Glossary » Energy, Environment and Water Terms

Households served indicates the estimated number of households provided access to modern/improved energy. This calculation is based on: For non-grid enterprises, the number of households served is generally calculated by the number of systems sold. This number can usually be verified by the entrepreneur.
For grid connected enterprises, the number of households served is calculated by [...]

Modern/improved energy is any form of energy production or use that is considered to be superior to current energy forms - whether through environmental sustainability, human health impact, or reliability.

Land protected from deforestation or other practices that result in an environmental downgrade/loss of productivity of land.

Total weight of all disposed materials over the reporting period.

Potable water, also known as drinking water, is water that is of such quality that it can be consumed or used without risk of immediate or long term harm. Water contaminants can be classified into four broad categories, namely, Chemical contaminants, Physical contaminants, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and Pathogens. If the presence of these contaminants [...]

Point-of-use water treatment devices are installed at an individual tap, faucet, or outlet and reduce contaminants at that one outlet.  
Point-of-use treatment devices can utilize one or more treatment systems, such as: carbon adsorption; reverse osmosis; chlorination; combined flocculent-disinfectant packets; solar disinfection; ceramic filters; and others.   
 

High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) are defined by the Forest Stewardship Council as forests of outstanding and critical importance due to their high environmental, socioeconomic, biodiversity or landscape values.HCVFs are found across broad forest biomes (tropical to boreal), within a wide range of forest conditions (largely intact to largely fragmented), and in ecoregions with complete [...]

Return flow is the volume of water that is (1) Part of a diverted flow that is not consumptively used and returned to its original source or another body of water. (2) (Irrigation) Drainage water from irrigated farmlands that re-enters the water system to be used further downstream.