Government incentive to encourage developers to build on brownfield sites that might not otherwise prove profitable by providing help to redevelop contaminated, derelict and disused sites.

Survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that collects a range of information from private households across Great Britain.Further information » Office for National Statistics

The Egan Review identified a number of transferable skills needed by those involved in delivering sustainable communities. These include project management, leadership, partnership working, attracting private investment and community engagement. Generic skills underpin technical and specialist expertise, helping people to overcome obstacles and leading to a greater understanding of how to make communities sustainable.Further information Generic skills defined

Process of renewal and rebuilding, accompanied by an influx of new residents.

The increase in global temperatures brought about by the increased emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Global warming is linked to an increase in the natural 'greenhouse effect'. As such, uncertainty surrounds the extent to which an increase in emissions has altered the earth's climates, or the extent to which climates will change in the future.

Various ways in which political, economic, social and cultural life is coordinated at global, national, regional and local levels.

There are nine Government Offices, each working with regional partners and local people to help deliver the government’s key aims at a regional level. They comprise staff delivering programmes on behalf of most domestic government departments.Further information » www.gos.gov.uk

A local area restricted from building use and allowed to remain in a natural state, or retained for agricultural use, to contain development, preserve the character of the countryside and provide open space.Further informationLocal Planning Authority Green Belt Statistics: England gives information on designated Green Belt land in individual local authorities in England.» Environment Agency » Department for Communities and Local Government

Green roofs are vegetated roofs, or roofs with vegetated spaces. They are also referred to as eco-roofs and roof gardens. Green roof systems can provide a number of key sustainable and environmental benefits and can be provided in urban and rural settings.At present the UK remains without any agreed standards, or policies on green roofs.Further information» www.livingroofs.org.uk

Development that takes place on land that has never previously been developed. Often contested because of the rapidly decreasing amount of greenfield land.

Those gases such as water vapor, carbon dioxide, tropospheric ozone, nitrous oxide, and methane, that are transparent to solar radiation but opaque to longwave radiation. Their action is similar to that of glass in a greenhouse.

Greywater is defined as the waste water produced from baths, showers, clothes washers, and wash-hand basins. Greywater is of lesser quality than potable water. Greywater recycling processes vary and depend upon the level of original contamination. Filtration systems and reed beds can result in greywater being used for gardens and vegetation. Complex filtration systems can provide drinking water from a greywater source.

Value of all final goods and services produced within a country within a given time period, usually one year.

Ground source heat pumps are devices that move heat energy from one place to another. The temperature of ground and ground water at moderate depths are typically at 10 to 14°C in the UK. This temperature remains relatively constant. This heat can be passed to a heat exchanger and used to heat pump technology. In the summer the ground can be used for cooling and in the winter, for heating.