social Capital: Social interactions and relationships.
• Manufactured capital: Equipment needed to create and deliver the products or services.
•
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Five Core Principles of Sustainability
A systems approach with five interconnected and interdependent domains consisting of numerous factors, but with each having a core principle of sustainability which must be satisfied if the system is to be considered as sustainable. The domains and principles are:
• Material: Resources, including energy, to be non-declining.
• Economic: To account for and internalise environmental costs of production and service.
• Life: Responsibilities and actions for maintaining biodiversity.
• Social: Maximise health, well-being and development of individuals.
• Spiritual: Values and ethics to deliver
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Five Key Principles of Sustainability for Food and Agriculture
To promote agricultural sustainability the FAO have identified five key principles to achieve this:
1. Improving efficiency in the use of resources.
2. Direct action is required to conserve, protect and enhance natural resources.
3. Failing to protect and improve rural livelihoods, equity and social well-being is unsustainable.
4. Enhanced resilience of people, communities and ecosystems.
5. Responsible and effective governance mechanisms.
(Source: Building a common vision for sustainable food and agriculture: Principles and approaches, FAO, 2014, https://www.fao.org/3/a-i3940e.pdf, acc
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Fossil Fuel
Any source of fuel that was previously from a living source, for example coal, natural gas or oil, all of which are hydrocarbon products, and all arise from the decomposition of dead animals or plants, or their waste products. Fossil fuel combustion is the primary human induced contributor to global warming and climate change.
Four Capitals Model
A sustainability framework that identifies four areas (or capitals) that influence the wealth (or success) of a society, and which are needed to be balanced and viably maintained to ensure a sustainable outcome is achieved.
• Natural Capital: All-natural resources and ecosystem services; not depleting beyond natures carrying capacity and ensuring the maintenance of a biosphere for the other capitals to thrive.
• Human Capital: Knowledge and skills, with individuals and organisations utilising the other capitals for asset creation and improving health and well-being.
• Social Capital: Social
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