Glossary of Terms:

Cool Boulder’s action area promoting landscapes that hold more carbon, more water, and more thermal energy, helping to cool our city as well as prevent dangerous flooding that Boulder is prone to. This collaborative effort is focused on improving carbon sequestration, soil health, and water retention/management through regenerative agriculture, sustainable grasslands and turf management, and other actions in the landscaped areas within our City as well as in the working lands surrounding Boulder.

Water that is collected by air conditioning machines.

Light or radiation that is reflected by a surface.

A human-made channel for moving water, typically in the form of a bridge across a gap.

Having little or no rain; dry or barren.

Carbon that exists in the atmosphere in the form of a gas (e.g. carbon dioxide).

A bowl-shaped depression on the land’s surface.

A man-made structure designed to work like a natural beaver dam.

Microscopic organisms, usually one cell, that keep soil and other systems healthy

Hills of soil that are made to serve a purpose in a landscape, such as directing water.

The variety and variability of life on Earth and their interactions with each other; a measure of variation at the genetic, species, and ecosystem levels.

Human-made structures, features, and facilities viewed collectively as an environment in which people live and work.

A variety of approaches and methods aimed at sequestering, or capturing, atmospheric carbon into the soil by implementing practices that are known to improve the rate at which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and stored in plant material and/or soil organic matter. (a.k.a. sequestration, drawdown)

The area/surface from which rainfall flows into a basin, river, lake, or reservoir.

Decomposed (broken-down) organic material (plant material, food) used as a plant fertilizer.

Cool Boulder’s action area to both maintain the health of the community’s existing tree canopy and plant thousands of additional trees to help reduce temperatures and expand access to the benefits of urban trees.

Openings cut in the curb to allow water from the street (or any connected impervious/catchment surface, like a parking lot) to flow into an infiltration and planting area (rainwater basin).

A human-made basin/pool designed to store stormwater runoff from a nearby site for a short period of time.

Indoor and outdoor water used at homes, such as for drinking, food preparation, bathing, washing clothes and dishes, flushing toilets, watering lawns and gardens, and maintaining pools.

A type of watering system that can save water and nutrients by letting water drip slowly to the roots of plants, either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface.

A human-made bank, berm, basin or other form of soil, used as a fortification or to direct water.

Direct and indirect benefits to humans provided by the natural environment and healthy ecosystems.

The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

The process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation (transformation from a liquid to a gas) from the soil and other surfaces, as well as by transpiration from plants which can cool down local environments.

Liquid water lost to the atmosphere due to evaporation, or the transition from liquid water to water vapor.

The amount of soil moisture or water content held in the soil after excess water has drained away and the rate of downward movement has decreased.

Systems designed to protect homes from flooding when the main sewer lines cannot.

The total amount of potential photosynthetic capacity that all the vegetation on the planet can perform.

The process that occurs when certain gasses accumulate in the planet’s atmosphere, known as greenhouse gasses, which prevent heat from escaping the atmosphere, causing the gradual warming of our planet and climate - similar to a greenhouse.

An array of practices that use or mimic natural systems to reinforce or improve our built infrastructure, such as water management systems, while maintaining and restoring ecosystems and ensuring their continued delivery of their services and providing the habitats and resources that species need to survive.

Infrastructure designed to mimic nature and capture rainwater where it falls.

Domestic, lightly-used wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater from toilets. Sources of greywater include sinks, showers, baths, washing machines or dishwashers.

Involves the continuous circulation of water between the Earth and its atmosphere, including on, above and below the surface of the Earth. (a.k.a. the water cycle)

The branching, root-like filaments that make up the mycelium (networks of fungal threads or hyphae) of a fungus.

All hard surfaces like paved roads, parking lots, roofs, and even highly compacted soils like sports fields, that prevent the natural soaking of rainwater into the ground and the slow percolation into streams.

The flow/seeping of water from aboveground into the subsurface.

The result of human-induced actions which exploit land, causing its utility, biodiversity, soil fertility, and overall health to decline.​

Land degradation in arid, semi-arid and dry sub humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities, characterized by fertile land transitioning towards a desert due to reduced soil health, soil moisture, aquifer levels and more that reduces vegetation’s ability to thrive. Desertification affects as much as one-sixth of the world's population, seventy percent of all drylands, and one-quarter of the total land area of the world. It results in widespread poverty as well as in the degradation of billion hectares of rangeland and cropland. (a.k.a. desertification, aridification)

The heat that is required/used to convert a solid into a liquid or vapor, or a liquid into a vapor, without change of temperature. For example, the heat that is used to evaporate water from a liquid to a vapor, contributing to the cooling of local environments.

Interconnected communities of interacting life forms and their physical environment. (a.k.a. the biosphere)

Animal dung used as fertilizer.

The cultivation of a single crop in a given area, leading to extremely low biodiveristy.

Material (such as decaying leaves, bark, or compost) spread around or over a plant to enrich or insulate the soil. Mulch is used to retain moisture in the soil, suppress or block weeds, keep the soil and plant roots cool, prevent frost heaving in winter, or make the garden bed and landscape look more attractive.

Tap water that is treated and processed then distributed by a municipality to homes and industries for use. (a.k.a. drinking water)

Mycorrhizae are fungal associations between plant roots and beneficial fungi. The fungi effectively extend the root area of plants and are extremely important to most wild plants, but less significant for garden plants where the use of fertilizers and cultivation disrupts and replaces these associations.

Species that have evolved to live and thrive within a given region or ecosystem by adapting to the climate, soil conditions, physical environment and other life forms that occupy the same region or ecosystem.

A resource used by Brad Lancaster to assess the rainwater planting potential of a specific place, containing information on the watershed, water usage stats, totem species, watergy and solar and climate data, including averages and extremes for temperature, wind and rainfall.

Materials collected and applied to soil at the same location, to provide nutrients for plants and other life living in the soil. Materials could include rain fallen leaves, plant trimmings, bird manure, free on-site waters, etc. (a.k.a. local ‘green waste’)

Free waters collected on-site, such as rainfall or greywater, that are used to irrigate vegetation on the same site.

Organic (carbon-based) compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments that were formed by life forms, often referring to the feces or remains of organisms such as plants and animals. It covers a wide range of things like lawn clippings, leaves, stems, branches, moss, algae, lichens, any parts of animals, manure, droppings, sewage sludge, sawdust, insects, earthworms, microbes, etc.

A spillway or drain that is lower than the other sections of the reservoir/basin allowing water to flow out of the reservoir/basin in the event that it is filled to capacity.

A design concept that takes advantage of a building's site, climate, and materials to minimize energy use. For example, aligning a building so that its longest side is facing south (in the Northern Hemisphere) so that the sun shining on the building during the winter helps to heat it up.

The point at which plants wilt because there is no water available to the plant, and plants fail to recover when supplied with sufficient moisture. The permanent wilting point depends on plant variety, but it is usually around 1500 kPa (15 bars). At this stage, the soil still contains some water, but it is difficult for the roots to extract from the soil.

Rain garden zones that experience differing levels of water and temperature, and contain plants that can tolerate that level of water availability and temperature exposure. (bottom, terrace, top) For example, plants in the bottom zone should be the most water-needy plants that are tolerant of colder temperatures and higher levels of water availability, because the bottom zone will receive the highest levels of water and the lowest temperatures.

The free Pollinator Advocates (PA) program, hosted by Cool Boulder, brings together community members who are dedicated to creating biodiverse, predominantly native plant habitats that provide ecosystem benefits for pollinators, birds, and other species—including us! After completing an in-depth summer-through-fall training with a world-class team of instructors to learn the ‘hows and whys’ of building connected corridor spaces, PAs become ecological advocates and leaders in our local community. PAs participate year-round in ongoing education, movement building, propagation of native plants, and the creation and management of biodiverse urban habitats and restoration projects.

Cool Boulder’s action area to plant and maintain corridors of diverse plants that support cooling temperatures and foster biodiversity, especially for native pollinators. Creating and expanding an interconnected network of these corridors on both public and private land will provide important habitats and help manage carbon and water in ways that reduce the impacts of climate change.

A garden that lies below the level of its surroundings, designed to absorb rainwater that runs off of a surface such as a patio or roof.

The practice of planting/infiltrating or tanking, utilizing, and cycling of free on-site waters (rain, stormwater runoff (such as street runoff), greywater, dark greywater, condensate, snow, & fog), in a way that maintains or improves their quality, maximizes their availability and accessibility over time (even in droughts), reduces on-site and downstream flooding in wet times, and helps grow more life and fertility—so that water, soil, and living conditions improve on both the site where we live; and throughout the larger community and our shared watershed. (a.k.a. passively harvested rain)

A holistic approach to agriculture that focuses on the interconnection of farming systems and the ecological system as a whole and, among other benefits, combats climate change by rebuilding soil organic matter and restoring degraded soil health and biodiversity – resulting in both carbon drawdown and improving the water cycle.

Adding new features to an older system for improved/added functions.

The draining/flowing away of water (and/or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land, a building or structure, etc. that occurs when the surface is impervious or if excess rainwater, stormwater, meltwater, or other sources, can no longer sufficiently rapidly infiltrate in the surface/soil. (streets, roofs, etc.)

The soil water content at which all pore space is filled with water. (no additional water capacity is available)

A general term for the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the sun. (a.k.a. sunlight)

The total amount of water content, including the water vapor, in an unsaturated soil. Soil moisture - sometimes also called soil water - represents the water in land surfaces that is not in rivers, lakes, or groundwater, but instead resides in the pores of the soil.

The fraction of the soil that consists of (carbon-based) compounds that were formed by life forms, typically plant or animal tissue in various stages of breakdown (decomposition). Soil organic matter contributes to soil health and productivity in many different ways.

Cellular structures on tree leaves and needles that are involved in the exchange of carbon dioxide, oxygen and water between plants and the atmosphere.

Drains built to carry away excess water (stormwater) in times of heavy rain.

Rain or snow water that flows over streets, parking lots and roofs and into a water body or storm drain.

A surface water management system that is designed to control excess water and runoff from rainfall events. Stormwater systems include methods to collect, convey, store, absorb, inhibit, treat, use, or reuse water to prevent or reduce flooding, environmental degradation, and water pollution.

Additional supply of water to land or crops to help growth, not including waters from precipitation.

A strategic plan to enhance the process by which water ponded or flowing over a soil surface is absorbed into the soil.

Human-made material added to soil or land to increase growth and productivity of plants; different from compost and manure. Can lead to situations of nutrient build-up, which can be harmful to the health of the soil/land.

The capacity to endure continued exposure to something. (water, temperature)

The arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area. (dysfunctional topography - e.g. mounded landscapes that carry water away from the site, instead of planting the rain by allowing it to be absorbed into the landscape)

The upper layer of soil. It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.

The Tree Tender program, led by PLAY Boulder’s Tree Trust, educates and empowers citizens to take care of their local trees. By becoming a Tree Tender, you learn basic tree planting maintenance, connect with community members in need of assistance caring for and planting trees on private property, facilitate tree distributions, lead volunteers in planting projects, and share education materials and Tree Trust initiatives with the community.

The Tree Trust is a program led by the PLAY Boulder Foundation to work with citizens to support trees in Boulder and promote a healthy urban canopy for years to come. The Tree Trust’s goal is to provide citizens with resources to care for their trees, tools to recognize and prevent developing diseases in the area, and the aid to retain and expand a sustainable urban canopy

Trees located within urban settings for the purpose of improving the urban environment.

A measurement of the total amount of energy that is used to pump and treat water in(to) the community.

The area of land where all of the water that falls in it and drains off of it goes to a common outlet. Watersheds can be as small as a footprint or large enough to encompass all the land that drains water into rivers that drain into Chesapeake Bay, where it enters the Atlantic Ocean.